Introduction

Although learning management systems (LMSs) emerged in the late 1990s, their adoption in higher education accelerated sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sudden shift to online teaching drew scholars’ attention to technology acceptance in crisis or emergency contexts (Alturki & Aldraiweesh, 2021). While the “new normal” appears to have influenced students’ LMS use (Misiejuk et al., 2023), continuance usage, understood as sustained post-adoption usage (Bhattacherjee, 2001), has received limited attention. Moreover, international comparisons remain relatively scarce and often insufficiently account for cultural and institutional differences, leaving an important research gap. This study therefore examines how students’ LMS behaviors differ across cultural contexts across two stages of environmental change: during and after COVID-19.

Method

This study conducts a longitudinal analysis of students’ behavior in an LMS, comparing two higher-education contexts (Carvalho et al., 2026): Université Côte d’Azur (France) and the University of Da Nang (Vietnam). We measure students’ Moodle use across two periods (during and after COVID-19), enabling us to observe behavioral change over time and examine dynamic relationships. Three analyses will be conducted: (1) behavioral analysis: intensity, diversity, and relative engagement; (2) trajectory modeling: multilevel growth-curve models and latent class growth analysis; (3) cross-institution comparison: comparing the distribution of trajectory types.

Result

Our expected contributions are twofold. First, we provide a typology of LMS-use trajectories that characterizes patterns of digital learning practices over time. Second, we offer evidence on how contextual factors (including learning culture, course design, and pedagogical practices) shape the sustainability of these practices in higher education.

The transition from secondary school to STEM higher education constitutes a critical stage that frequently exposes gaps in students’ foundational scientific competencies, including data interpretation, mathematical reasoning, measurement, modeling, and scientific communication. These difficulties significantly affect students’ academic trajectories and contribute to early dropout in science and technology degree programs. This paper presents an interdisciplinary educational intervention designed to support secondary school students during the transition to STEM higher education through a series of seven structured workshops complemented by technology-enhanced domiciliary activities. The intervention integrates core concepts from physics, chemistry, mathematics, and biology, emphasizing active learning, collaborative problem-solving, and the development of transversal scientific skills. A distinctive feature of the proposal is the guided and critical use of artificial intelligence tools in extracurricular activities carried out outside the classroom. Students are encouraged to compare their own problem-solving processes with AI-generated outputs, identify conceptual and methodological errors, and reflect on the epistemic limits, risks, and potential of AI in scientific learning. This approach promotes metacognitive awareness and responsible use of emerging technologies. Implemented within a university extension framework, the model fosters institutional articulation between secondary schools and higher education, supports inclusive access to STEM careers, and positions extension-based interventions as effective pedagogical strategies for strengthening STEM readiness prior to university entry.

This article critically analyzes the evolving role of International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) in supporting Afghanistan’s education and health systems between 2020 and 2025, with an emphasis on lessons for inclusive education development. Operating amid severe political instability, humanitarian crises, and shifting governance structures, INGOs have remained central to sustaining essential services for vulnerable populations. The study examines how these organizations have adapted their operational strategies to address access, equity, and quality through service delivery, institutional capacity building, policy advocacy, and community-based engagement. Drawing on recent empirical data and relevant scholarly literature, the article assesses the extent to which INGO interventions have contributed to system resilience, particularly for marginalized groups such as girls, children with disabilities, and rural communities. While notable achievements are identified, including continuity of basic services and localized innovation, persistent challenges—such as funding constraints, security risks, and limitations on inclusive participation—are also highlighted. Based on this analysis, the article offers practical recommendations aimed at strengthening inclusive and sustainable education frameworks in fragile and post-conflict settings. Ultimately, the study seeks to distill transferable insights that can inform global policy and practice in advancing comprehensive inclusive education under crisis conditions.

Overall, INGO experiences in Afghanistan offer vital lessons for inclusive education in crises.

University education is increasingly expected to foster advanced forms of identity, social, and professional development that address contemporary societal challenges. Among these are the limitations of traditional epistemological models, which Morin criticizes, and the growing diffusion of social polarization and radicalism. In this context, studying personal epistemologies—the beliefs individuals hold about the nature of knowledge and how it is acquired—offers a valuable lens for monitoring formative processes and responding to these challenges. Personal epistemologies shape whether knowledge is conceived, and their transformation involves not only cognitive change but also identity and relational dispositions. Crucially, their development is socio-cultural rather than biological, highlighting their relevance in higher education.
The relationship between personal epistemologies and academic practices, particularly competitive debate, has recently attracted scholarly interest. Debate is a ruled, argumentative confrontation between teams defending incompatible positions and occurs in both tournament and classroom settings. It is widely recognized for fostering critical-argumentative skills and civic competencies, closely associated with more advanced personal epistemologies.
Building on this premise, the study aims to provide a nuanced account of how academic debaters represent their personal epistemologies in international competitive debate. Grounded in a constructivist and interpretive epistemological framework, it employs a qualitative design combining thematic and discourse analysis, supported by cross-case matrix comparisons. Data are collected through in-depth interviews with 4–6 participants per country across 5–6 MENA countries, and with debate coaches to examine how epistemic orientations are transmitted through training and pedagogy. Three regional, multi-country focus groups further explore collective epistemic tensions and convergences. Supplementary materials—including training resources, university documents, and munāẓara texts—are analyzed to contextualize personal, public, and traditional epistemologies. Ultimately, this study examines the consistency between personal epistemologies and those fostered by debate practices, and their positioning relative to traditional and institutional epistemologies.

English lecturers often face challenges in motivating less-engaged undergraduates to actively use higher-order cognitive skills such as synthesizing information. This study explored the influence of a kinesthetic note-taking activity on 24 Social Science students’ engagement in practicing synthesizing in a Sri Lankan university English language classroom. The students worked in pairs to read three research articles related to their proposed study, and made notes on four topics: aim of the article, methods, results and gaps on sticky notes, which were displayed on boards around the classroom. In this study, a qualitative approach informed by the Grounded Theory was employed for data collection and analysis. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews with eight students and the first author’s observational notes. The iterative data collection and analysis were based on the GT strategies such as convenient sampling, theoretical sampling, saturation, initial coding, memo writing, constant comparison, focused coding and theoretical coding. Findings indicated that the students found the activity useful for note organization, synthesis, distinguishing ideas, and increased motivation. The physical movement involved in the activity supported the process of synthesizing. Comparison of the notes on the boards helped the students identify similarities and differences across the studies. The students also reported increased motivation in reading research and engagement with making syntheses. This study suggests the effectiveness of kinesthetic activities in helping students identify similarities and difference in research notes. English lecturers can use kinesthetic activities to help students develop synthesizing more engagingly in English language classrooms.

Intercultural competence refers to the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately with individuals from diverse backgrounds. In an increasingly globalized world, this competence has become essential in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context, where learners are expected to engage in intercultural communication settings. This study highlights the importance of integrating intercultural perspectives into English language education. Foreign language teachers can help students understand cultural diversity better by using a transcultural approach. This approach encourages students to be more flexible, ethno-relative, and aware of cultural differences. In course design, the integration of ICC skills promotes inclusive learning environments, shifting the focus from language accuracy to evaluating students' ability to analyze and integrate cross-cultural understandings. Hence, our work emphasizes the importance of cultural values, communication styles, and social identity and attempts to improve EFL learning outcomes. Our research is conducted at Ibn Khaldoun University of Tiaret with a sample of ninety Master's students (Linguistics specialty) and adopts a mixed-methods approach using an online questionnaire with reflective written responses and qualitative analysis of selected learner discourse. The findings revealed that many participants unintentionally use ethnocentric expressions, which can raise sensitivity and prejudice in the classroom. Qualitative insights further show that such expressions often emerge from limited intercultural awareness rather than deliberate exclusionary intent. By integrating intercultural communication assessment into EFL teaching, teachers can empower students to use language not only as a means for interaction, but also as a medium for cultural exchange, identity expression, and mutual understanding. Therefore, this investigation provides transferable pedagogical implications for EFL contexts beyond the local setting; further, it contributes to ongoing international discussions on intercultural education.

Emerging parasitic diseases remain a major global health concern, yet parasitology is often underrepresented in higher education. To address this gap, the University of Alcalá (UAH) launched in 2025 an eight-day intensive summer course, “Advanced Diagnosis of Emerging Parasites in Humans and Animals,” designed to provide interdisciplinary training in diagnostic techniques, outbreak response, and One Health strategies. We report a single-cohort educational innovation attended by seven students. The course integrated interactive lectures with hands-on laboratory workshops using real clinical and veterinary specimens and digital resources (e-Parasitology^©). Training covered parasite life cycles and pathogenesis; classical parasitological methods (sedimentation and flotation); molecular diagnostics (PCR); immunodiagnostics (including monoclonal antibody development); and applied activities in environmental decontamination and antiparasitic formulation. Participant outcomes were evaluated using routinely collected university quality-assurance feedback, provided to instructors exclusively in fully anonymised, aggregated form (no identifiable data accessed). Descriptive analysis of the institutional survey (3/7 respondents) showed high satisfaction across key domains (mean scores on a 1–5 scale: content planning 4.67; teaching quality 4.67; perceived learning 4.33; workload 4.33; expectations met 5.00), and open-ended comments highlighted the value of the practical component. To strengthen the evidence base in the next edition, we will implement a structured evaluation framework including reach indicators (uptake/completion), aligned pre/post-knowledge checks, rubric-based assessment of practical competencies, and an anonymous post-course survey capturing satisfaction and self-efficacy, with paired pre/post-analyses and cohort-level comparisons where feasible. Overall, this course offers a feasible and scalable model of practice-based, interdisciplinary parasitology training aligned with One Health preparedness and competency development.

An environmental education intervention was implemented during the European Researchers’ Night in a coastal region with an important fisheries sector to improve public understanding of sharks and rays through hands-on activities. The instructional sequence combined games, biological samples (including egg cases), and guided discussions. Participants (N=51; mean age = 9.93 ± 5.97; 54.90% female), who were mainly primary school students (78.43%), completed pre- and post-questionnaires to assess prior knowledge and learning outcomes. The questionnaire included 4 demographic and 10 questions combining drawings (eggs and adults), Likert-scale, and open-ended responses addressing elasmobranch biology, ecology, and threats. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and pre-post comparisons to identify changes in knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes. Initial drawings showed that most participants could accurately depict adult sharks and rays, but representations of eggs were often inaccurate, consistent with limited prior exposure. After the intervention, drawings of egg cases became notably more precise. Most respondents identified sharks and rays as fish, but fewer recognized them as vertebrates, particularly rays. Species knowledge was scarce and strongly biased towards well-known shark species, whereas awareness of ray diversity was limited even after the intervention. Perceived threats to sharks and rays were already high at pre-test, especially pollution, habitat destruction, and overfishing, and generally values increased after post-intervention. Participants justified protection mainly in terms of biodiversity and ecosystem roles. Pro-environmental intentions shifted from a general focus on pollution toward more specific actions such as avoiding overfishing and habitat destruction. Attitudes toward citizen science showed substantial gains, with strong post-test increases in willingness to report sightings, search for egg cases, disseminate conservation information, and enroll in educational projects like The.Shark-Ray.Map. Overall, results indicate that short, interactive outreach activities integrating real biological samples and participatory science can effectively enhance marine literacy and foster engagement with conservation actions among younger audiences.

Educational Digital Twins (EDTs) are emerging as a powerful pedagogical framework to accelerate the development of sustainability competences in engineering and architecture education. This contribution conceptualizes EDTs as interactive learning ecosystems that connect metrics (e.g., Level(s) indicators), values (the New European Bauhaus principles—sustainable, inclusive, and beautiful), and digital platforms (simulation, data-driven decision support, and collaborative learning environments). We present a comparative perspective between Spain and Chile, chosen for their cultural proximity and complementary strengths: Spain offers a policy- and framework-driven pathway aligned with European sustainability agendas, while Chile provides a context-driven approach shaped by resilience challenges and applied innovation in the built environment. Methodologically, the work combines a targeted literature review (2018–2025) with a SWOT–CAME strategy pipeline to move from diagnosis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) to actionable measures (correct, address, maintain, exploit) in curriculum design, faculty development, institutional governance, and international cooperation. As a key output, we propose the Educational Digital Twin Readiness Index (ERI) to assess institutional capacity across four domains: (1) governance and policy alignment, (2) digital infrastructure and interoperability, (3) pedagogical and interdisciplinary capability, and (4) equity, accessibility, and inclusion. The resulting roadmap supports a replicable Ibero-American hybrid model that combines Spain’s regulatory robustness with Chile’s applied experimentation, highlighting open-source innovation, reduction of digital divides, and cross-border partnerships as enabling conditions for scaling EDTs in higher education.

Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats are increasingly relevant in contexts shaped by industrial activity, environmental emergencies, accidental releases, and intentional incidents. These challenges require interdisciplinary training that prepares future professionals to recognise hazards, understand response principles, and work across health, environmental, and forensic settings. To address this need, the University of Alcalá launched in 2025 a summer course entitled Responder y prevenir ataques con agentes químicos, biológicos, radiológicos y nucleares (NRBQ).

A descriptive educational innovation study was conducted to characterise the implementation and participant appraisal of the course. The programme was delivered through lectures, case-based learning, and applied sessions focused on major CBRN scenarios and response principles. Evaluation was based on data routinely generated during the course, including enrolment and attendance records and an anonymous end-of-course satisfaction questionnaire completed by participants. The questionnaire explored perceptions of course organisation, content relevance, teaching methodology, interdisciplinary value, and overall usefulness using structured rating items, together with open-ended comments. Quantitative data were analysed descriptively, and qualitative comments were reviewed to identify recurrent themes related to strengths, limitations, and suggestions for improvement.

The course attracted participants from diverse academic backgrounds linked to health and environmental sciences, supporting an interdisciplinary learning environment. Overall participant appraisal was favourable, with students highlighting the relevance of the topic, the novelty of CBRN content within their previous training, and the value of combining conceptual foundations with applied examples. Participants particularly appreciated the practical orientation of the course and its usefulness for understanding real-world emergency contexts. Suggestions for improvement mainly focused on increasing hands-on activities and expanding the duration of some sessions.

This summer course represents a feasible and well-received initiative for introducing CBRN preparedness into higher education. The findings support the value of short, interdisciplinary training formats and provide a basis for future editions incorporating stronger learning-outcome assessment strategies.