Ubiquitous Learning International Award for Excellence

Ubiquitous Learning: An International Journal offers an annual award for newly published research or thinking that has been recognized to be outstanding by members of the e-Learning & Innovative Pedagogies Research Network.

Award Winner for Volume 17

Preservice Teachers’ Beliefs about Their Future Teaching due to Their Massive Online Learning Experience

This study sought to identify changes in preservice teachers’ beliefs toward steps they should take in future online teaching based on their massive emergency online learning experience during the pandemic. The data were collected from 378 respondents after one semester of emergency remote learning, via a combined qualitative and quantitative questionnaire. Findings indicate moderate levels of belief both for themselves as learners and for their future online teaching goals. The higher level of beliefs about the latter suggests that emergency remote learning positively influences beliefs about future online teaching. Responses to the questionnaire, based on cognitive orientation theory and the system of dynamic personality change, yielded five beliefs about actions required in future online teaching: mediation of meaning, flexibility, entrepreneurship, applying social–humanistic approaches, and diversity as constructing learning. This article’s uniqueness lies in identifying five teaching actions that must be related to future teaching–learning structures. These actions intertwine and constitute a dynamic open system that both undergoes internal changes and maintains reciprocally influencing contact with the environment.


The research highlights grounded theory as a key element in effective teaching, particularly in preparing preservice teachers for online and hybrid education. By examining how their own learning experiences shape their beliefs about future online teaching, the study highlights essential insights into instructional development. Drawing from the Cognitive Orientation theory and the Dynamic Personality Change model, the study offers a novel interdisciplinary perspective that bridges cognitive psychology with educational practice.

Five essential actions for effective teaching in digital and hybrid environments were identified in the study: mediation of meaning, flexibility, entrepreneurship, social-humanistic engagement, and the constructive use of diversity. Together, these actions create a dynamic pedagogical framework that adapts to evolving educational needs while promoting inclusivity, autonomy, and meaningful engagement. The research delivers a comprehensive yet nuanced understanding of the cognitive and motivational processes underlying preservice teachers’ future instructional goals. It underscores the importance of aligning teacher training programs with belief-driven pedagogies, ensuring that educators develop the reflective and adaptable skills necessary to navigate complex learning environments.

Integrating psychological theory with teacher development not only deepens our understanding of professional growth but also lays the foundation for cultivating educators that are innovative, empathetic, and equipped to thrive in diverse and technologically mediated learning environments.

—Adva Margaliot

Past Award Winners

Volume 16

The Critical Influence of Machine Translation on Foreign Language Education: A Prospective Discourse on the Rise of a Novel Instructional Landscape

Tsukasa Yamanaka and Chiho Toyoshima, Ubiquitous Learning: An International Journal, Volume 16, Issue 2, pp. 101-114


Volume 15

Decolonial Practices on the Educational Platform CGScholar: Subjectification, Ecology of Knowledges, and the Design of Rhizomatic Multimodal Texts

Rodrigo Abrantes da Silva and Souzana Mizan, Ubiquitous Learning: An International Journal, Volume 15, Issue 2, pp. 19-35


Volume 14

Ubiquitous Digital Literacy and English Language Education: A Systematic Review

Soraya García-Sánchez, Ubiquitous Learning: An International Journal, Volume 15, Issue 1, pp. 37-50


Volume 13

The Effect of Reflexive Feedback on Teacher-Trainer Performance in a Distance-Learning Context

Christine Evain, Christopher De Marco, Ubiquitous Learning: An International Journal, Volume 13, Issue 4, pp.11-24


Volume 12

Students’ Perceptions of the Flipped Classroom Pedagogy in an Open Distance e-Learning University

Micheal M Van Wyk, Ubiquitous Learning: An International Journal, Volume 12, Issue 4, pp.1-13


Volume 11

Bringing the Ivory Tower into Students’ Homes: Promoting Accessibility in Online Courses

Marisa Macy, Robert Macy, and Melanie Shaw, Ubiquitous Learning: An International Journal, Volume 11, Issue 1, pp.13-21


Volume 10

Exploring the Limitations of Face-to-Face Instruction through Blogging: An Emergent Exploration in a Teacher Education Program

John Vitale, Ubiquitous Learning: An International Journal, Volume 10, Issue 2, pp.31-41


Volume 9

Ubiquitous Learning behind the Great Firewall: Transforming the English Major at Shantou University

Thomas J. Haslam, Ubiquitous Learning: An International Journal, Volume 9, Issue 1, pp.9-20


Volume 8

A Proposed Taxonomy of Theoretical and Pedagogical Perspectives of Mobile Applications to Support Ubiquitous Learning

Ronnie Shroff, Christopher Keyes and Warren S. Linger, Ubiquitous Learning: An International Journal, Volume 8, Issue 4, pp.23-44


Volume 5

Introduction to an Ubiquitous Learning Model to Assess the Ubiquity Level in Higher Education Institutions

Claudia Maria Zea Restrepo, Juan Guillermo Lalinde Pulido, Roberto Aguas, Gloria Patricia Toro Perez and Camilo Vieira Mejia, Ubiquitous Learning: An International Journal, Volume 5, Issue 2, pp.1-15


Volume 2

Anywhere, Anytime - Creating a Mobile Indigenous Language Platform

Tabitha McKenzie, Rāwiri Toia and Hiria McRae, Ubiquitous Learning: An International Journal, Volume 2, Issue 3, pp.167-178


Volume 1

Tech Pushers: Making Administrators into Tech Integration Facilitators

Larry Taylor, Ubiquitous Learning: An International Journal, Volume 1, Issue 2, pp.33-38