Digital Technology Affordances in Hybrid Learning Environments

Introduction

The 21^st century is characterised by the development and proliferation of information technology, knowledge and innovation, which are regarded as the fundamental drive for reshaping the industrial economy, business models and working environments. Furthermore, globalisation has accelerated the process by transforming organisational and professional operations to a more knowledge-based, collaborative and geographically mobile model (Dunning, 2000). To cope with the new challenges in today’s knowledge-driven economy, people in the labour force are expected to obtain a higher level of digital competency, as well as having the capability of adapting and adjusting to constant change (Kay, 2010). Education systems, although often not evolving in parallel with the economy, need to equip students with these essential skills to prepare them for future career success in life and workplace in the 21^st century. Some of the widely acknowledged 21^st century skills are represented as the 4Cs: critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication. Fullan and Langworthy (2014) further developed new conceptualisations through 6Cs to add character and citizenship on the list. The 6Cs are believed to be enabled through the means of innovative technologies and pedagogies (Mahat et al., 2018).

Higher education institutions globally have been witnessing a growing trend in supporting student-centred learning practices, which correspond with the development of 21^st-century skills (Casanova et al., 2020). These innovative practices challenge the traditional conceptions of learning spaces (Nørgård et al., 2019; Canals et al., 2018). As a result, the importance of physical learning space has drawn increasing attention from both educators and design professionals (Cleveland, 2011; Fisher, 2004). Consistent with the socio-constructivist views of learning, new learning spaces are designed based on the notion that space interacts and interrelates with the social world and learning is critically shaped, actively constructed, and collaboratively negotiated by its context (Entwistle, 1977; Gustin et al., 2018).

Extended from the conceptualisation of learning space, the newly defined “learning environment” seems to have a broader realm to include not only the physical learning space, but also the social, psychological and conceptual dimensions of environment (Cleveland, 2009; Closs et al., 2022). The mediating effect of technology in facilitating student learning in multi-dimensions of learning environments has been widely accepted. For the past few decades, higher education institutions have been equipped with innovations and technologies (Casanova et al., 2020), transforming from traditional face-to-face settings to, or combining with more diverse learning approaches and environments, such as distance learning, e-learning, online learning, blended and integrated learning environments. By changing the technology integration, delivery modes, and affordances of learning environments, instructional designers can create a significant change in students’ learning experience in a particular environment (Verdonck et al., 2019), whether it be physical or virtual, online or offline, synchronous or asynchronous, or even a mix of options. However, despite the vast investment in building new learning spaces in higher education, learning environments remain under-researched (Temple, 2008; Ellis & Goodyear, 2016), including the actual use of technology in them.