Teaching and Learning with Technology During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Highlighting the Need for Micro-Meso-Macro Alignments

Oct 15, 2026

Teaching and learning worldwide shifted to online education during the COVID-19 pandemic, creating major disruptions for teachers and learners. This paper examines those challenges through discussions at EDUsummIT2019 in Quebec under the theme “Learners and learning contexts: New alignments for the digital age”. The analysis combines theoretical framing with empirical evidence to identify micro-meso-macro alignments needed for education to advance in the digital era.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

EDUsummIT: Background and Mission

Online transition challenges during COVID-19

Micro-meso-macro alignments for the digital age

Volume 4 7 (4) Special Issue 2021 Teaching and Learning with Technology During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Highlighting the Need for Micro-Meso-Macro Alignments Enseigner et apprendre avec la technologie pendant la pandémie COVID-19 : Soulignant la nécessité d'alignements micro-méso-macro Joke Voogt, University of Amsterdam Gerald Knezek, University of North Texas Abstract All over the world teaching and learning transitioned to forms of online education due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This contribution recognizes challenges that this disruptive change brought about for techers and learners. This paper reflects on these challenges, based on discussions at EDUsummIT2019 in Quebec about the theme “Learners and learning contexts: New alignments for the digital age”. Informed by theoretical conceptualization and empirical evidence, micro-mesomacro alignments are identified that need to be in place to move education into the digital age: alignments for quality learning contexts, alignments in support for teachers, and alignments through partnerships. Keywords: Micro-meso-macro alignments; COVID-19; Pandemic; EDUsummIT; Learning contexts; Teacher support; Partnerships Resume Dans le monde [quasi] entier, l'enseignement et l'apprentissage ont évolué vers des formesd'éducation en ligne en raison de la pandémie de COVID-19. Dans cet article, il est reconnu que ce changement perturbateur a entraîné pour les enseignants et les apprenants bien des défis. Nous réfléchissons à ces défis, sur la base des discussions qui ont eu lieu lors de l'EDUsummIT2019 au Québec sur le thème "Apprenant·e·s et contextes d'apprentissage : De nouveaux alignements pour l'ère numérique " . Sur la base d’une conceptualisation théorique et des preuves empiriques, les alignements micro-méso-macro à être mis en place pour faire passer l'éducation à l'ère numérique sont repérés : alignements pour des contextes d'apprentissage de qualité, alignements concernant lesoutien aux enseignant·e·s et alignements au moyen de partenariats. Mots clés : Alignements micro-méso-macro ; COVID-19 ; Pandémie ; EDUsummIT ; Contextes d'apprentissage ; Soutien aux enseignants ; Partenariats CJLT/RCAT Vol. 47 (4) Introduction On January 30, 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a public health emergency of international concern and on March 11 recognized COVID-19 as a pandemic affecting all sectors in society, including education (WHO, 2021) . One week later, March 17, 2020, schools in 124 countries were (partly) closed, affecting 49% of enrolled learners. One year later, March 17, 2021, schools in 29 countries remain (partly) closed, affecting nearly 10% of school-aged learners (UNESCO, n.d.). For many teachers, learners, and their parents this meant that education was not offered at all or offered at a distance, often with the help of digital technologies. In this contribution, the disruptive change for education is reflected upon from the perspective of the EDUsummIT2019 theme “Learners and learning contexts: New alignments for the digital age”. To set the scene, a brief overview is provided of the background and mission of EDUsummIT, then educational challenges observed in the transition to online teaching and learning are discussed. Further, consideration is given to how these challenges relate to alignments identified in previous EDUsummITs–that is, to other alignments that have been identified previously in order to promote moving education into the digital age. EDUsummIT: Background and Mission EDUsummIT, the International Summit on Information Technology in Education, began as a follow-up to the publication of the International Handbook of Information Technology in Primary and Secondary Education (Voogt & Knezek, 2008) . This handbook was the first to provide a synthesis of 40 years of research on information and communication technology in education. A completely updated revision, the Second Handbook of Information Technology in Prim

FAQs

What major shift in education occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Teaching and learning transitioned from in-person formats to online education due to pandemic conditions, often delivered at a distance with digital technologies.

How does the paper connect its discussion to EDUsummIT2019?

It reflects on challenges from the perspective of the EDUsummIT2019 theme: “Learners and learning contexts: New alignments for the digital age”.

Which types of micro-meso-macro alignments are identified as necessary?

The paper highlights alignments for quality learning contexts, alignments supporting teachers, and alignments achieved through partnerships.

Oct 15, 2026

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