Call for Papers

Propose a Special Issue

The ITED invites proposals for special issues on contemporary themes associated with effective and innovative technologies in education. Special issues should appeal to an international audience.

To propose a special issue, please email the Editor-in-Chief. The Journal periodically issues specific calls for Special Issues but also accepts unsolicited proposals.

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Special Issue Call: Critical AI Literacies, Pedagogical Frameworks, and Policy Ecosystems in Higher Education

Guest Editors:

Dr Luis Pereira - Universidade Aberta, LE@D - Portugal | luis.pereira@uab.pt

Dr Qianqian Chai  - Queen Mary University of London - UK | q.chai@qmul.ac.uk

 

Overview

Generative and agentic AI are reshaping higher education. This special issue examines AI integration through an ecosystem perspective spanning three interconnected dimensions:

  • users and critical literacies
  • pedagogical frameworks and practice
  • institutional policy, strategy, and governance

Together, these dimensions form an ecosystem that enables (or constrains) responsible and strategic AI integration in higher education. We welcome submissions that engage analytically and critically with one of these dimensions or that examine relationships across them.

 

Thematic Blocks & Illustrative Topics

Block 1 – Users / Critical AI and Literacies

·  Evolving AI literacies in contexts of increasing system autonomy and human-AI collaboration.

·  Cognitive and metacognitive dynamics of AI engagement, including calibration, skill development, and coverreliance.

·  Conceptual or empirical engagement with AI literacy frameworks (e.g., DigComp 3.0, emerging AI literacy models)

Block 2 – Pedagogical Frameworks, Practice and Evidence

·  Framework-guided curriculum, assessment, and feedback design for AI-integrated learning.

·  Theorising and modelling structured human-AI collaboration in curriculum and assessment contexts (e.g., sociomaterial or activity-theoretical approaches).

·  Evidence-based evaluation of AI-supported pedagogy, including learning outcomes, workload implications, and disciplinary variation.

Block 3 – Policy, Strategy and Governance

·  Institutional AI strategy and policy development, including tensions, contradictions, and policy-practice alignment.

·  Governance models and oversight mechanisms for responsible and accountable AI integration (e.g.,alignment with UNESCO, OECD, or regulatory frameworks such as the EU AI act).

·  Institutional approaches to academic integrity, risk management , and stakeholder co-design in AI-enabled higher education.

 

Contribution Types

  • Empirical research
  • Case studies
  • Conceptual papers
  • Critical reflections
  • Policy analyses

 

Submission & Dates

  • Deadline of Abstract Submission (up to 300 words) to luis.pereira@uab.pt: 30 April 2026
  • Completion of Abstract Review: 30 May 2026
  • Manuscript submission window: 1 June 2026 - 30 December 2026
  • Anticipated publication: early 2027

*The full call for papers is available here

To make a submission of the full manuscript, use the ITED online portal https://open-publishing.org/journals/index.php/ited/about/submissions and ensure the Section selected is the following: "Critical AI Literacy, Pedagogy & Policy in Higher Ed"