The intersection of Critical Pedagogy and Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) remains an underdeveloped area of research in the United Kingdom (UK). Unlike in North America, Latin America, and parts of Europe, where critical approaches to digital learning are well established, the UK’s research landscape in TEL remains largely pragmatic, policy-driven, and industry-aligned. This post explores the historical, institutional, and cultural factors that contribute to this gap.

In UK higher education, TEL is often viewed through an instrumentalist lens, prioritising scalability, efficiency, and student satisfaction (Bayne, 2015). The focus tends to be on implementation and policy compliance rather than critical inquiry into power structures in digital education. This contrasts sharply with traditions in North and South America, where TEL research is more likely to engage with the ideological implications of digital learning (Giroux, 2011).

Critical Pedagogy, as an academic tradition, has deep roots in Latin America (Freire, 1970), North America (Giroux & McLaren, 1994), and certain parts of Europe (Biesta, 2013). However, UK TEL research has traditionally been shaped by policy concerns such as digital strategies, employability, and skills-based learning (Selwyn, 2020). As a result, fewer UK researchers explicitly explore the intersection of Critical Pedagogy and TEL.

UK universities tend to favour blended learning approaches, integrating face-to-face instruction with digital resources, rather than fully online or digitally-driven critical pedagogy. Research priorities therefore lean towards instructional design, staff training, and institutional compliance, rather than deeper ideological critiques of digital education seen in other regions (Kirkwood & Price, 2014).

Funding structures in the UK further reinforce the dominance of practical over critical approaches to TEL. Research bodies such as UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), AdvanceHE, and Jisc prioritise applied, data-driven projects over more philosophical or politically engaged studies (Williamson, 2017). This differs from the research culture in Canada, the US, and Australia, where critical digital pedagogy and resistance to neoliberal trends in higher education are more established (Morris & Stommel, 2018).

UK-based TEL research is often closely aligned with the EdTech industry, focusing on areas such as learning analytics, adaptive learning systems, artificial intelligence, and digital infrastructure (Selwyn & Facer, 2013). While these are valuable domains, they tend to bypass the social, political, and pedagogical implications of educational technology, where Critical Pedagogy would be most relevant (Bayne, 2015).

Professional bodies such as the Association for Learning Technology (ALT) and Jisc tend to prioritise practical implementation and policy compliance over radical critiques of digital learning. In contrast, critical discussions around TEL are more common in North American and Latin American educational discourse, where there is a stronger tradition of challenging power structures in education (Biesta, 2013).

The absence of a strong critical TEL research community in the UK suggests that scholars interested in this field may need to seek collaboration beyond national borders. International networks provide more opportunities to engage with critical perspectives on TEL. For those based in the UK, this raises important questions: Should there be an effort to cultivate a stronger critical TEL community domestically, or is it more pragmatic to align with international scholars who share these concerns?

• Bayne, S. (2015). What’s the matter with ’technology-enhanced learning’?. Learning, Media and Technology, 40(1), pp.5-20.
• Biesta, G. (2013). The Beautiful Risk of Education. Paradigm Publishers.
• Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Continuum.
• Giroux, H. A. (2011). On Critical Pedagogy. Bloomsbury.
• Giroux, H. A., & McLaren, P. (1994). Between borders: Pedagogy and the politics of cultural studies. Routledge.
• Kirkwood, A., & Price, L. (2014). Technology-enhanced learning and teaching in higher education: What is ’enhanced’ and how do we know? A critical literature review. Learning, Media and Technology, 39(1), pp.6-36.
• Morris, S. M., & Stommel, J. (2018). An Urgency of Teachers: The Work of Critical Digital Pedagogy. Hybrid Pedagogy Inc.
• Selwyn, N. (2020). Should Robots Replace Teachers? Polity Press.
• Selwyn, N., & Facer, K. (2013). The Politics of Education and Technology: Conflicts, Controversies, and Connections. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Williamson, B. (2017). Big Data in Education: The Digital Future of Learning, Policy and Practice. Sage.

This blog post serves as a starting point for deeper conversations on the role of Critical Pedagogy in UK TEL research. Contributions from practitioners, researchers, and educators are welcome to further explore how to develop a more critical approach to TEL in the UK.