Table 1 Multidimensional comparison of didactic and reflective pedagogies.

Spatio-temporal dimension

Confined by the four walls of the classroom and cells of the timetable

Ubiquitous learning: anywhere, anytime, anyhow

The transition from face-to-face or in person educational interaction, to technology-mediated synchronous and asynchronous educationally oriented communication, adds flexibility to when, how and where to learn

Epistemic dimension

The learner as knowledge consumer, passive knowledge acquisition, memorization

Active knowledge making: the learner-as-knowledge producer and discerning knowledge discoverer/navigator

This dimension is at the heart of the educational transformation that can occur when moving from didactic to reflective teaching. It is, perhaps, the most challenging dimension since it entails changes in the place of control of the educational process: teacher-centered vs. student-centered. The teacher becomes the facilitator of the learning process, and the student actively constructs his/her understanding

Discursive dimension

Academic literacies: traditional textbooks, student assignments and tests

Multimodal meaning: new media texts, multimodal knowledge representations

Multiple representations of knowledge such as texts, diagrams, pictures, etc. can make abstract content easier to understand

Also, students can produce their own ways of represent their understanding in multiple media and can share it with their peers and instructors. Digital platforms and media texts also allow to share their own learning materials and knowledge outside the walls of their classroom and university

Evaluative dimension

Emphasis on summative assessments and retrospective judgments that serve managerial purposes but are not immediately actionable

Recursive feedback: formative assessment, prospective and constructive feedback, learning analytics

Changes in the evaluative dimension recognize that assessment can be a means of learning and not just a means of demonstrating that it has been learned. These changes go beyond the type of grading system (numerical or A/R) and recognize the importance of evaluation for diagnostic and formative purposes

With today’s digital innovative evaluation tools, it is possible to evaluate the learning process in real time. And it is in benefit not only for the instructor, but also serves as a self-evaluation tool for the student

Social dimension

The isolated learner, with a focus on individual cognition and memory

Collaborative intelligence: peer-to peer learning, sourcing social memory and using available knowledge tools appropriately

The transformation from the social dimension perspective makes it evident that interaction with others, peers and teachers is a mean to reach knowledge and to socialize and enrich the cultural, scientific, and technological heritage

Besides that, collaborative learning promotes skills such as critical thinking and leadership, which ultimately enhance the whole formative process

Cognitive dimension

Focus on facts to be remembered, theories to be correctly applied

Metacognition: thinking about thinking, critical self-reflection on knowledge processes and disciplinary practices

Learning to learn and to go beyond what has been learned enriches capacities to plan, monitor, control and reflect on what has been learned

Comparative dimension

Homogenizing, one-size-fits-all curriculum, standardized teaching and assessment

Differentiated learning: flexible, self-expressive and adaptive learning, addressing each student according to their interests, self-identity and needs

The changes in the comparative dimension deal with academic flexibility, both in the curricular (for what and what to learn), pedagogical (how and with what to learn), administrative (in what modality and with what certification, if applicable)