Dear Colleagues,

E-learning activities and the corresponding platforms and resources have exponentially grown in recent years. Advances in the digitisation of society, better connectivity and equipment, and practical developments have impacted the popularisation of e-learning, well represented by the presence of MOOCs (massive open online courses) and OER (open educational resources) everywhere, allowing access to online learning from anywhere in the world at any time.

However, the health emergency caused by COVID-19 with situations of strict lockdown and the need to adapt traditional teaching styles to online learning in a short period have revealed that the sustainability of e-learning is still challenged in many aspects: adapting teaching styles, coping with technical issues in remote work, security and data privacy, pedagogical approaches in online education, etc. In addition, this situation has highlighted the digital gap in society, showing the importance of adapting the digital competences of students and teachers who are required to effectively interact and learn through online solutions.

Sometimes, reasons rooted in cultural, social, or even gender conditions also hinder effective inclusion in e-learning. As an example, one relevant key point is the digital accessibility of platforms, contents, and resources as well as the learning design. This feature is often relegated to the background, while the mere appearance of platforms and contents attracts more attention than the needs of people with disabilities. Ignoring inclusion aspects obviously does not contribute to the true sustainability of e-learning activities.

This Special Issue focuses on analysing key aspects for the sustainability of e-learning activities, platforms, resources and methods, capable of coping with demanding situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic situation, while improving results and quality in e-learning systems. The topics of interest include but are not limited to:

• Accessibility in e-learning;
• Social, gender and cultural inclusiveness in e-learning;
• E-learning and digital skills as a prerequisite for teachers and students;
• The promotion and development of digital skills as part of e-learning;
• E-learning and remote work for teachers and students;
• Digital transformation in education and e-learning;
• Innovation and quality in e-learning systems, platforms and methodologies;
• Standardization supporting sustainability in e-learning;
• Soft skills and e-learning;
• Open, cooperative and innovative models for e-learning.

Prof. Dr. Luis Fernández-Sanz
Dr. María Teresa Villalba de Benito
Dr. Ana Castillo Martinez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• e-learning
• accessibility
• online learning
• e-learning systems
• digital skills
• standards