Building on the foundations: Revisiting AJET’s second decade (1995–2004) and its enduring legacy

Abstract

This editorial reflects on the Australasian Journal of Educational Technology’s (AJET) second decade (1995–2004), a foundational decade in which educational technology research in Australasia matured conceptually, methodologically, and internationally. We examine how AJET captured the transition from early multimedia innovations to the emergence of online and distance education, set against national reforms and global policy discourses emphasising flexibility, quality, and equity in higher education. Through bibliometric analysis, we highlight the journal’s predominantly Australian university authorship in that period while noting contributions from diverse sectors and an expanding international presence, culminating in the journal’s 2004 renaming to reflect a broader Australasian and Asia-Pacific reach. Seven interrelated themes are revisited: the design and pedagogical effectiveness of interactive multimedia, online and distance education, evaluation and usability of educational technologies, professional development and teacher learning, collaborative and constructivist learning environments, the use of cognitive tools to enhance learning, and students’ perceptions and societal implications of technology. Across these themes, authors grappled with enduring questions of pedagogy, cognition, equity, and human-technology interaction, concerns that resonate with contemporary debates on artificial intelligence in education. By tracing continuities between past and present, we situate AJET’s early scholarship as foundational to ongoing discussions about the role of digital technologies in teaching, learning, and educational innovation.