On February 2nd 2026, it was published in International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education (ETHE) a letter from Dr. Marc Romero (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya). Under the title “Honoring the Past and Shaping the Future — Introducing the New Coordinating Editor‑in‑Chief of IJETHE” Dr. Romero shared his vision on the future of the Journal, as ETHE holds the recognition of being world’s number 1 education journal according to Journal Citation Reports.
His first words were directed to Dr. Josep M. Duart, ETHE Consortium coordinator and founder of the Journal, highlighting his leadership and his crucial role in order to define “the history, values, and scholarly orientation that have defined the journal since its foundation in 2004”. As the new Coordinating Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Romero expressed his aim to continue “preserving the identity” of the Journal, as well as the rigour, theoretical relevance and openness of ETHE.
Dr. Romero also pointed out to his vision for the future of the Journal, which will be to “consolidate its international leadership while reinforcing its scientific coherence”. This important objective is linked to mantaining the institutional model of the Journal. In this purpose, ETHE Consortium plays a key role, as “this shared effort makes it possible to guarantee open, high-quality, and independent scholarly communication without transferring costs to authors or readers”.
Another relevant value from ETHE that will be amplified in the future is the “expansion of the journal’s global and diverse character”. Therefore, diversity will continue to be a nuclear value as a way to increase the social impact of the researchers from all over the world. In this regard, the Journal will “promote initiatives that foster dialogue between researchers and the wider educational community”.
As ETHE celebrates more than 20 years of history, it’s now the moment to to “broaden its horizon”. Connecting, inspiring and transforming thousands of researchers in order to define the future of digital learning worldwide. For this matter, “ETHE is today a symbol of global leadership in research on digital higher education”.
Read the full letter of Dr. Marc Romero, new Coordinating Editor-in-Chief of ETHE, here.