EdTech blog by Alexander Mikroyannidis

EdTech blog by Alexander Mikroyannidis

Home » Metaheutagogy: A Framework For AI-Mediated Metacognitive Learning

Metaheutagogy: A Framework For AI-Mediated Metacognitive Learning

23 April 202623 April 2026Generative AI, Technology-Enhanced Learning

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly reshaping how we learn by mediating inquiry, feedback, collaboration, and artefact creation. As these tools grow more capable, the key educational challenge is judgement, metacognition, and human agency. The recent preprint authored by Alexander Mikroyannidis and John Domingue (The Open University, UK) introduces metaheutagogy: a framework that goes beyond pedagogy, andragogy, and heutagogy by positioning AI as a reflective and dialogic partner in learning. Metaheutagogy uses the analogy of learners as F1 drivers: success comes from the ability to steer, govern, and critically oversee powerful AI systems.

The paper offers:

A comparative model from pedagogy → andragogy → heutagogy → metaheutagogy
A description of an AI‑mediated learning ecosystem
Practical pedagogical scenarios from Socratic AI tutors to collaborative inquiry and constructionist studios
A discussion of risks and how metaheutagogy mitigates them

Metaheutagogy is intended to provide a useful conceptual and practical foundation for educators, institutions, and policymakers designing learning for an AI‑shaped world.

The preprint is available here: https://doi.org/10.35542/osf.io/xt6c7_v1.

Professional biography

Dr. Alexander Mikroyannidis is a Senior Research Fellow (Associate Professor) in the Knowledge Media Institute of The Open University, UK. He holds a Ph.D. in Informatics from Manchester Business School, an M.Phil. in Computation from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), and a B.Eng. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Patras, Greece.

Research interests

The research expertise of Dr. Mikroyannidis is in the field of Technology-Enhanced Learning. He has been investigating the use of novel educational technologies for enhancing personalised learning, self-regulated learning, lifelong learning, as well as open education. He is currently exploring the responsible integration of Generative AI into online and distance education contexts for improving learner outcomes. He is the author of over 130 peer-reviewed publications that have received over 1,900 citations (22 h-index). He sits on the editorial boards of globally renowned scientific journals, including Open Learning and Research in Learning Technology.

The current research of Dr. Mikroyannidis is focused on harnessing Generative AI to support learner autonomy, personalisation, and metacognitive capability in digital education. This research introduces metaheutagogy, a framework that goes beyond pedagogy, andragogy, and heutagogy by positioning AI as a reflective and dialogic partner in learning. Additionally, Dr. Mikroyannidis is investigating the potential of Generative AI to support curriculum development and improve the production of distance learning materials, as outlined in this conference publication.

Teaching interests

Dr. Mikroyannidis has extensive experience in developing rich interactive learning materials for Open Educational Resources (OERs), Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), Badged Open Courses (BOCs), and eBooks. Some highlights from this work include the online courses Decentralising Education Using Blockchain Technology and Exploring how to (re)use Language Open Educational Resources (OERs). In recognition of this experience, Dr. Mikroyannidis has been appointed International Expert in Distance Learning by the Agency for the Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Education (A3ES), Portugal’s national authority for quality assurance in higher education. In this role, Dr. Mikroyannidis is contributing to the assessment of distance learning programmes across Portuguese universities, and advising A3ES on best practices in distance learning, including the use of emerging technologies such as AI and Blockchain.

Impact and engagement

The work of Dr. Mikroyannidis has led to strategic partnerships with key technological companies, most notably with Cisco and its global educational network, the Cisco Networking Academy, which has over 1 million students worldwide. Within this partnership, Dr. Mikroyannidis is in charge of the design, development and deployment of PT Anywhere, a novel educational tool for teaching computer networking skills by performing network simulations on any device. PT Anywhere has played a vital role in remote teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has been featured in the UK government’s Digital Skills Toolkit, which is offering essential digital skills to job seekers.

Dr. Mikroyannidis has led a successful pilot for facilitating lifelong learning using blockchain technologies, in the context of the European project QualiChain. In particular, he has been in charge of deploying and evaluating decentralised education and employment qualifications with learners and educators within various lifelong learning contexts. The results of this pilot are presented in this journal article. Additionally, Dr. Mikroyannidis has been investigating the impact of Web 3.0 and Blockchain on the open upskilling and reskilling of job seekers, as outlined in this journal editorial co-authored with several other renowned experts in the field of open education.

External collaborations

Dr. Mikroyannidis has been driving significant educational technology initiatives at an international level, by establishing a network of collaborators inside and outside the Open University and acquiring external funding, in order to implement and evaluate novel educational solutions in real-life settings and with real users. He has been awarded and worked on a wide range of European and nationally funded research projects, including SAGE-RAI, QualiChain, DEL4ALL, OpenLang Network, Open Networking Lab, Institute of Coding, SlideWiki, EDSA, HUB4NGI, FORGE, weSPOT, EUCLID, ROLE, OpenScout, CASPAR, and PARMENIDES.

In collaboration with the European partners of the Erasmus+ project OpenLang Network, Dr. Mikroyannidis has led the design, implementation and evaluation of the OpenLang Network platform, building a sustainable online community around open educational resources and practices. This journal article presents the sustainable design of the platform and this journal article explores the opportunities that Generative AI offers for enhancing the platform and its language learning services. Through a pedagogically informed integration of Generative AI, this work demonstrates how AI can enhance openness, collaboration, and personalisation in language learning.