Welcome to this new issue of the Journal of Digital Media & Interaction!

Educational institutions, especially universities, due to their work in the creation and dissemination of knowledge, are called upon to play a key role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Although education and research are explicitly reflected in several SDGs, the contribution and role of universities to the 2030 Agenda are much broader, as they can support the implementation of each SDG as well as the overall framework of the 2030 Agenda. The main areas of university contributions to the SDGs are learning and teaching, research, institutional governance, management policies and university extension, and social leadership (^{García-Carpintero & Miranda-Carreño, 2023}).

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the digital transformation process in universities has accelerated, as the use of digital technologies supported the continuity of their teaching and learning activities. Furthermore, given the sustainability challenges currently facing humanity, higher education institutions are considered key players in the formation of responsible citizens and leaders (^{Trevisan et al., 2023}). There is also a need to acquire digital skills connected to concepts such as inclusion, equal opportunities for fair and quality education, professional training, and career development, as reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals (^{Vonitsanos et al., 2024}).

In this special issue, we present experiences and studies reflecting how schools are integrating the 2030 Agenda into teaching through digital media and how socio-technological challenges are applied in a cross-cutting and transdisciplinary way in education.

In “An Audiovisual Strategy to Raise Higher Education Students’ Awareness about Digital Skills Development”, Ricardo Soares, Rita Santos, and Hélder Caixinha analyze how digital skills have become essential tools for personal fulfillment, employability, active citizenship, and social inclusion. This study developed an audiovisual strategy for dissemination on social media to raise awareness among higher education students about digital skills development.

Maximiliano Paredes-Velasco and Mónica Gómez in “Using Augmented Reality for the Development of Sustainable Development Goals: An Experience with Students at Risk of Social Exclusion” presents a project aimed at reducing the technological gap in disadvantaged social classes through the use of Augmented Reality. The results show that students who used this technology significantly improved their academic performance and emotional state compared to those who did not use it.

In the paper “Diversity and Inclusion through Technology in the Teaching of Antitrust Law”, Briseida Jiménez-Gómez explores how the SDG goals, particularly quality education and the reduction of inequalities, can be achieved through the use of technology in teaching antitrust law, promoting social inclusion of people with disabilities, and fostering the integration of students from diverse cultures.

Elena C. Díaz Galán, Harold Bertot Triana, Sagrario Morán Blanco, and Cástor Díaz Barrado in “Audiovisual on 2030 Agenda and Human Rights: An Analysis for Undergraduate Students” address the need for audiovisual tools that systematically explain the relationship between the SDGs and human rights. This innovation project developed an audiovisual on the 2030 Agenda and human rights, providing new teaching methodologies for undergraduate students.

Related to Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being, “Social Media for COVID-19 Era Information Collection and Dissemination: A Case Study of Three Tertiary Hospitals in Ghana” by Adwoa Sikayena Amankwah, De-Love Anobah Opare, Justice Issah Abudulai, and John Demuyakor, analyzes the use of social media for the collection and dissemination of COVID-19 information in Ghana. The findings show that platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and X were effective for public health information, facilitating the retrieval of official information and the detection and incidence of diseases.

Finally, in “Navigating Between the Material and the Digital: Multisensory Teaching in Architecture”, Marcelo Fraile-Narváez highlights the use of digital systems as a cornerstone for advancing the teaching and practice of modern architecture, promoting quality education (Goal 6) that fosters the autonomous development of students through a combination of theory and practice in workshops.

We hope this set of texts contributes to understanding the dynamic relationship between meaning and interaction in the construction and enjoyment of digital platforms.