Editorial : a question of ethics

Educational technology research is fundamentally about understanding the relationship between technology and education which includes learning and teaching. The field is often breaking new ground in terms of exploring the possibilities of technology mediated practices. In doing so new ways to recruit, observe, and interact with participants are being trialled. In addition, digitally mediated contexts, such as virtual learning environments, afford opportunities to gather large volumes of data that were not previously available. We are also finding new ways to analyse, visualise and interrogate across datasets. This is a trend that seems likely to continue. However, in our enthusiasms of trailblazing new ways to recruit, observe, interact, gather and analyse data, we need to consider if our research ethics practices are meeting these new contexts. This is particularly true in education where it is common for researchers to also have roles within the educational institutions, and even be involved in the education of the students under study.