Social constructivism, UDL, and instructional design in the AI-Enhanced Spanish L2 classroom: Operationalizing theoretical and practical implementation

Abstract

Despite growing interest in AI-enhanced (language) learning, there remains a lack of conceptual models that demonstrate how AI can be pedagogically operationalized within established learning frameworks in ways that preserve learner agency and reaffirm the educator’s role. Existing literature often emphasizes technological affordances or learner outcomes without articulation about how instructional design serves as a mediator. This paper posits that social constructivism offers the theoretical framework and UDL offers the practical framework that anchor the educator’s role as critical to the AI-enhanced learning environment, when mediated by instructional design, and does so on the backdrop of interpersonal communication at the elementary level, Spanish as a second language (L2-Spanish), and higher education courses. It is a conceptual contribution that integrates theory through a design-based, illustrative example.