Twenty-two challenging problems are presented in the field of technology-enhanced learning (TEL). The intention is that the development of these problems, done in two workshops, will catalyze breakthrough research. The context is basically European. These “grand challenges” are presented in three groups: connecting learners, orchestrating learning, and contextualizing learning. Challenges in the first group include open collaboration in formal education, rich media assignments, and supporting an open culture of design for TEL. Challenges in the second group include emotion-adaptive TEL, assessment and automated feedback, semiotic recommender systems for learning, and open TEL practices. Representative challenges in the third group include learning to read at home, engaging the brain’s reward system (focusing on games), dropout prevention through data analytics, and European TEL DataMart.

Each challenge gets about three pages, with a one- or two-paragraph summary of the challenge, and several paragraphs on how the problem relates to the European education system, the main activities needed to address the problem, the time frame, success indicators, attractiveness to funders, and related research problems. An example may help. For the semiotic recommender challenge, the summary points out the wide range of possibilities technology can offer to represent learning objects and the difficulty a teacher has selecting a suitable representation. A following paragraph states that this problem of data overflow is not unique to Europe, and teachers can improve both informal learning and classroom teaching by finding a way to give learner guidance. The suggested main activity is the development of a prototype tool, with indicators about the right moment to supply nonintrusive feedback. The time frame is three years (justification is not given), and the ministries of European Union (EU) countries could be asked for funding.

The abbreviated summaries and short paragraphs on main activities do not foster deep understanding, especially since the main activities do not always seem to match the problem stated. The writing is not always clear and contains considerable jargon. Nevertheless, I found the book an encouragement to look deeper, as the problems are certainly compelling.

A National Science Foundation (NSF) report [1] covers much of the same ground, with a similar purpose. It structures a top-down national plan, but overlooks certain problems mentioned in this book. It is a more coherent read.