The American Educational Research Association (n.d.) defines educational research as “the scientific field of study that examines education and learning processes and the human attributes, interactions, organizations, and institutions that shape educational outcomes.” Cresswell (2005) proposes that educational research can suggest ways to improve practice, add to our knowledge of how people learn and provide insights into how we can facilitate the learning process. It can also help address gaps in knowledge and through replication studies can act as a test to verify previous findings. In this section, I will summarise fundamental research from the fields of blended, online and distance learning, cognitive psychology and the scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL). I will focus mainly on research which can inform educational practice in terms of designing blended and online learning.