{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,18]],"date-time":"2026-02-18T08:39:55Z","timestamp":1771403995008,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,18]],"date-time":"2026-02-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1771372800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Computers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>International trade policy constitutes a challenging subject for undergraduate students, as it requires the integration of historical, institutional, and quantitative perspectives. This study presents a digital learning framework designed to support the teaching of Ecuador\u2019s trade policy trajectory between 1979 and 2024 through the use of open macroeconomic datasets, interactive visualizations, and guided data-analysis tasks. The framework combines historical interpretation with structured digital inquiry, allowing students to explore policy cycles, export composition, and institutional shifts using empirical evidence. A small-scale classroom implementation with economics and social science students (n = 48) indicates that the proposed approach supports students\u2019 ability to recognize long-term economic trends and to relate policy decisions to broader development patterns. Rather than offering causal claims, the study provides exploratory evidence of how data-driven digital environments can enhance analytical engagement in policy-oriented courses. The framework is intended as a transferable pedagogical model for contexts where economic history, public policy, and digital learning intersect.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/computers15020129","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,18]],"date-time":"2026-02-18T07:50:30Z","timestamp":1771401030000},"page":"129","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Data Literacy Through Digital Inquiry: A Visual Framework for Teaching Trade Policy (Ecuador, 1979\u20132024)"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Carlos","family":"Rivera-Naranjo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Educaci\u00f3n Comercial y Derecho, Universidad Estatal de Milagro, Milagro 091702, Ecuador"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2371-8253","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nicol\u00e1s","family":"M\u00e1rquez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Escuela de Ingenier\u00eda Comercial, Universidad Santo Tom\u00e1s, Talca 3460000, Chile"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1600-3447","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cristian","family":"Vidal-Silva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Visualizaci\u00f3n Interactiva y Realidad Virtual, Universidad de Talca, Talca 3460000, Chile"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"75","DOI":"10.1207\/s15326985ep4102_1","article-title":"Why Minimal Guidance During Instruction Does Not Work","volume":"41","author":"Kirschner","year":"2006","journal-title":"Educ. 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