FIRST CALL FOR PAPERS: ISLS Annual Meeting 2021

International Society of the Learning Sciences Annual Meeting 2021

Reflecting the Past and Embracing the Future

There are a number of discussions taking place right now related to the nature and format of formal schooling in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. In many places, these discussions take the form of disagreements about whether students should return to physical school buildings and campuses. In others, they take the form of a rapid embrace of new learning technologies without thoughtful critique, evaluation, or discussion of best practices. As a professional academic organization, we are dedicated to the study and design of learning across settings, environments, and the lifespan. Given that expertise, the International Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS) offers the following:

• The well-being, health, and safety of the learners, educators, staff, and community members should be the primary consideration in any decision regarding the resumption and format of formal schooling. We oppose the use of political pressure that discounts or dismisses these as primary considerations. Expert recommendations and guidance regarding public health and safety should be consulted to inform decision-making.
• Learning Sciences research has firmly established that meaningful and consequential learning takes place across the lifespan and in a multitude of settings, including but not limited to home, work, community groups, online, in the natural world, and in schools. Should the physical operation of schools be temporarily delayed or greatly altered, ISLS expects that there will still be a number of rich learning opportunities available to affected students, even during this challenging time. Statements that a resumption of physical schooling is necessary in order for students to learn is a mischaracterization of what we know about when and how meaningful learning occurs.
• The design of high quality learning experiences and curricula requires substantial time, resources, and investment, even in the best of conditions. To best support educators and researchers who are now pursuing new forms of educational design and implementation work in response to the pandemic, we urge patience and the provision of adequate support and resources so that this complex work can be done. A number of quick fixes and technocentric solutions are being proposed and endorsed without sufficient considerations of equity or the many roles that the formal education system plays in people’s lives. To find truly desirable and responsive solutions, we encourage interested parties to pursue meaningful and equal partnerships that directly involve educators and communities.
• The pandemic has affected and continues to affect individuals, families, and communities in unequal ways. For those in positions of power and influence, we urge acknowledgment of the differential impact the pandemic is having on different populations along with advocacy and meaningful action for those most negatively affected. For example, this may take the form of additional funding and the deliberate pursuit of community-responsive policies and solutions.

Individual and collective actions taken in the coming days and months will determine the nature of the pandemic’s impact on how we live and learn. Many in our community are doing important work to respond to the unexpected challenges we are all facing. As a professional academic organization, the International Society of the Learning Sciences will continue to seek out ways to support and advocate for our members and the communities that we serve.

Conferences are always a great time to join a committee - and that's no different for a virtual conference!

If you're interested in learning more about the work of the ISLS Communications Committee, please join our online committee meeting on Monday, June 22 at 7:30 - 8:30 am US CST (that's 8:30 - 9:30am US EST, 5:30-6:30am US PST, 1:30-2:30pm UK, 2:30-3:30pm Central Europe [e.g., Netherlands]). You can join using this link.

The recent brutal murders of George Floyd in Minneapolis, MN; Breonna Taylor in Louisville, KY; Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, GA; Tony McDade in Tallahassee, FL; and countless others across the United States, by police officers and civilians, have once again called attention to the history of violent anti-Black racism that has shaped the country’s history. What’s more, the problem and very real consequences of police and state-sanctioned violence against Black and other minoritized groups is a global phenomenon. As we witness these killings and continued violence against Black people, our hearts are breaking. This is a moment when we need to come together to create a different way of being with each other and of holding each other accountable to our dearest values of justice and care.

As a global organization dedicated to the study of human learning and improvement of education, the  International Society of the Learning Sciences also concerns itself with how consequential learning is inextricably intertwined with the systemic inequities and oppressive ideologies that harbor anti-Black racist violence. In our educational contexts, this violence appears in our curriculum, in the voices we neglect in our syllabi, in unexamined grading and assessment policies. For our Black students, these forms of violence are compounded by the knowledge of state-sanctioned dismissal of Black bodies and life, resulting in a relentless and untenable trauma. At the same time, we must recognize and remember the strength and brilliance of these children and communities who survive and thrive under these hostile conditions.  

May 4, 2020

Dear Colleagues,

As you know, due to COVID 19 we were forced to cancel the face-to-face meeting of the ICLS 2020 conference in Nashville, TN. As you might imagine this was an extremely difficult decision to make. Many people have already invested a great deal of time and effort in the conference, especially the conference co-organizers Melissa Gresalfi and Lani Horn and the strand leaders, reviewers, and of course the members who have worked hard to submit your work and submissions. To each and every one of you we express our gratitude and appreciation for all of these efforts.

As our conference co-organizers have announced, we have developed a plan that will allow us to connect as scholars. This plan takes into account the impact the pandemic is having on all of our lives - the new challenges, uncertainties, and responsibilities we are faced with on a day to day basis. In this new reality we are sometimes forced to make choices about what we can and cannot do. The co-organizers have organized an exciting online conference that offers livestreaming and video recordings of the highlighted features of the conference—the keynotes, a subset of special sessions, and the best paper awardees. Watch for forthcoming announcements from the Conference Organizers for additional information.

Of course, these changes to ICLS 2020 have implications for Membership and Registration Fees.  The International Society of the Learning Sciences, compared to many academic societies, is relatively small and operates mostly on voluntary commitments from the larger community. The change in conference format substantially impacts the financial situation for ISLS, which provides the thousands of dollars in initial funding required for each year’s conference with the hope that conference registrations will be sufficient to break even so that funds are available to provide the seed funding for the next year’s conference, and so on. In order to maintain sustainability, the board has approved the following decisions.

Registration fees that have been paid for the face to face conference will be refunded. Further information will be sent to those who are due refunds within the very near future.
To be included in the Proceedings of ICLS 2020 at least one author of a presentation, paper, or poster must register for the conference. This is the case for the Proceedings of every ISLS conference.  For the ICLS 2020 Proceedings, at least one author must be registered no later than June 5, 2020.
The ICLS 2020 Conference Registration fee has been substantially reduced and offers four payment options. You must be registered for the Conference to access the online conference.

Rationale: Conference registration fees are based on projected costs of running the conference. The projected costs for running ICLS 2020 in the online format are substantial, although much less than what they would have been for a face to face meeting. The costs reflect funds already expended for professional conference organization services, professional preparation of the Proceedings, and technology infrastructure and services for the conference (e.g., submission and review system, website development and management).  In the past conference registration fees have typically covered the costs of running the conference and have had a neutral impact on the financial status of the ISLS. This year, however, ISLS anticipates a major net loss because of the COVID-19 crisis and is asking for help to mitigate this loss.
 
To that end:
a. We have reduced the ICLS 2020 Conference Registration Fee to $150.
b. We are asking those of you who can to please pay the full fee.
c. Additional Options: If the full fee is beyond your means, you may select one of three other options: $100, $50, or $0. Please pay whatever you feel you can.
 
To Register: Go to https://www.isls.org/conferences/icls-2020-registration.
You must be a member to register for the conference. (Regular membership: $100 per year; Student membership: $60.). Become a member at https://www.isls.org/members/member-registration or renew your membership at https://www.isls.org/members/membership-renewal.
 
If you have any questions or concerns please direct them to isls.covid19@gmail.com.

These are indeed trying times for all of us. Please know that we are trying to make the best decisions we can for the sake of our community. We ask for your patience as we figure this out. We hope you are all doing what you can to take care of yourselves at this difficult time. We hope to see you in person soon.

With warm regards,

Heisawn Jeong and the ISLS Board of Directors

ISLS President 2019-2020

The International Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS) has concluded the search for new Editors-in-Chief of the Journal of the Learning Sciences (JLS). Information about the call can be found here. We are happy to announce that Susan Jurow (University of Colorado Boulder, USA) and Jianwei Zhang (University at Albany, State University of New York, USA) will serve as the new co-editors of JLS for 2021-2024.
 
The incoming JLS Editors-in-Chief will begin working this summer with the outgoing Editors-in-Chief (Susan Yoon and Jan van Aalst) for transitioning into the position. The first journal issue for which the incoming Editors will be responsible is issue 1 of volume 30, in 2021.
 
ISLS is grateful to the outgoing editors and to our new editors.

Call for Nominations

The International Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS)
Early Career Award
Due: May 1, 2020

1. Nominees for the 2020 award must have earned a Ph.D. or equivalent degree after January 1, 2011 (within 9 years of the year of nomination).
2. Scholars may be nominated more than once and can only receive the award once.
3. Nominees must have been a member (full or student) at least one year of the last 3 years from the date of submission (i.e., since April 1, 2017) or demonstrate some other connection to ISLS, as described in the nomination letter.

Evaluation Criteria: Successful nominees will have demonstrated a notable contribution to the learning sciences and the potential for future contributions.

While service and active participation in the ISLS community indicates the relevance of the nominee’s work to the field, the nominee’s scholarly contribution will be the primary consideration in the deliberation.

1. Notable learning science contributions are interpreted broadly to include one of any of the following:

• Research excellence
• Innovation
• Impact on pressing social, political, and ethical concerns

2. Potential for future contributions, such as:

• Service to the Society
• Vision for the field
• Impact on other fields, academic communities, and under-served regions of the world

Nomination Materials:

The International Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS) extends the deadline for proposals to host future ISLS Annual Meetings due to COVID-19. The new deadline will be announced later. If you have any questions, please contact Oskar Lindwall, ISLS Conference chair at oskar.lindwall@gu.se.

We hope you are staying healthy and safe during these challenging times!

Dear colleagues,

We are in challenging and uncertain times. Many of us are anxious about the whirlwind of events related to COVID-19 and its effects on our families and communities. We hope that you and yours are well and able to take all of the necessary precautions to stay healthy.

From the ICQE Planning committee:

We are pleased to announce that the CFP is now available for the Second International Conference on Quantitative Ethnography (ICQE20), which will take place 24-27 October 2020 at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, USA.

Many researchers in the Learning Sciences come from around the world to present their research at the annual conferences hosted by the International Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS) and participate in critical discussions around the state-of-the-art of the field. However, as a society, we recognize that our Learning Sciences community is wider than those who attend annual meetings. This program grows out of many requests that the society has received to support regional or affinity group activities.

The ISLS Regional and Affinity Outreach Grants Program seeks to support the growth of regional communities of learning scientists and communities of scholars who are engaging in research that is germane and synergistic to the Learning Sciences but are currently underrepresented in ISLS. Through this grants program, we seek to provide opportunities for community building, knowledge sharing and consolidation, collaboration and cross-pollination. We seek to increase mutual awareness between ISLS and other communities with synergistic interests and expertise.

We are happy to announce the International Learning Sciences Student Association (ILSSA) as a formal committee of the International Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS). The association aims to serve as an international community for all students of the learning sciences. ILSSA’s mission is to support and develop the intellectual, social, and professional development of graduate and undergraduate students in the field of learning sciences and within ISLS.

 The goals of ILSSA include:

As previously announced, the International Society of the Learning Sciences is searching for the new Editor(s) of Journal of the Learning Sciences (JLS) for 2021–2024. We are extending the deadline for letters of intent to February 17, 2020. Please see the remainder of the updated request for proposals below. 

Applications will be welcomed either by an individual for the position of sole Editor or by a team for the position of Co-Editors. JLS is a leading international journal and as such applications are encouraged from members of ISLS from any nation. The position provides the person(s) chosen, as well as the host institution(s), with international visibility in the learning sciences. Letters of intent to apply are due February 17, 2020, and full proposals are due March 15, 2020, as described in the call below. You can download a PDF version of the call at: http://www.isls.org/news.

The goal of the ISLS conference travel scholarship is to support scientists in the field of the learning sciences who live and work in regions of the world that are not represented at our annual conferences (i.e., ICLS and CSCL) to attend the conference. At the moment, we have significant gaps in membership from African, and Central and South American countries. We also have underrepresentation in some southern European countries where we know that learning sciences programs exist. ISLS will put its priority on the support for scientists from the underrepresented regions. However, the society will also consider the possibility of the support for scientists who may be affected by conditions that make their travels difficult to the conference site, if the funding is available.

To increase the diversity of the Society’s membership, we are soliciting applications for a conference scholarship to be awarded to successful applicants in the amount of $500 - $1500.

The International Society for the Learning Sciences (ISLS) invites proposals from organizations interested in hosting future ISLS Annual Meetings. These meetings will feature concurrent Learning Sciences and CSCL programs in a joint, annual event. Proposals to host the meeting in 2023 and onwards are solicited from current ISLS members from organizations around the world.

Interested potential organizers are asked to submit a two-page letter of interest that should include a brief statement of the proposed theme for the conference, a range of dates that can be accommodated, strengths of the organizers, advantages of the proposed hosting institution, benefits of the location, and any special opportunities offered by the surrounding areas. Letters of interest must be submitted by March 31, 2020. All letters of interest will be evaluated by the ISLS Conference Committee.

Interested organizations should submit letters of intent to Oskar Lindwall, ISLS Conference Committee chair, at oskar.lindwall@gu.se. Interested parties are encouraged to contact Oskar Lindwall for more details. NOTE: Only ISLS members in good standing are eligible to submit proposals to host the Society’s Annual Meeting.

The International Society of the Learning Sciences is searching for the new Editor(s) of Journal of the Learning Sciences (JLS) for 2020–2023. Applications will be welcomed either by an individual for the position of sole Editor or by a team for the position of Co-Editors. JLS is a leading international journal and as such applications are encouraged from members of ISLS from any nation. The position provides the person(s) chosen, as well as the host institution(s), with international visibility in the learning sciences. Letters of intent to apply are due February 2, 2020, and full proposals are due March 15, 2020, as described in the call below. You can download a PDF version of the call here: Call-for-New-JLS-Editors

The International Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS) has concluded the search for a new Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (ijCSCL). Information about the call can be found here: https://www.isls.org/news/entry/call-for-ijcscl-editor-in-chief). We are happy to announce that Carolyn Rosé (Carnegie Mellon University, US) and Sanna Järvelä (University of Oulu, Finland) will serve as the new co-editors of ijCSCL for 2020-2023. 

The incoming ijCSCL Editors-in-Chief will begin working with the outgoing Editor-in-Chief (Sten Ludvigsen) and the ijCSCL Executive Editors for transitioning into the position. The first journal issue for which the incoming Editors will be responsible is March 2020.

Many researchers in the Learning Sciences come from around the world to present their research at the annual conferences hosted by the International Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS) and participate in critical discussions around the state-of-the-art of the field. However, as a society, we recognize that our Learning Sciences community is wider than those who attend annual meetings. This program grows out of many requests that the society has received to support regional or affinity group activities.

The ISLS Regional and Affinity Outreach Grants Program seeks to support the growth of regional communities of learning scientists and communities of scholars who are engaging in research that is germane and synergistic to the Learning Sciences but are currently underrepresented in ISLS. Through this grants program, we seek to provide opportunities for community building, knowledge sharing and consolidation, collaboration and cross-pollination. We seek to increase mutual awareness between ISLS and other communities with synergistic interests and expertise.

Journal of the Learning Sciences is inviting proposals for a special issue, to be published in 2022. Instructions for preparing a proposal are posted on the Instructions to Authors at the publisher’s website, https://tinyurl.com/y9neyuhd. Proposals are due December 2, 2019 and will be peer reviewed by the journal’s editorial leadership team. Submitters of the accepted proposal will be notified in February 2020.

In general, we are interested in proposals on emerging themes in the field. For example, proposals that take up the call for research that has impact on teaching and policymaking that was elaborated in a guest editorial in issue 27 (1); on the intersection of the learning sciences and the future of work; on novel methodological and technological approaches to teaching and learning; on artificial intelligence and learning, and so on. This list is not meant to limit the range of possibilities, but to provide some examples of possible themes. We are interested in receiving proposals that reflect the global membership of the ISLS community. This may include multiple suggested authors, a guest editor, or a discussant from outside of the United States.

Workshop Description

The purpose of the ICLS Early Career Workshop is to provide a high quality learning and networking opportunity for early career researchers doing work related to computer-supported collaborative learning and the learning sciences. Within the workshop, participants will share their research with peers and experienced ICLS researchers serving as mentors. Participants will engage in collaborative inquiry and scholarly discourse to improve their research work and prepare for a future career as a Learning Sciences/CSCL researcher. The Early Career Workshop is open to scholars within 5 years of completing their PhD. Early Career Scholars will be chosen through a competitive application process for participation. Accepted participants are expected to provide a two-page summary of their research for inclusion in the ICLS Proceedings. Depending on availability of funds, there may be support to offset some of the costs of accommodation and registration, as well as travel stipends.

Objectives and Design

The workshop aims at supporting participants in:

• Defining innovative and productive programs of research that lead toward an impressive record of inquiry;
• Focusing learning on high-yield professional activities such as grant-writing, peer editing, and building a publishing trajectory;
• Supporting strong data analysis skills and evidence-based arguments in their research projects; and
• Expanding the professional networks of workshop participants through interactions with other early career scholars, mentors, and journal editors

The ICLS Early Career Workshop will involve a two-day event on June 19-20, 2020, just prior to the 2020 ICLS conference in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. In the workshop, we will focus on collaborative inquiry and scholarly discourse with peers and a panel of experienced faculty serving as mentors.

 Main workshop activities include: