Call for Nominations: ISLS Board of Directors 2021-27

One of the most important ways to contribute to the International Society of the Learning Sciences is to serve on the ISLS Board of Directors. The Board consists of 12 ISLS members, who serve terms of 6 years each, and represent the range of expertise, experience levels, and geographical locations of Society members. Elections occur every two years for four board members. The first step in this process is to solicit nominations from the membership. That is the purpose of this email.

Who may be nominated? Board members must be ISLS members in good standing (dues paid for 2021) and, ideally, should have a history of service to the community. None of the current board members may be nominated per the ISLS bylaws that prohibit serving consecutive terms.
Current Board members and terms are:

• 2015-2021: Heisawn Jeong, Victor Lee, Jim Slotta, Jan Van Aalst – Heisawn, Jim, and Jan are leaving the Board in 2021; Victor stays on as past-president. Thus, there are four vacancies to be filled in 2021.
• 2017-2022: Joshua Danish, Ulrich Hoppe, Susan Jurow, Oskar Lindwall
• 2019-2025: Ravit Duncan, Kris Gutierrez, Jun Oshima, Jasmine Ma

Information about current board members is available at https://www.isls.org/about/board-of-directors

Nominees should be willing to take on ISLS Board member responsibilities.  Board Members are expected to participate in monthly teleconference Board meetings. Board members take on leadership roles in ISLS business and committee work, often chairing one of our Society’s committees (e.g., education, publications, technology). Other important Board member roles include engaging in leadership activities in our ISLS annual conference.  Selection to the Board is an honor, and confers important opportunities to participate in steering the direction of our Society. While serving on the Board requires a commitment and investment of time, Board members find their terms of service to be rewarding experiences.   

The Nomination process: A Society member in good standing (2020 or 2021 dues paid) can nominate up to two members, including themselves.
To be eligible, a nominee must be a member in good standing of the Society at the time of the election (2021 dues paid). Student members are not eligible to vote for Board positions but they may nominate up to two members. (Note that the co-chairs of the ISLS Student Association are invited to attend the meetings of the ISLS Board of Directors as non-voting participants.) Questions about membership status may be directed to [email protected].
The Nominating Committee gathers the list of nominations and prepares a slate of candidates for the ballot. The Board can add one nominee per open seat to the slate submitted by the Nomination Committee. The final ballot will be distributed to Society members in good standing during the month of March, 2021, for voting.

The Nominations Committee and the ISLS are committed to and value diversity on the Board, in terms of disciplinary background, career stage, methodological or theoretical commitments, geography, and demographics. Nominations that add diversity to the board are especially welcomed. In this regard, and in accordance with the Bylaws, the Board has identified three special purpose vacancies in the 2021 election. Given the composition of the current board and the membership at large, ISLS has allocated these three special purpose vacancies to scholars who have a primary appointment at an institution in Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe, South or Central America, or Canada. In other words, these special purpose vacancies are for scholars who are not situated in the United States. The goal of these special purpose vacancies is to ensure that diverse regions of the world are adequately represented on the Board.

The Board and Nominating Committee are also interested in nominees whose work demonstrates attention to relevant and pressing contextual issues. We are seeking candidates who are demonstrably reflective about these issues as they relate to the region or nation where they conduct their work, and whose service on the board will make similar contributions. We especially invite nominations, including self-nominations, of candidates who meet these criteria. For more information on the ISLS non-discrimination policy see https://www.isls.org/about/isls-non-discrimination-policy

Where to Nominate: Use this google form:  ISLS 2021 Nominations for Board Members

If you reside in an area where you cannot access google forms, please see below* for the information you need to provide for each individual that you wish to nominate. Submit this information as a word doc or pdf and send to the email provided below.
Deadline: Nominations must be submitted no later than Monday, December 14, 2020.

We look forward to your nominations. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the chair of the nominations committee, Joe Polman ([email protected]). Thank you in advance for your participation in this important governance process.
Best regards,
Susan Goldman
ISLS Executive Officer

*If you cannot access google docs, create a word doc or pdf that includes the following information and email to [email protected]. Nominations must be received no later than Monday, December 14, 2020.
For each nominee, provide the following information:

1. Name, affiliation, and contact email
2. Indicate whether or not this nominee meets the criteria for one, or both, of the two special purpose vacancies for this election:
   • Society member working in Asia
   • Society member with focus on equity and power
3. Describe your motivation for proposing the nominee by referring to whichever of the following aspects you can discuss: the nominee’s qualifications for serving on the ISLS Executive Board; years of ISLS membership, if known; history of service to ISLS, if known; ability to represent others in ISLS. Please limit your response to 1600 characters (about 300 words).
4. Is the nominee willing to carry out the responsibilities of being an ISLS Board Member? Yes or Not Asked (indicate which)
5. Provide your name and confirm that you are a member in good standing (i.e., dues paid for 2020 or 2021.