Call for papers for a special edition of

The British Journal of Educational Technology

COLLABORATIVE E-SUPPORT FOR LIFELONG LEARNING

Editor:Nick Rushby

Guest editors: Dr Sara de Freitas and Dr Jill Jameson

JournalEdition overview

This special 2006 journal edition,BJET Volume 37, Issue 6,will offer a series of high quality peer-reviewed evidence-based papers on Collaborative e-Support for Lifelong Learning. The journal will have a key, but not exclusive, focus on results reported from the JISC Regional Distributed e-Learning (DeL) Pilots (Jan, 2005 -Mar 2006) main themes:

  • Facilitating progression
  • Collaborative teaching and sharing of resources across institutions
  • Supporting the independent lifelong learner

What lessons are emerging from the JISC DeL pilots? Are there other UK and international projects facing similar challenges to provide collaborative e-learning solutions for lifelong learning? This BJET special edition will reflect upon examples and evidence from current e-learning theory and practice to support lifelong learning,asking: (1) Why use e-learning to support lifelong learning? (2) What models and examples from theoretical analysis and practice support the premise that e-learning benefitsstudents and teachers in a ‘seamless web’ of learning for our journeys throughout life? The special edition will provide outputs from the London and South East (LSE)JISC Distributed e-Learning Regional Pilot Project Conference, Lifelong Learning for all: e-learning from concept to practice, to be held inJune, 2006.Seven LSEJISCProjects will present lessons learned from the DeLpilots. Peer-reviewed quality contributions, includingreports on models, tools, platforms and other e-learning solutions will be included. In an editorial overview, we query whether/how constructivist e-learning solutions in a conversational framework provide advantages forlearning and teaching (Laurillard, 2002, Mayes and Fowler, 1999, Mayes and de Freitas, 2004, Jameson and Walker, 2005). We ask, also, whether such solutionsreallyare appropriate ‘best practice’, when UK andglobal challenges of mass HE increasingly place strains on staff, resources and budgets.We investigate if specific e-learning environments support independent lifelong learners (Jameson and Squires, 2000) in ways thatadvance cognition and socio-cultural knowledge, given the pressures on learners, study environments, fees and retention problems in HE/FE.

Important Dates:

Notification of intent to submit: 15 March 2006
Deadline for submissions: 18 May 2006
Notification of review process: 11 June 2006 / Final copy from Authors to Guest Editors: 20 July 2006
All copy from Guest Editors to Nick Rushby: 27July 2006
Publication:31 October 2006
For further info contact the Guest Editors: Dr Sara de Freitas: or Dr Jill Jameson:
Dr Sara de Freitas
Co-Chair Lab Group
School of Computer Science and Information Systems
Birkbeck College, University of London
London Knowledge Lab
23-29 Emerald Street
London WC1N 3QS
Tel: +44 (0) 207 763 2117
Email:
Administrator: Ms Fitri Mohamad () / Dr Jill Jameson
Director of Research
School of Education and Training
University of Greenwich
Bexley Road, Greenwich
London SE9 2PQ
Tel. 020 83319502
P.A. Shirley Leathers 020 83318058/9502
Email:
Research Admin.