Author Archives: Patrick Lowenthal

Call for Chapters proposals on Advancing Equity and Inclusion Through Educational Technology

You are invited to submit a chapter proposal for a handbook about Advancing Equity and Inclusion Through Educational Technology. 

Chapter proposals (1.000 to 2.000 words) may be submitted at https://www.igi-global.com/publish/call-for-papers/call-details/6001, on or before Wednesday, 15 June 2022.

About:

Digital technologies play a significant role in the popular imagination about the future of education, as they are a prominent aspect of modern education provision and practice across the globe. Due to the increased adoption of digital education materials during the pandemic, the pedagogical significance of digital technology has been amplified. As a result, the optimism that digital technologies can alter education along expanding and liberating lines is being vigorously advocated once more, despite their inconsistent history (Facer & Selwyn, 2021).

Facer, K. & Selwyn, N. 2021. Digital technology and the futures of education – towards ‘non-stupid’ optimism. Paper commissioned for the UNESCO Futures of Education report (forthcoming, 2021).

Recommended topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Techniques:

• Mobile and Blended Learning • Global Education • Open Education • Home Schooling • Critical Factors in Distance Education • The Cognitive, Affective, and Social Dimensions of Teaching and Learning

2. Implementation Considerations:

• Case studies in primary, secondary, vocational training, and higher education; • Educators and Trainees • Organizational and Management Concerns • Performance Measurement Concerns • Course Delivery Concerns

3. Theoretical and Pedagogical Concerns:

• Teaching and Learning Strategies and Tactics • Gamification of Learning • Collaborative Learning • Communication and Feedback Design

4. Technological Concerns:

• Intelligent User Interfaces • Interactive E-Learning Systems • Personalised Learning Environments • Multimedia Applications for E-Learning • Online Learning Infrastructures and Architectures; • Publishing Instruments

5. Ethical and Sociological Concerns:

• Accessibility for Users with Diverse Disabilities • Bullism • Equity Concerns • E-Impact learning’s on Social Change • Developing Critical Literacies • Addressing Individual Differences • Plagiarism 

 

Submission Procedure

Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before June 15, 2022, a chapter proposal of 1,000 to 2,000 words clearly explaining the mission and concerns of his or her proposed chapter. Authors will be notified by June 29, 2022 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines.Full chapters are expected to be submitted by October 13, 2022, and all interested authors must consult the guidelines for manuscript submissions at https://www.igi-global.com/publish/contributor-resources/before-you-write/ prior to submission. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-blind review basis. Contributors may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this project.

Note: There are no submission or acceptance fees for manuscripts submitted to this book publication, Advancing Equity and Inclusion Through Educational Technology. All manuscripts are accepted based on a double-blind peer review editorial process. 

Objective:

This comprehensive and timely publication aims to be an essential reference source, building on the available literature in Equity and Inclusion through Educational Technology field while providing further research opportunities in this dynamic and growing field. Thus, the book aims to provide the opportunity for a reflection on this crucial issue, increasing the understanding of the importance of Inclusion & Equity in the context of educational improvements, providing relevant academic work, empirical research findings, and an overview of this relevant field of study.

Editors:

A book edited by Paula Escudeiro (GILT, Athena European University), Nuno Escudeiro (GILT, Athena European University) and Oscar Bernardes (GILT, Athena European University)

Publisher

This book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global. IGI Global takes pride in having publications indexed by major indices worldwide. So long as they meet the required criteria, all IGI Global publications are submitted for indexing to indices including Web of Science, Scopus, Inspec, PsycINFO, Ei Compendex, and more. For additional information regarding the publisher, please visit www.igi-global.com. This publication is anticipated to be released in 2023.

 

Important Dates

June 15, 2022: Proposal Submission Deadline
June 29, 2022: Notification of Acceptance
October 13, 2022: Full Chapter Submission
December 11, 2022: Review Results Returned
January 22, 2023: Final Acceptance Notification
February 5, 2023: Final Chapter Submission

Inquiries can be forwarded electronically by mail to: magia@isep.ipp.pt

More information: https://www.igi-global.com/publish/call-for-papers/call-details/6001

Best regards,

Editors

Educational Technology Learning Conferences 2022

The following list was adapted from Clayton R. Wright’s Educational Technology and Education Conferences List #47. Please refer to Wright’s complete list for other conferences as well as each conference website for more details. Each year I attend AECT, AERA, and 1-2 other conferences. I use this list to identify what other conferences I might attend. Thus, this list is focused on my research interests and/or convenient or interesting locations. However, with COVID-19, conference travel has stopped and moved virtual in most places. Double-check each conference because some more are bound to be canceled.

MAY 2022

JUNE 2022

JULY 2022

AUGUST 2022 – 163 Events

SEPTEMBER 2022

OCTOBER 2022

NOVEMBER 2022

DECEMBER 2022

  • December 8-9, 2022 International Conference on Distance Learning and Innovative Educational Technologies (DILET), 4th biennial. Organized by Ba?kent University Distance Education Application and Research Center (BUZEM), Ankara, Turkey. In 2022, this event will be held online. https://dilet.baskent.edu.tr/en/conference-invitation/

JANUARY 2023

  • January 6-8, 2023 International Conference on Advances in Education and Information Technology (AEIT), 4th. Tokyo, Japan. http://www.aeit.net/
  • January 19-20, 2023 International Conference on Knowledge, Culture, and Change in Organizations: Rethinking Organizational Resilience, 23rd. To be held online and at the University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. Likely to be held online only. https://organization-studies.com/2022-conference
  • January 31-February 4, 2023 Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATiA) Conference. (3,200 attendees.) To be held online and at the Caribe Royale, Orlando, Florida, USA. https://www.atia.org/atia-2023/ 

FEBRUARY 2023

MARCH 2023

APRIL 2023

  • April 16-19, 2023 The Higher Education Technology Agenda (THETA). Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. http://theta.edu.au/
  • April 17-21, 2023 TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design): Possibility. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. https://www.ted.com/attend/conferences
  • April ?, 2023 Flexible Learning Association of New Zealand (FLANZ) Conference: Focus on Flexible Learning, biennial. (FLANZ, formerly the Distance Education Association of New Zealand, DEANZ) Previously held April 14-15, 2021 online and at Victoria University of Wellington Kilburn Campus, New Zealand. http://flanz.org.nz/ or https://flanz.org.nz/flanz-conference/

JUNE 2023

JULY 2023

AUGUST 2023

  • August ?, 2023 International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (INTERACT), 19th biennial. Organized by the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP). The 18th was held August 30-September 3, 2021 in Bari, Italy. https://www.interact2021.org/

OCTOBER 2023

NOVEMBER 2023

  • November 28-December 1, 2023 Council for Exceptional Children Division for Early Childhood Conference, 39th annual. Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. https://www.decconference.org/

MARCH 2024

JULY 2024

Distance Education Special Issue: “Inclusive Distance Education for Learners with Dis/Abilities”

Leading up to, and now moving through the COVID-19 Pandemic, educational institutions at all levels were developing a greater awareness of learners with diverse physical, emotional and learning challenges (de Bruin 2019; Sniatecki, et al., 2015; Kocdar & Bozkurt, 2022; Weedon & Riddell 2016). Despite the heightened awareness, educational opportunities for learners with dis/abilities are lagging. For example, while enrollment in institutions of higher education in the U.S. is increasing, degree completion rates for students with dis/abilities has been low (Järkestig Berggren et al. 2016). 

Learners that are identified with disabilities are often seen for what they are unable to do without support versus what they can do in learning settings. Thus, it is critical to consider shifts in thinking from disability to dis/ability where learners are also acknowledged for their strengths and potential. Currently, these learners are considered at-risk of not receiving the same level of education as their peers, and thus there was a ‘necessity and urgency’ to provide learners with dis/abilities, access to the regular education system (UNESCO 1994, viii). Nations have stated their agreement and desire to provide an inclusive learning environment through their signing of the Salamanca Statement (1994), this was re-affirmed with the signing and rectification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006), the Millennium Development Goals (2000), and most recently the UN Sustainable Development Goals (2016). As a result of these global movements, many countries have clarified and amended their respective laws to include access for learner with dis/abilities to educational opportunities at all levels. 

The increasing use of distance learning strategies and affordances during the COVID-19 pandemic for all students can be seen as both an affordance and a barrier for learners with dis/abilities. A review of literature from Kinash et al. (2004) found that attending to the needs of students with dis/abilities held strong promise for ensuring online education would be accessible for all students, regardless of disability identity or status. This promising finding has not found its way into the growing use of technology in distance and online learning. Instead, there is a growing concern that access to the distance/online educational setting will solidfy within an ableist framing as it develops into a normative way of learning and away from the discourse of alternative, disruptive methods of learning. This is unfortunate since there is evidence that accessible instruction and inclusive practice lead to achievement for all students (Black et. al., 2014; Burgstahler 2015; Hromalik et al., 2018). 

Such insights have important implications as universities and K-12 educational settings have increased their use of online and distance education strategies during the pandemic and will likely continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Since these modalities have the potential to address accessibility barriers and reshape expectations for when and how learning might occur, it is important to review how these strategies impact learners with dis/abilities in its current form (Xie et al., 2021). Clearly, it cannot be expected that students who stand to benefit substantially from inclusive efforts, such as increased accessibility of course materials, will automatically succeed merely because they are learning online or in some type of distance setting (Barbour & Reeves, 2009; Layne et al., 2013; Xu & Jaggars, 2014). 

The purpose of this special issue of Distance Education is to share research and theorize distance/online education practices across higher education and school settings (K-12) that attend to the inclusion of learners with dis/abilities. Accepted manuscripts will represent exemplary scholarship, reflect international perspectives, and embody the spirit of inclusion in the use of terminology, study design, and theoretical framing. 

Suggested topics for this issue include: 

  • Analysis/critique of policies in government/law-making bodies that expand or constrain online and distance learning and their potential to include/exclude learners with dis/abilities. 
  • Analysis/critique of understanding about how to support learners with dis/abilities across primary, secondary, and tertiary distance education settings in various domains, including but not restricted to academic learning, social-emotional learning and life-long learning. 
  • Empirical work, including design-based research approaches, documenting attempts at inclusive design and/or instruction in distance education or online settings and the various outcomes of these attempts, including student outcomes. (Note: Please do not send a study of perceptional outcomes without other sources of data).
  • Empirical or theoretical work about transition to, and from distance educational spaces as well as between two distance education spaces.
  • Theoretical work highlighting the intersectional and evolving notions of dis/ability and its implications for distance education; this can include post-human theories and lenses.
  • The preparation of instructors at primary, secondary, or tertiary education to teach online in ways that are inclusive and informed about dis/ability—meaning that instructors learn to teach using perspectives other than traditional behavior and/or cognitive construction of learning and disability 

Timeline

Submission of 500-word abstract (maryrice@unm.edu) May 16, 2022

Notification and invitation of articles May 20, 2022

First draft submitted through Manuscript Central to Distance Education July 18, 2022

Revision notifications August 26, 2022

Second draft submitted through Manuscript Central September 26, 2022

Final notifications of acceptance October 10, 2022

Special Issue Editors 

Mary Rice

University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA

maryrice@unm.edu 

Michael Dunn

Washington State University, Vancouver, USA

dunnmi@wsu.edu 

References

Barbour, M. K., & Reeves, T. C. (2009). The reality of virtual schools: A review of the literature. Computers & Education, 52(2), 402-416.

Burgstahler, S., & Russo-Gleicher, R. J. (2015). Applying universal design to address the needs of postsecondary students on the autism spectrum. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 28(2), 199-212.

De Bruin, K. (2019). The impact of inclusive education reforms on students with disability: An international comparison. International journal of inclusive education, 23(7-8), 811-826.

Hromalik, C. D., & Koszalka, T. A. (2018). Self-regulation of the use of digital resources in an online language learning course improves learning outcomes. Distance Education, 39(4), 528-547.

https://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/summer162/layne_boston_ice162.html

Järkestig Berggren, U., Rowan, D., Bergbäck, E., & Blomberg, B. (2016). Disabled students’ experiences of higher education in Sweden, the Czech Republic, and the United States–a comparative institutional analysis. Disability & Society, 31(3), 339-356.

Kinash, S., Crichton, S., & Kim-Rupnow, W. S. (2004). A review of 2000-2003 literature at the intersection of online learning and disability. American Journal of Distance Education, 18(1), 5-19.

Kocdar S., Bozkurt A. (2022) Supporting learners with special needs in Open, Distance, and digital education. In Zawacki-Richter O., Jung I. (Eds.) Handbook of open, distance and digital education. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-0351-9_49-1 

Layne, M., Boston, W. E., & Ice, P. (2013). A longitudinal study of online learners: Shoppers, swirlers, stoppers, and succeeders as a function of demographic characteristics. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 16(2), 1-12. 

Nair, S., Naidu, V., Judd, M., Kinash, S., Fleming, J., Santhanam, E., … & Tulloch, M. (2015). Case studies to enhance online student evaluation: University of Western Australia–A journey towards greater engagement through closing-the-loop. Learning and Teaching papers, 118.

Sniatecki, J. L., Perry, H. B., & Snell, L. H. (2015). Faculty Attitudes and Knowledge Regarding College Students with Disabilities. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 28(3), 259-275.

UNESCO (1994). The Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs Education. 

United Nations (2016). 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

United Nations. (2000). United Nations Millennium Declaration.

United Nations. (2006). Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 

Weedon, E., & Riddell, S. (2016). Higher education in Europe: widening participation. In Widening higher education participation (pp. 49-61). Chandos Publishing.

Xie, J., Gulinna, A., & Rice, M. F. (2021). Instructional designers’ roles in emergency remote teaching during COVID-19. Distance Education, 42(1), 70-87.

Xu, D., & Jaggars, S. S. (2014). Performance gaps between online and face-to-face courses: Differences across types of students and academic subject areas. The Journal of Higher Education, 85(5), 633-659.

Inclusive Distance Education for Learners with Dis/Abilities

Leading up to, and now moving through the COVID-19 Pandemic, educational institutions at all levels were developing a greater awareness of learners with diverse physical, emotional and learning challenges (de Bruin 2019; Sniatecki, et al., 2015; Kocdar & Bozkurt, 2022; Weedon & Riddell 2016). Despite the heightened awareness, educational opportunities for learners with dis/abilities are lagging. For example, while enrollment in institutions of higher education in the U.S. is increasing, degree completion rates for students with dis/abilities has been low (Järkestig Berggren et al. 2016).

Learners that are identified with disabilities are often seen for what they are unable to do without support versus what they can do in learning settings. Thus, it is critical to consider shifts in thinking from disability to dis/ability where learners are also acknowledged for their strengths and potential. Currently, these learners are considered at-risk of not receiving the same level of education as their peers, and thus there was a ‘necessity and urgency’ to provide learners with dis/abilities, access to the regular education system (UNESCO 1994, viii). Nations have stated their agreement and desire to provide an inclusive learning environment through their signing of the Salamanca Statement (1994), this was re-affirmed with the signing and rectification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006), the Millennium Development Goals (2000), and most recently the UN Sustainable Development Goals (2016). As a result of these global movements, many countries have clarified and amended their respective laws to include access for learner with dis/abilities to educational opportunities at all levels.

The increasing use of distance learning strategies and affordances during the COVID-19 pandemic for all students can be seen as both an affordance and a barrier for learners with dis/abilities. A review of literature from Kinash et al. (2004) found that attending to the needs of students with dis/abilities held strong promise for ensuring online education would be accessible for all students, regardless of disability identity or status. This promising finding has not found its way into the growing use of technology in distance and online learning. Instead, there is a growing concern that access to the distance/online educational setting will solidfy within an ableist framing as it develops into a normative way of learning and away from the discourse of alternative, disruptive methods of learning. This is unfortunate since there is evidence that accessible instruction and inclusive practice lead to achievement for all students (Black et. al., 2014; Burgstahler 2015; Hromalik et al., 2018).

Such insights have important implications as universities and K-12 educational settings have increased their use of online and distance education strategies during the pandemic and will likely continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Since these modalities have the potential to address accessibility barriers and reshape expectations for when and how learning might occur, it is important to review how these strategies impact learners with dis/abilities in its current form (Xie et al., 2021). Clearly, it cannot be expected that students who stand to benefit substantially from inclusive efforts, such as increased accessibility of course materials, will automatically succeed merely because they are learning online or in some type of distance setting (Barbour & Reeves, 2009; Layne et al., 2013; Xu & Jaggars, 2014).

The purpose of this special issue of Distance Education is to share research and theorize distance/online education practices across higher education and school settings (K-12) that attend to the inclusion of learners with dis/abilities. Accepted manuscripts will represent exemplary scholarship, reflect international perspectives, and embody the spirit of inclusion in the use of terminology, study design, and theoretical framing.

Suggested topics for this issue include:

  • Analysis/critique of policies in government/law-making bodies that expand or constrain online and distance learning and their potential to include/exclude learners with dis/abilities.
  • Analysis/critique of understanding about how to support learners with dis/abilities across primary, secondary, and tertiary distance education settings in various domains, including but not restricted to academic learning, social-emotional learning and life-long learning.
  • Empirical work, including design-based research approaches, documenting attempts at inclusive design and/or instruction in distance education or online settings and the various outcomes of these attempts, including student outcomes. (Note: Please do not send a study of perceptional outcomes without other sources of data).
  • Empirical or theoretical work about transition to, and from distance educational spaces as well as between two distance education spaces.
  • Theoretical work highlighting the intersectional and evolving notions of dis/ability and its implications for distance education; this can include post-human theories and lenses.
  • The preparation of instructors at primary, secondary, or tertiary education to teach online in ways that are inclusive and informed about dis/ability—meaning that instructors learn to teach using perspectives other than traditional behavior and/or cognitive construction of learning and disability.

Timelines

Submission of 500-word abstract (maryrice@unm.edu) 

Notification and invitation of articles

First draft submitted through Manuscript Central to Distance Education

Revision notifications

Second draft submitted through Manuscript Central

Final notifications of acceptance

May 16, 2022

May 20, 2022

July 18, 2022

August 26, 2022

September 26, 2022

October 10, 2022

Special Issue Editors

Mary Rice
University of New Mexico, , Albuquerque, USA
maryrice@unm.edu

Michael Dunn
Washington State University, Vancouver, USA
dunnmi@wsu.edu 

References:

Barbour, M. K., & Reeves, T. C. (2009). The reality of virtual schools: A review of the literature. Computers & Education, 52(2), 402-416.

Burgstahler, S., & Russo-Gleicher, R. J. (2015). Applying universal design to address the needs of postsecondary students on the autism spectrum. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 28(2), 199-212.

De Bruin, K. (2019). The impact of inclusive education reforms on students with disability: An international comparison. International journal of inclusive education, 23(7-8), 811-826.

Hromalik, C. D., & Koszalka, T. A. (2018). Self-regulation of the use of digital resources in an online language learning course improves learning outcomes. Distance Education, 39(4), 528-547. https://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/summer162/layne_boston_ice162.html

Järkestig Berggren, U., Rowan, D., Bergbäck, E., & Blomberg, B. (2016). Disabled students’ experiences of higher education in Sweden, the Czech Republic, and the United States–a comparative institutional analysis. Disability & Society, 31(3), 339-356.

Kinash, S., Crichton, S., & Kim-Rupnow, W. S. (2004). A review of 2000-2003 literature at the intersection of online learning and disability. American Journal of Distance Education, 18(1), 5-19.

Kocdar S., Bozkurt A. (2022) Supporting learners with special needs in Open, Distance, and digital education. In Zawacki-Richter O., Jung I. (Eds.) Handbook of open, distance and digital education. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-0351-9_49-1

Layne, M., Boston, W. E., & Ice, P. (2013). A longitudinal study of online learners: Shoppers, swirlers, stoppers, and succeeders as a function of demographic characteristics. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 16(2), 1-12. 

Nair, S., Naidu, V., Judd, M., Kinash, S., Fleming, J., Santhanam, E., … & Tulloch, M. (2015). Case studies to enhance online student evaluation: University of Western Australia–A journey towards greater engagement through closing-the-loop. Learning and Teaching papers, 118.

Sniatecki, J. L., Perry, H. B., & Snell, L. H. (2015). Faculty Attitudes and Knowledge Regarding College Students with Disabilities. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 28(3), 259-275.

UNESCO (1994). The Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs Education.

United Nations (2016). 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

United Nations. (2000). United Nations Millennium Declaration.

United Nations. (2006). Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Weedon, E., & Riddell, S. (2016). Higher education in Europe: widening participation. In Widening higher education participation (pp. 49-61). Chandos Publishing.

Xie, J., Gulinna, A., & Rice, M. F. (2021). Instructional designers’ roles in emergency remote teaching during COVID-19. Distance Education, 42(1), 70-87.

Xu, D., & Jaggars, S. S. (2014). Performance gaps between online and face-to-face courses: Differences across types of students and academic subject areas. The Journal of Higher Education, 85(5), 633-659.