[Air-L] CfP: Learning with MOOCs 2016 conference at the University of Pennsylvania, USA (May 15 submission deadline)

[Vitomir Kovanovic]

We invite you to submit your papers to the third Learning with MOOCs
conference, to be held at the University of Pennsylvania in
Philadelphia, PA, USA on October 6-7, 2016. You are invited to submit
an abstract of work completed within MOOC settings for discussion at
the conference.

http://www.learningwithmoocs2016.org/

We look forward to receiving your submissions!

Sincerely,
George Siemens, LINK Lab, The University of Texas at Arlington
Catherine Spann, LINK Lab, The University of Texas at Arlington
Vitomir Kovanovic, The University of Edinburgh

THEME: Being and learning in a digital age
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Since the dramatic arrival of MOOCs on the higher education landscape,
universities globally have started to grapple with how digital
learning functions within their existing missions. Some systems have
responded through a significant investment in MOOCs and new online
learning programs. Other systems have responded through taking a more
cautious research approach. Colleges, liberal arts schools, and
smaller universities are currently evaluating how the MOOC phenomenon
will influence their existing offerings and what unique experiences
remain for local, on-campus learning. More recently, virtual reality
and other wearable technology indicate a future with expanded data
collection and increasingly authentic learning experiences. They also
raise concerns about how technology will influence privacy and who has
ownership of, and access to, our learning and related biometric data.

The growth of digital learning, both in terms of research and
practice, is part of a broader societal transition to a digital and
data-driven world. Reports of future mass upheaval in employment
driven by artificial intelligence are starting to cause alarm. Today,
cognitive technologies can learn and in some cases outperform
humans. Against this backdrop, the theme and guiding focus for LWMOOC3
is:

   What does it mean to be human in a digital age? What does it mean to
   learn in a digital age?

As the influence of MOOCs and digital learning in general grow, it’s
time to review many of the assumptions that researchers and
practitioners currently hold. Are we creating the type of knowledge
infrastructure through digital learning that will enable a generation
of creative, innovative, honest, considerate, socially responsible,
motivated, and full-filled learners? Or are we meeting AI in the
middle by dumbing down and automating our learning needs to such a
degree that the machines ought to take over?

This conference plans to bring together educators, technologists,
researchers, learning scientists, entrepreneurs, and funders of MOOCs
to share their innovations, discuss the impact on education and to
answer practical questions such as:

- What are the social and affective dimensions of learning online and
   in a MOOC?
- What is the role of the human educator in automated learning and
   evaluation environments?
- How do MOOCs and digital learning impact learners across their full
   life cycle, from birth to retirement?
- How can VR and wearable technologies extend both the experience of
   learners and the research interests of academics?
- What are the challenges of integrating rich multi-source data
   streams to present a holistic view of learner engagement and
   performance?
- What are the assumptions that we are making regarding digital
   learning and the role of education in society? Are these assumptions
   accurate? What type of future are we creating for learners and for
   society with current digital and on-campus education practices?
- How do we measure learning in and with MOOCs? What does successful
   MOOC learning look like and how does it differ from traditional
   in-classroom learning?
- Should the holistic development of learners, such as social and
   emotional skills and character strengths, be considered in digital
   learning? If so, what are the challenges and considerations in doing
   so?

TOPICS
----------------------------------------------------------------------
We call for submissions to LWMOOC3 from a diversity of disciplines and
topics (see details below). In particular, we invite submissions that
build on the main theme of the conference and highlight the strength
of the core MOOC research community, with the important input from the
other related research domains. We invite submissions related to
research, practice, and theory related to MOOCs.

Specific topics, though not limited to these, include:

- Social and affective computing
- Development of multiple pathways for learners
- Open content / open licensing and MOOCs
- New pedagogical processes with MOOCs, particularly around social and
   peer pedagogies
- Tools for collaboration, feedback, testing and content delivery
- Wearable devices for biometric data collection
- Metrics of success for learners and instructors of MOOCs
- On-campus use of MOOCs
- Evaluation of MOOCs
- MOOCs and localized support (e. g., meetups and instructor meetings)
- Learning analytics and MOOCs
- Problem-based learning and authentic/contextual learning
   environments
- New and emerging models of instructional design, especially
   student-centered design approaches to improve their online learning
   experience)
- Machine learning, AI, and MOOCs: what is new?
- Learning sciences and new research models based on digital learning
   and MOOCs
- The role of specific human constructs, such as imagination, joy, and
   amazement, in MOOCs

We invite researchers and practitioners interested in coming together
to discuss these issues to submit a description of work (see
instructions below) they have done related to MOOCs. These
descriptions should include interesting findings that they have
learned through their work that they believe would be valuable to
share with other practitioners and researchers, and/or a question or
challenges that they confronted that they would like to discuss with
others.

SUBMISSIONS INSTRUCTIONS
----------------------------------------------------------------------
All submissions to the LWMOOC3 should be made using the extended
abstract format
(http://www.learningwithmoocs2016.org/s/LWMOOCs-template.docx) and
should be 500 words maximum (excluding the reference list). Submissions
will be received and processed with LWMOOCS EasyChair page
(https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=lwmoocs16).

CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
----------------------------------------------------------------------
One important change for the 2016 Learning with MOOCs conference is
that we are moving towards published proceedings of all conference
submissions. The proceedings will include abstracts as well as the
presentation slides that will serve as a written record of the
conference.

KEY DATES
----------------------------------------------------------------------
- Abstract submissions (500 words):     May 15, 2016
- Notifications of acceptance:          June 12, 2016
- Learning with MOOCs 2016 conference:  October 6-7, 2016


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