eLearn Magazine: Advancing forward

eLearn Magazine is entering a new period and exciting changes lie ahead.

We are excited to join the eLearn Magazine team as co-Editors-in-Chief for the next three-year term starting July 1, 2017. We would like to begin by introducing ourselves: Dr. Simone C. O. Conceição and Dr. Anita Samuel.

New Co-Editors-in-Chief

I, Dr. Conceição, have been a member of eLearn Magazine's editorial board for the last three years. I have more than 20 years of professional experience in distance teaching and learning and online training. I am currently Professor and Chair in the Department of Administrative Leadership at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Online education, adult learning, impact of technology on teaching and learning, instructional design, and staff development and training have been part of the core themes throughout my numerous peer-reviewed publications and co-authorship/editorship of five books. My work and publications are recognized nationally and internationally. I have been invited to give talks, provide professional development, and collaborate with others in Chile, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Turkey, and China.

I, Anita Samuel, have more than five years experience in distance teaching and learning. I am currently a Teaching, Learning, and Technology Consultant with the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. My primary duties include faculty development, strategizing and managing the social media presence of the unit, and identifying and piloting emerging educational technologies. I have worked with faculty across the different academic disciplines and have a unique understanding of the interplay of technology and academic areas. I have served as reviewer for academic journals and conference presentations.

We have collaborated on various projects and look forward to this new endeavor. As co-EICs, we are committed to furthering the conversation around new technologies in elearning such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality, and the Internet of Things. As new technologies emerge, the practice of elearning is afforded new opportunities in the form of personalized learning, competency-based education, and badging/credentialing framed by new approaches such as design thinking. As eLearn Magazine moves into this next phase, we would like to incorporate the use of podcasts and videos to share stories, demos, and interviews.

Topic Areas Covered

• K-12 blended and online learning. Focuses on disseminating information on the use of elearning in K-12 settings including cybercharters, district led online schools, and blended applications of eLearning in elementary and secondary schools.
• Professional development. Focuses on how we work with instructors in elearning contexts, how we build capacity among those who have not taught online before, and how we strategically engage ongoing professional development for elearning instructors and designers.
• Design for learning. Here we address all manner of instructional design for elearning including analysis, development, design, implementation and evaluation across many platforms and approaches.
• International online education. Addresses the needs of elearning in a wide variety of international contexts with a particular interest in the cultural implications of eLearning.
• Emerging technologies. Focuses on what new technologies are available and what those new technologies can provide to elearning in the future. This includes reviews of new software and hardware as well as broad understandings of new technology as new approaches to elearning.
• Management. Focuses on issues of leadership and managing elearning such as quality assurance, return on investment (ROI), strategy, costs, administration, and budgeting.
• Corporate. Focuses on the applications of elearning to corporations who employ elearning for training purposes. This includes consulting for corporations, case studies of application of eLearning to corporate training and development, non-profits and NGO's.
• Higher education. Focuses on the applications of elearning in higher education including colleges, universities, career and technical schools, and community colleges.

The nonformal/informal topic will be viewed as part of the context within any of the above mentioned topics, which involve the ongoing examination of the intersection of nonformal/informal learning and elearning applications. For example, there may be an application of elearning in contexts such as after-school programs, museums, arboretums, clubs, libraries, and other similar organizations, that may involve design for learning, emerging technologies, or management

New Process for Submissions

We have launched new guidelines and a process for submitting contributions to eLearn Magazine. This will help make the review process more efficient. You can submit your article at: http://bit.ly/2uTPsXd

Presence at the Distance Teaching and Learning Conference

eLearn Magazine will be present at the 2017 Distance Teaching and Learning Conference in Madison, Wisconsin. If you plan to attend the conference, join us at the Author Nook on Wednesday, July 26th (1:45-2:15 PM) and Thursday, July 27th (9:40-10:00 AM) to discuss potential article topics to submit to eLearn. We also plan to attend other conferences that focus on elearning. If you think eLearn Magazine should have a presence at a specific preference, drop us a line.

Stay Connected

We encourage you to actively engage with the magazine through article submissions and social media interaction (Please visit us on Facebook and Twitter).

eLearn Magazine, Co-Editors-in-Chief

Simone C. O. Conceição, Ph.D.
Anita Samuel, Ph.D.