Journal of Computing in Higher Education - Call for Proposals: Special Issue – The Research We Need

In 2015, Reeves & Reeves argued that the field of educational technology and instructional design has focused for too long on things and instead should focus on problems. More recently, in a piece titled “The Research We Have Is Not the Research We Need,” Reeves and Lin (2020) further noted that educational technology research “does not have a distinguished record in dealing with local educational problems, much less global ones” (p.1998). That same year, Kimmons (2020) analyzed research trends and gaps across 16 research journals and noted specifically that a significant gap exists around what Reeves and colleagues have labeled as “broader social issues” (p. 806). Kimmons observed that “the field may be struggling to orient its work toward solving relevant real-world problems, and researchers should consider how their efforts can more meaningfully inform socially-responsible policy and practice” (2020, p. 808).

The most recent edition of the Handbook of Educational Communications and Technologies (2020) attempted to shift the orientation of the collection to organize around problems instead of things. The end result suggests a host of topics that researchers consider oriented problems for focus, such as the digital divide (Norman et al., 2022; Ritzhaupt et al., 2020), designing for individual differences (Antonenko et al., 2020), cultural considerations (Sharif & Gisbert, 2015; Young & Asino, 2020), and accessibility (Estes et al., 2020). Additionally, ethics and educational technologies have been receiving increased attention in recent years, with expanded scholarship for example on data rights and privacy for learning analytics (Pardo & Siemens, 2014; Prinsloo & Slade, 2013; Scholes, 2016), diversity and equity issues highlighted by online implementations during the pandemic (Custodio, 2020; Lockee et al., 2022; Singh et al., 2022; Stephen et al., 2023), various ethical considerations related to generative artificial intelligence (Hodges & Ocak, 2023; Moore et al., 2024), and the first textbook in the field dedicated to ethics and educational technology (Moore & Tillberg-Webb, 2023). These all begin to suggest a shape for “broader social issues” as well as an increased urgency to reframe the scope of the field’s work and research.

In this special issue, we are inviting scholars in the field to contribute conceptual papers, theoretical work, and examples of research that can help shape a broad agenda for research in the field designed to address this significant gap and reorientation to the field’s research.

Specifically, we are interested in papers that:

• Identify substantive learning problems in such a way that it helps to frame “grand challenges” that will improve the impact of research in our field;
• Identify “broader social issues” where educational technology plays a role or could play a role in addressing a particular need or problem, including those that may be labeled as ethical, cultural, social, or political;
• Survey the higher education landscape to identify specific areas where research is needed to address policy and/or practice, especially surveys and analyses that help to capture global trends, both shared and divergent;
• Propose a research agenda that could potentially contribute to better addressing either a substantive learning problem or broader social issue, or both;
• Propose nascent, evolving or adapted methodologies in service of generating the research we need;
• Provide examples of research that is specifically oriented around a global learning challenge, such as learner motivation or student mental health or learning during significant disruptions; and,
• Address systemic considerations for achieving a broader shift in the field’s research agenda, such as doctoral student preparation and support for current researchers in reframing or reorienting their work.

The ideal final special issue would be a collection of papers across these topics that successfully lay a foundation for current and future researchers.

Process and Timeline

The targeted publication timeline for this Special Issue is July 2025. To accomplish that date, this issue is organized around the following deadlines.

Proposals:
We are seeking initial 500-word proposals for submissions, due by July 15, 2024. These proposals will be reviewed by the editorial team for this special issue. Invitations to submit a full paper will be sent by August 1, 2024. JCHE issues typically feature 10-11 articles, and that is our target scope for this SI.

Initial Submissions:
Manuscripts are due by October 15, 2024. All manuscripts should follow JCHE journal guidelines (this opens in a new tab) and be formatted using standard APA 7 (not adapted versions of APA). JCHE does not have a word limit, but we encourage authors to consider the reader’s ability to digest the given piece. Authors are encouraged to include sections or appendices that may support others in conducting research in a particular area or using a particular methodology. We have already identified a team of reviewers, and authors submitting papers will also be asked to provide 1-2 reviews for this special issue. Our goal is to facilitate cross-pollination of ideas across the issue. Reviews from the first round will be returned by December 15, 2024.

Revised Manuscripts:
Revised manuscripts will be due by February 15, 2025. Where necessary, a second round of reviews will take place, and feedback to authors will be returned by April 15, 2025.

Finalized Papers: All manuscripts should be finalized by April 15, 2025. Upon acceptance, authors will then have 1 month to finalize any copyediting feedback.

Deadlines:

Proposals (500-words) Due – July 15, 2024

Invitations to Submit a Full Paper – August 1, 2024

Manuscripts Due – October 15, 2024

First Round of Reviewer Feedback Returned – December 15, 2024

Revised Manuscripts Due – February 15, 2025

Second Round of Reviewer Feedback Returned – April 15, 2025

All Manuscripts Finalized – June 15, 2025

Special Issue Editors

Stephanie Moore, Ph.D., University of New Mexico, USA, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Computing in Higher Education, stephaniemoore@unm.edu (this opens in a new tab)

Jill Stefaniak, Ph.D., University of Georgia, USA, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Computing in Higher Education, jill.stefaniak@uga.edu (this opens in a new tab)

Tom Reeves, Ph.D., University of Georgia, USA, Professor Emeritus, treeves@uga.edu (this opens in a new tab)

References

Antonenko, P. D., Dawson, K., Cheng, L. & Wang, J. (2020). Using technology to address individual differences in learning. In M. J. Bishop, E. Boling, J. Elen & V. Svihla (Eds.), Handbook of research in educational communications and technology (pp. 99–114). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36119-8_6 (this opens in a new tab)

Custodio, J. (2020, April 7). Disabled students already faced learning barriers. Then coronavirus forced and abrupt shift to online classes. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from https://www.chronicle.com/article/disabled-students-already-faced-learning-barriers-then-coronavirus-forced-an-abrupt-shift-to-online-classes/ (this opens in a new tab)

Estes., M.D., Beverly, C.L., & Castillo, M. (2020). Designing for accessibility: The intersection of instructional design and disability. In M. J. Bishop, E. Boling, J. Elen & V. Svihla (Eds.), Handbook of research in educational communications and technology (pp. 205-228). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36119-8_6 (this opens in a new tab)

Hodges, C., & Ocak, C. (2023). Integrating generative AI into higher education: Considerations. Educause Review. https://er.educause.edu/articles/2023/8/integrating-generative-ai-into-higher-education-considerations

Kimmons, R. (2020). Current trends (and missing links) in educational technology research and practice. TechTrends, 64(6), 803-809. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-020-00549-6 (this opens in a new tab)

Lockee, B. B., Bond, M. A., McGowin, B. M., & Blevins, S. J. (2022). Beyond design: The systemic nature of distance delivery mode selection. Distance Education, 43(2), 204-220.

Moore, S., Hedayati-Mehdiabadi, A., Kang, P., & Law, V. (2024). The change we work: Agency and ethics in emerging AI technologies. TechTrends, 68, 27-36. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-023-00895-1 (this opens in a new tab)

Moore, S. & Tillberg-Webb, H. (2023). Ethics and educational technology: Reflection, interrogation, and design as a framework for practice. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203075241 (this opens in a new tab)

Norman, H., Adnan, N. H., Nordin, N., Ally, M., & Tsinakos, A. (2022). The educational digital divide for vulnerable students in the pandemic: Towards the New Agenda 2030. Sustainability, 14(16), 10332.

Pardo, A. & Siemens, G. (2014). Ethical and privacy principles for learning analytics. British Journal of Educational Technology, 45(3), 438–450. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12152 (this opens in a new tab)

Prinsloo, P. & Slade, S. (2013). An evaluation of policy frameworks for addressing ethical considerations in learning analytics. Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Learning Analytics and Knowledge (pp. 240–244). https://doi.org/10.1145/2460296.2460344 (this opens in a new tab)

Reeves, T., & Lin, L. (2020). The research we have is not the research we need. Educational Technology Research & Development, 68, 1991-2001. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09811-3 (this opens in a new tab)

Reeves, T. C. & Reeves, P. M. (2015). Educational technology research in a VUCA world. Educational Technology, 55(2), 26–30. https://www.learntechlib.org/p/174982/ (this opens in a new tab)

Ritzhaupt, A. D., Cheng, L., Luo, W., & Hohlfeld, T. N. (2020). The digital divide in formal educational settings: The past, present, and future relevance. Handbook of Research in Educational Communications and Technology: Learning Design, 483-504.

Scholes, V. (2016). The ethics of using learning analytics to categorize students on risk. Educational Technology Research & Development, 64(5), 939–955. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-016-9458-1 (this opens in a new tab)

Sharif, A., & Gisbert, M. (2015). The impact of culture on instructional design and quality. International Journal of Instruction, 8(1), 143-156.

Singh, J., Evans, E., Reed, A., Karch, L., Qualey, K., Singh, L., & Wiersma, H. (2022). Online, hybrid, and face-to-face learning through the eyes of faculty, students, administrators, and instructional designers: Lessons learned and directions for the post-vaccine and post-pandemic/COVID-19 world. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 50(3), 301-326.

Stephen, J. S., Barnett, N. G., & Ben Ramadan, A. A. (2023). Diversity, equity, and inclusion in course design and instructional material development. In Global Perspectives on Higher Education: From Crisis to Opportunity (pp. 147-161). Springer International Publishing.

Young, P. A. & Asino, T. I. (2020). Cultural implications in educational technology: A survey. In M. J. Bishop, E. Boling, J. Elen & V. Svihla (Eds.), Handbook of Research in Educational Communications and Technology (pp. 263–283). Cham: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36119-8_1 (this opens in a new tab)