Editorial Board Compendium I: Goals, Achievements, and Research Issues
Contributions by: Bernard Cornu, Ingo Dah, Greg Kearsley, Gilbert Paquette, Valerie Shute, J. Micheal Spector and William Winn
Introduction by: Joseph M. Scandura and Norbert Seel
The role of technology in instruction, cognition and learning is broad, encompassing a variety of different fields. Artificial intelligence, instructional design, cognitive and developmental psychology, software engineering, cognitive science, structural learning, problem solving and system theory all play a role. Nonetheless, most investigators tend to work in one or another sub-field, often in ignorance of parallel developments in other disciplines. TICL’s unique goal is to facilitate interdisciplinary communication, particularly between those focusing on technology and those focusing on instructional, cognitive and learning theory and research. Major emphasis is given to scientific dialogue on fundamental issues and technological developments having important implications for future advances, progressively increasing depth of understanding and the potential (or realization) of automation.
Compendium I is one way in which TICL will help achieve these ambitious goals. The idea for the compendium derives from a series of meetings of the editorial board at the International AECT conference in Dallas on November 21, 2002 where TICL was launched. The TICL editorial board represents a broad range of in-depth expertise. Given the diverse views and expertise represented, each board member was asked in December 2002 to prepare a 2-5 page statement summarizing his or her unique perspective on the field.
The idea was not for anyone to write a broad review but rather to concentrate on his or her own unique perspective on the field — to prepare a personal statement supported by key references enabling others to more easily evaluate and contrast differing approaches and contributions to Technology, Instruction, Cognition and Learning. Use of the term “I” was encouraged. About half of the board members were able to do so in time for this Issue (2) and their contributions are assembled herein. (Others expressed an interest in preparing future statements.)
These statements offer highly personalized and unique reviews of the field, written by those directly responsible for the research. Each board member was asked to:
a) Provide a short statement of your long range and/or continuing research goals.
b) Summarize the most important contributions you have already made toward achieving those goals, either individually and/or as a result of the research approach taken by a tightly defined group with which you are most directly affiliated.
c) Summarize major critical issues that from this perspective that in your view should be addressed by you or others in the near term.
d) Limit key references to the 3-5 most directly relevant supporting contributions.
In what follows each person is talking primarily about personal goals, what he or she has accomplished, what motivated him or her and important problems to be addressed in the near term. References are divided into KEY and SUPPLEMENTAL REFERENCES, the former being those judged to be most essential in understanding the contributor’s research.
The result is an extra-ordinary set of contributions. As will become apparent in reading these personal statements, guidelines were properly taken only as suggestions. The statements represent the full creativity of the board. Some concentrate on general perspectives in the field. Others summarize specific contributions. Emphases range from contemporary issues to contributions over periods of many years. All serve an important role — some by defining areas of concern, others by probing the limits of current understanding. Progress in TICL demands both.
Rather than attempt to organize by topic, statements are published by author in alphabetical order. Each statement stands on its own, providing an excellent foundation for understanding each contributor’s work, written in his or her own words. The result is a compendium of views and contributions, making it easier to understand and evaluate the benefits and limitations of various approaches to TICL — a compendium that everyone interested in TICL will want to read.
A major goal of this compendium is to promote open commentary on issues central to TICL. TICL will publish questions and responses, as well as informed commentary, on either the statements themselves or on key references. Questions and comments, as well as responses, should be submitted to one of the co-editors. Emphasis will be given to what is perhaps the most important issue in the field: Bridging the traditional gap between broad perspectives and theoretical perspectives, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, the realization of those perspectives and frameworks in working systems.