Networked Learning—Expanding and Challenging Theory, Design and Practice

Dear Colleagues,

We hereby invite you to submit a paper to a Special Issue on “Networked Learning—Expanding and Challenging Theory, Design and Practice”. The purpose of the issue is to expand and challenge our current theoretical conceptualisations of networked learning; to explore emerging practices and new arenas for networked learning; and to widen our knowledge of how we can design for, and analytically approach novel networked learning practices.

Over the years, particular understandings of networked learning have emerged and solidified through the biennial Networked Learning Conference and the Networked Learning Research Book Series. Networked learning has particularly been associated with collaborative or cooperative forms of learning informed by critical pedagogy highlighting humanist, emancipatory and dialogical perspectives (Dohn, Sime, Cranmer, Ryberg, & Laat, 2018; Hodgson, McConnell, & Dirckinck-Holmfeld, 2012; Ryberg & Sinclair, 2016). In networked learning the notion of connections has been a key term in emphasising the technology-mediated interactions between people, material technologies and resources, and it has been stressed that interactions with technologies and resources are not sufficient in themselves to constitute networked learning (Jones, Ryberg, & Laat, 2015). Traditionally, networked learning has been thought of as higher education online courses with individuals in their homes, connected through digital networks to other learners in ‘virtual conference rooms’. However, it is clear that networked learning is becoming increasingly more diverse than that and the places and contexts of where and how networked learning is happening have widened dramatically and rapidly (Carvalho, Goodyear, & Laat, 2017; Ryberg & Sinclair, 2016).

The scope of this Special Issue is to expand and challenge our current understandings of networked learning and also to invite alternative conceptions or views of networks, connections, collaboration, humans, technology, and design. Our aim is to explore novel or emerging practices and places for networked learning and how we can design for and analyse such practices in the domain of the learning sciences. This includes, but is not limited to:

How do we theoretically conceptualise and understand networks, connections, collaboration and relations between humans and technology?

• What do we mean by the term ‘network’ in relation to learning? Are networks necessarily digitally mediated? Can we conceive of learning networks not involving human actors or de-centring the human actor?
• What are the relations between humans and technology in networked learning? Are affordances of digital technologies appropriated for learning via social processes, or are learners appropriated by digital technologies? Do we need alternative post-humanist or post-digital conceptualisations to understand these relations?
• How do we conceptualise ‘collaboration’ and ‘cooperation’ across different levels of scale such as small groups, networks, communities, and crowds in relation to networked learning.

What are the emerging and novel places and practices of networked learning. How can we design for and analyse such practices?

• How are new practices and forms of networked learning emerging in the intersections between institutions and the public, and in the intersections between formal and informal learning settings? What ‘hybrid’ models of networked learning are emerging?
• How does networked learning unfold ‘in the wild’ or in ‘open practices’ of distributed work, knowledge sharing and socialising?
• How do changes in the digital landscape affect where, when and how people learn and how does learning occur and develop across different places or contexts?
• How do we design for and analyse networked learning occuring in the wild, as part of hybrid context or learning that unfolds through open practices.
• How do these changing practies challenge us to reconceptualise the theory, design, practice and methodological approach to networked learning.

Please note: The Article Processing Charge (APC) for accepted papers will be covered by the Networked Learning Conference committee.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Ryberg
Prof. Dr. Maarten De Laat
Prof. Dr. Nina Bonderup Dohn
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• networked learning
• pedagogical practice
• design for learning
• technology enhanced learning.