The learning sciences and CSCL: Past, present, and future

This half-day tutorial will be held the morning of Monday, June 8th, 9:00 to 12:00, before the start of the CSCL conference.

The tutorial will be structured around the six parts of the 2014 Cambridge handbook of the learning sciences, Second edition, and it will be led by the editor of the handbook, Professor Keith Sawyer. Participants will develop a deeper understanding of the current state of learning sciences research; the history of intellectual currents that led to the current state of the field, and the role played by CSCL in that development; and issues and opportunities for future research and collaboration between learning sciences and CSCL research.

This tutorial will take a critical and reflective approach to the learning sciences, to CSCL, and to their historical and potential future relationship. Participants will learn about the contemporary state of the art in learning sciences research, the various and potential interrelationships between learning sciences and CSCL research, including a focus on identifying opportunities for future research. Participants will be expected to actively participate in open discussions related to these topics.

The 2015 CSCL is a timely setting for this exploration, because of two new edited books that provide broad overviews of, and diverse perspectives on, the learning sciences. The first is the Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences (CHLS), with its second edition published in December 2014. The second is a forthcoming edited volume, The Learning Sciences: Past, Present, and Future, with chapters by leading scholars who played central roles in the creation of the learning sciences, in CSCL, and in their eventual partnership in the ICLS. These two new books provide an opportunity to reflect critically on learning sciences research, on CSCL research, and their historical interrelationship and potential future relationship.

The tutorial will be structured around the six thematic areas identified in the 2014 handbook. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the contemporary state of the art of the learning sciences, its role and relationship with CSCL, and opportunities for future research and collaboration.

How to apply

We will accept all applicants for participation, first come first served, until all physical seats in the room are taken. However, you must submit an application in advance, by May 22nd 2015, to ensure that you will have a seat, and also so that we can design the tutorial most appropriately for those attending.

To register for participation or if you have any questions, please contact Keith Sawyer

Tutorial organizer

Professor Keith Sawyer, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA