The International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS) is a bi-annual conference sponsored by the International Society of the Learning Sciences that will next take place June 28 to July 2, 2010 in Chicago with the theme "Learning in the Disciplines." This award provides support for two day and one-half pre-conference workshops: a Doctoral Consortium hosting 15 PhD students at the dissertation stage and an Early Career Workshop for 20 young researchers in the field. The primary purpose is to enhance the capacity of researchers in the young Learning Sciences field to conduct interdisicplinary work.
Participants will interact prior to the conference through workshop web portals so they can become familiar with one another's work and help organizers identify possible thematic groups for presentation and discussion. Participants will present their research and receive feedback from peers and faculty mentors, discuss issues surrounding the establishment of research programs, career planning, and professional networking.
Workshop effectiveness will be evaluated through two surveys. One will be conducted at the conclusion of the workshops and the other one near the end of the subsequent academic term.
s was to provide financial support for young doctoral students (15) and researchers in early career stages (21) to receive mentoring on their research and career paths from established researchers in the Learning Sciences. The intellectual merit of the workshops grew out of the opportunities for the young researchers to discuss their research programs through individual and small group discussions with more experienced, senior researchers in the field. 1. Attendees at the two workshops overwhelmingly endorsed participation for future potential attendees. Among the 90 individuals represented in these reports, only two indicated that they would "not recommend" the workshops for young researchers at the respective stages in their careers. 2. NSF support has played a critical role in enabling both U.S. and international PhD students and early career researchers to attend the workshops. Across the historical and 2010 surveys, 50-80% of respondents indicate that they would not have been able to attend the workshops without financial support. 3. The opportunities for small-group and informal discussions are viewed by participants as the most important components of the workshop designs. Consistent across all surveys was a strong preference for small?group interaction in preference to formal presentations, either by peers or by mentors. The broader impacts of the project are: 1. The workshops play a critical role in integrating new researchers into the research community of the Learning Sciences. Attendees consistently indicate that the opportunity to develop personal relationships among peers and mentors, and the opportunity to learn more about the breadth and depth of research in the field, were important outcomes of their participation. 2. The workshops play a critical role in the development of awareness of Learning Sciences as an international community. Participants overwhelmingly cite the opportunity to meet researchers from other countries and continents, and to develop understandings of the methods and research lines being developed around the world, and important outcomes of their participation in the workshops.
