This project is providing support for travel and registration for U.S. participants in a key global venue for research and training in the learning sciences via the Doctoral Consortium and Early Career Workshops at the International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS) 2012 conference in Sydney, Australia. Earlier versions of these workshops have had an important impact on the careers and research of pre- and post-PhD scholars in the learning sciences from diverse domains such as computer science, information science, education, psychology, and cognitive science. The intellectual merit of this project rests in its selection of top-quality pre- and post-doctoral candidates whose research in the learning sciences holds promise to advance the overall theme of the conference, "The Future of Learning." In particular participants are reflecting on principled understandings of learning to date and considering new and/or iterated theoretical and empirical directions for the field. In addition, attendees are seeking to make advances in the scientific understanding of learning that can inform policy and formal and informal educational experiences of students. This goal is particularly vital given the ongoing and dramatic transformations of society affected by a variety of digital media and communications technologies, fast paced societal changes, and the scale of significant global challenges. Participation in these workshops is an important capacity-building effort that leverages the expertise of the entire international Learning Sciences community and the outcomes of previous workshops. The broader impacts of this project include multiplying opportunities to develop international collaborations in the field Learning Sciences, and supporting the career development of some of the best and brightest researchers in multiple disciplines who work in this area.
The Learning Sciences is an interdisciplinary field that draws on multiple theoretical perspectives and research paradigms with the goal of advancing knowledge and application of knowledge about human learning and development in formal and informal educational settings. Researchers in the learning sciences (LS) attempt to understand the nature and conditions of learning, cognition, development, and related areas of human performance, and they investigate cognition in its material, social, and cultural contexts. The intent of learning science research is to develop evidence-based claims about how people learn that have theoretical, practical, and pedagogical implications. Capacity building is a central concern within the Learning Sciences community. In difficult financial times, nurturing the research and career choices of the next generation of researchers becomes especially important. The International Society for the Learning Sciences has historically addressed these needs, in part, through specialized workshops held in conjunction with the Society’s two major conferences–The International Conference for the Learning Sciences (ICLS), and The International Conference for Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL). The Doctoral Consortium workshops host PhD students who are grappling with their dissertation research, while the Early Career workshops are designed for recent PhDs (post-docs, faculty in early tenure track, and others) who are shaping career paths. Organizing the workshops in conjunction with the flagship conferences in the field gives the workshop participants further access to new research, other researchers in the field and prospective employers, and revitalizes the community with fresh faces and ideas. With this proposal, we sought funding to support travel, housing, and registration support for a group of young U.S.-based researchers to attend the ICLS 2012 Doctoral Consortium and Early Career Workshops in Sydney, Australia. The 10th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS 2012) will be hosted by the Center for Research on Computer Supported Learning and Cognition (CoCo) at the University of Sydney in Australia from July 2–6, 2012. Participants in both workshops engaged in sessions that enabled them to share and receive feedback about their dissertations or programs of research, build connections with senior learning sciences faculty as mentors, interact with a community of peers, learn about the publication process from learning sciences journal editors, and discuss methodological and theoretical issues of central importance to the learning sciences field. Results from end of workshop surveys indicated a high level of satisfaction. Participants in the Doctoral Consortium indicated that for impact on dissertation research, the most notable impacts were found in students being able to refine their dissertation topic (81%) and increased motivation to complete the degree (75%). There were also substantial and moderate impacts in terms of identification of new lines of research to pursue (combined 87.5%), awareness of important & interesting new lines of research in LS (combined 94%), awareness of new approaches to defining problems for conducting research in LS (combined 87.5%), and awareness of how & where to publish (combined 100%). With respect to impact on professional networks and employment within LS, most students said that they increased the number of professional contacts, and increased diversity of professional contacts. A majority also said that the workshop had impact on job search and placement. With respect to the workshop’s elements and overall recommendation all participants either highly recommended (87.5%) or recommended (12.5%) the workshop to others. We had similar results from Early Career workshop participant responses.
