CALL FOR PAPERS
Special Issue on Informal Learning Recognition and Management
Guest editors
Dr. Francisco J. García-Peñalvo
Computer Science Department, Research Institute for Educational Sciences, GRIAL research group, University of Salamanca, Spain
fgarcia@usal.es
Dr. David Griffiths
University of Bolton, United Kingdom
d.e.griffiths@bolton.ac.uk
For many years there has been concern about the poor alignment between, on the one hand, the domain of formal education and its qualifications, and, on the other hand, the requirements for the domain of work, and the achievements of those who engage in it. This has been expressed by all stakeholders in education, ranging from government agencies, policy makers, industrialists, educational theorists, school leaders, teachers and, of course, the citizens who go through the education process and who participate in the labor market. The recognition of non-formal and informal learning appears to offer the potential to make a contribution to bringing together these two domains, by enabling education institutions and employers to value and act upon the knowledge and skills which citizens obtain outside the context of formal education. This vision has inspired a great deal of research over the past decade, involving, inter alia, the extension of competency frameworks, and the application of analytics techniques, artificial intelligence, and knowledge management systems. It has also led to substantial funding programmes by the European Union and national bodies.
Over five years ago, however, Werquin warned that while “... recognition of non-formal and informal learning is high on many countries’ agenda. These systems, despite being rather convincing in theory, seem to have trouble taking off and reaching cruising speed” (Werquin, 2008). In this special issue we seek to provide evidence as to whether the recognition of non-formal and informal learning has now reached cruising speed, and to understand the theoretical and practical factors which are constrain the application of the approach.
We invite contributions which can shed light on these questions, and in particular contributions which address one or more of the following aspects:
- case studies which illustrate successful, or unsuccessful, application of the recognition of non-formal and informal learning
- analysis of the organizational and/or educational consequences of recognition of non-formal and informal learning
- critical analysis of the capabilities, successes and constraints of computer systems which have been created for the recognition and management of non-formal and informal learning
- critical analysis of the successes and limitations of competency frameworks for the recognition of non-formal and informal learning
- investigation of the constraints on and opportunities for the recognition of non-formal and informal learning
- analysis of informal interactions in work and education, and their relationship to formal organizational structures and representations of knowledge and skills.
- critique of the theoretical foundations and models of practice for the recognition of non-formal and informal learning, optionally including proposals for improved theoretical foundations and models of practice
- theoretically justified proposals for new approaches to the recognition of non-formal and informal learning
- Werquin, P. (2008). Recognition of non-formal and informal learning in OECD countries: A very good idea in jeopardy? Lifelong Learning in Europe, (3), 142–149.
Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal’s Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.journals.elsevier.com/computers-in-human-behavior/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://www.journals.elsevier.com/computers-in-human-behavior/ according to the following timetable:
Manuscript Due: 31st March 2015
First Round of Reviews: June 16, 2015
Publication Date: 2016