[Open-education] International Journal of Open Educational Resources Call for Papers Spring/Summer Issue

[Layne, Melissa]

THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

Website: https://ijoer.org
 
CALL FOR PAPERS AND CONTRIBUTIONS 

The International Journal of Open Educational Resources
Spring/Summer Issue 2019

The aim of The International Journal of Open Educational Resources (IJOER) is to provide a venue for the publication of quality academic research with an emphasis on representing Open Educational Resources in teaching, learning, scholarship, and policy. The International Journal of Open Educational Resources is a bi-annual, open access, double-blind peer-reviewed academic publication sponsored by the American Public University System (APUS) and the Policy Studies Organization and is partnered with the International Council of Open and Distance Education’s (ICDE) Open Educational Resources Advocacy Committee (OERAC) who is a key partner to UNESCO.

In this Call for Papers and Contributions, we invite scholars conducting research on open educational resources and related topics, professionals and experts representing the OER sector, industry, and government to share their experiences, knowledge and best practices within OER.

TOPICS OF INTEREST

The IJOER publishes articles that focus on topics based upon the Open Educational Research Hub’s 11 hypotheses developed by de los Arcos, Farrow, Perryman, Pitt, & Weller (2014). The OER Research Hub “provides a focus for research, designed to give answers to the overall question ‘What is the impact of OER on learning and teaching practices?’ and to “identify the particular influence of openness” (de los Arcos, et al., 2014, p. 2).

OER Research Hub’s 11 Hypotheses:
•       Performance: Use of OER leads to improvement in student performance and satisfaction.
•       Openness: The Open Aspect of OER creates different usage and adoption patterns than other online 
        resources.
•       Access: Open education models lead to more equitable access to education, serving a broader base of 
        learners than traditional education.
•       Retention: Use of OER is an effective method for improving retention for at-risk students.
•       Reflection: Use of OER leads to critical reflection by educators, with evidence of improvement in their 
        practice.
•       Finance: OER adoption at an institutional level leads to financial benefits for students and/or 
        institutions.
•       Indicators: Informal learners use a variety of indicators when selecting OER.
•       Support: Informal learners adopt a variety of techniques to compensate for the lack of formal support, 
        which can be supported in open courses
•       Transition: Open education acts as a bridge to formal education, and is complementary, not 
        competitive with it.
•       Policy: Participation in OER pilots and programs leads to policy change at an institutional level.
•       Assessment: Informal means of assessment are motivators for learning with OER.

We offer the following sections to which author(s) may submit research articles:
•       Research
          -Theoretical
          -Practical
          -Pedagogical
          -Conceptual/Opinion Pieces
•       Industry or Organizational OER-Related Research / Activities / Initiatives / Projects
•       K-12, Vocational, Community College, University OER-Related Research / Activities / Initiatives / 
        Projects
•       Librarian Research / Activities / Initiatives / Projects in OER
•       Graduate Research in OER – This section features OER research conducted individually or 
        collaboratively by actively enrolled community college or university graduate students. 
 
OTHER UNIQUE FEATURES

3 Questions for an OER Leader -This section is presented in an interview format and is reserved for an individual who has demonstrated a commitment to improving and advancing the field of OER. Forms of leadership will vary, but include a level of involvement and contributions to the greater OER Community.  Nominations are encouraged. Please email Dr. Melissa Layne for more details mlayne at apus.edu 

IJOER Peer Review – This section highlights various OERs (in progress or completed) developed by OER authors and contributors. This special section provides OER authors: a) valuable and constructive feedback from IJOER readers; b) a venue to showcase their work; and c) to promote his/her own work among the greater OER Community. If authors choose to accept comments & feedback from IJOER’s readers, comments will be moderated and sent to the author(s) directly before publishing. Although the comment/feedback feature is a truly valuable feature of IJOER, it is purely optional for those who wish to have their OER work reviewed.

OER & Beyond Blog -Two lovely University of Wyoming librarians, Samantha Cook and Kristina Clement manage our OER & Beyond Blog, which features short, informational contributions from the OER Community. Contact Kristina kclement8 at uwyo.edu or Samantha scook13 at uwyo.edu to learn more about how you can contribute to our blog.

Interactive Research Articles. IJOER articles leverage interactive features such as videos, audio, slideshows, definition rollovers, animations, interactive graphs, links to resources, images, social media, etc., to bring research to life. These features enable authors to present their work in a non-linear, innovative fashion, while more effectively engaging IJOER readers.

Blockchain. Currently, its purpose in IJOER allows authors to “time-stamp” their articles, verifying that he/she was the first to write, publish, and own authorship rights over the content. Features of Blockchain include:

•       Data behind published results are verifiable
•       Researchers can protect their IP and prove ownership with a timestamp
•       Researchers can selectively share their work products with others in the research community, their 
        funders, and publishers
•       Funders can monitor the progress of their researchers
•       Other researchers can reproduce experiments more easily
•       Nodes are distributed among universities, research and publishing organizations, and funders

Blockchain essentially allows IJOER authors to record all of their article’s digital metadata and ownership information to the Blockchain ledger. To view an existing author’s Blockchain certificate, visit the IJOER The International Journal of Open Educational Resources website, click on any article, scroll down to the bottom until you see a green “Stamp it” button, and click.

For additional complete information or questions please visit our website https://www.ijoer.org, or contact Dr. Melissa Layne, IJOER Editor-in-Chief, mlayne at apus.edu  

PUBLICATION SCHEDULE
•       Spring/Summer (April)  
•       Fall/Winter (October)

Kind regards,
Melissa Layne


Melissa Layne Ed.D. | AVP Research & Innovation
Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Open Educational Resources

American Public University System
American Military University  |  American Public University
111 West Congress, Charles Town, WV 25414
979-308-0155 | mlayne at apus.edu | www.apus.edu