Concordia to host the prestigious ISLS Conference

From June 13-17, 2023, Concordia University will host the prestigious annual meeting of the International Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS), which brings together the wider Learning Sciences community by combining its two conference programs, the Learning Sciences (ICLS) and Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL). This year, these two programs are unified by the common theme of “Building Knowledge and Sustaining our Community”. 

As we move into post-pandemic modes of working, learning, and other professional activities, the ISLS 2023 Annual Meeting will pioneer new approaches that reinforce the value of coming together in a conference setting. In addition to adding support for online participation, the conference organizers are organizing unique pathways to increase accessibility, inclusiveness and sustainability. These include a registration fee structure that recognizes economic inequities among countries with reduced cost for participants from middle- and low-income countries, special pricing for students and practitioners, and a sustainability plan for zero-waste at all receptions and off-setting the carbon emissions of participants’ travel. The ISLS conference organizers are also developing new supports for a more extended form of discourse amongst their wider research community, to support those who cannot travel, but also to deepen the level of discourse amongst researchers in advance of the conference, and even long after the meeting is completed. 

Research in the Learning Sciences is relevant to a wide range of disciplines 

Focused on the science of learning and instruction, the two Programs (CSCL & ICLS) within ISLS23 reflect the richness and breath of topics that members of the Society investigate. The CSCL program is concerned with the design and use of technologies to support learning in groups, organizations, communities, and networks. It brings together scholarship from education, computer science (including AI, learning analytics and data mining), psychology, linguistics, anthropology, sociology, business, etc. The ICLS program focuses on innovative pedagogies as well as development of theories of learning and instruction, combining multiple methodologies and disciplinary, e.g. psychological, anthropological, and/or sociological perspectives on processes and outcomes of education. There is often a focus on richness and complexity of learning, and their underlying social and cognitive processes. This includes a wealth of research on new forms of learning and instruction that can promote diversity, equity, and justice in educational contexts.

Renowned scholars will be coming to Montreal for the meeting 

Members of the ISLS include renowned scholars who have published and influenced many disciplines in academia, business and a broad range of international communities. These scholars have produced research publications that have citations in the thousands. Such significant contributions to the field of learning and instruction include topics such as expert-novice differences, cognitive load theory, knowledge building, motivation, inquiry-based learning, problem-based learning, collaborative learning, human-computer interaction, virtual learning environments, intelligent tutoring systems, and many more. 

Attracting a broader audience within Concordia

The theme for this year’s annual meeting explores the recent unfolding educational and social climate and new roles and practices for technology and distributed communities that have been quick to evolve and become adopted. Despite the growing opportunities for digital and social media for knowledge building among teachers, researchers, and learners, this flux in practice drives the demand for strengthening the theoretical basis for social and computer-mediated practices for teaching and learning under these conditions and challenges members of our community, and others, to practice what we preach. As a hub for innovation and for nurturing scholarly leaders, the ISLS has strived to investigate evidence-based practices, inform recommendations, and design technologies that sustain cycles of design and generate new forms of knowledge, interaction and discourse. The ISLS is evolving rapidly, along with the rest of the world, and it is ever more critical that we maintain our own identity, reinforce our connections and build knowledge within and beyond our community. This annual meeting provides an opportunity for sharing our discoveries with our hosts, their Department of Education, Engineering Faculty, and more broadly with the other higher education institutions on the island of Montreal.

Learn more about the annual meeting of the International Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS).