A book edited by Carla R. Payne, PhD, Principal, Center for e-Learning & e-Literacy, USA

Introduction:
The introduction of information technology into the educational setting has created major opportunities and challenges for all colleges and universities, particularly as it converges with the popularization of constructivism, an educational philosophy founded in the work of Piaget, Dewey, Vygotsky and others, which emphasizes learning as an active process. The principal objectives of this collection are to explicate the importance of constructivist or “progressive” concepts as defining significant and transformative learning in the higher education context; and to identify historical and other obstacles to their implementation; to raise awareness of the potential of information technology for overcoming these obstacles; to identify those factors which may diminish or impede this realization of constructivist teaching and learning through new technologies.

The Overall Objective of the Book
Constructivism and the deployment of information technology in the higher education classroom are each widely discussed in the academic literature, but generally without a critical perspective on their interaction from the pedagogical point of view as new technology is continuously rolled out. This collection will provide the opportunity for scholars and practitioners to explore the theoretical frameworks underlying constructivist thinking and the digital revolution in education as they impact each other, and also to assess the claims made for the educational effectiveness and constructivist orientation of various technologies and technological systems on the basis of on-the-ground evaluations of intentions and outcomes.

The Target Audience:
Faculty, education professionals, support staff and administrators working in higher education as practitioners and researchers in the various academic disciplines in which information technology is coming into use in connection with teaching and learning; library, education and adult education professionals, designers of education software, historians of educational and social change.

Chapter topics:
Progressive Higher Education: Theory From Dewey to Constructivism
Utopia and Individualism: What Became of the Experimenting Colleges?
The Theory and Practice of Teaching in Today’s Colleges and Universities
Critical Survey of Information Technology Use in Higher Education –Blended Classrooms, Online Degrees, Constructivist Claims
Technological Innovation and Constructivism—Immersive Environments, Social Networking, Gaming as Educational Tools
Information Technology and Active Learning
Information Technology and Social Learning
Information Technology and Authentic Assessment
Information Technology and Mental Modeling
Critical Case Studies of Technology Applications in Higher Education

Settings:
Case studies of individual educational program and institutions which are using information technology. Each study should address the following questions: To what extent did constructivist or progressive principles define the original objectives of your program(s)? What criteria were used in selecting information technology applications? How have they shaped or influenced curriculum?

Using constructivist criteria--that effective educational programs foster active learning and social or collaborative learning and the development of mental modeling and make use of authentic assessment—evaluate the status and outcomes to date of the selected programs.

The Challenges to Constructivist Uses of Information Technology The Promise of Information Technology for Transforming Higher Education

SUBMISSION PROCEDURE:
Each proposal should address one of the listed chapter topics. (Completed chapters should be about 7000 words in length.) Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before January 31, 2008, a 500 word manuscript proposal clearly explaining how the proposed chapter will treat the selected topic. Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by February 28, 2008 about the status of their proposals and will be sent chapter organizational guidelines. Full chapters are expected to be submitted by May 31, 2008. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-blind review basis. The book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global, www.igi-global.com, publisher of the IGI Publishing (formerly Idea Group Publishing), Information Science Publishing, IRM Press, CyberTech Publishing, Information Science Reference (formerly Idea Group Reference), and Medical Information Science Reference imprints.

CALL FOR REVIEWERS:
Since the peer review process is one of the most important steps in the creation of a high quality manuscript, we also seek qualified reviewers to assess draft chapters. If you are willing to assist in the double-blind review process, please forward your name, contact information and a brief resume.

Inquiries and chapter proposals should be submitted electronically (as a Word document attached to an email message), and accompanied by a brief resume for each author, to

Carla R. Payne, PhD
paynec@fairpoint.net
Tel: 802-225-5949