PI: Susan Yoon
University of Pennsylvania

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.