Guest Editors

Background

Digital technology facilities are undoubtedly continuing to widen avenues of communication. In the contemporary context, digital technologies that support communications now encompass a range of functionalities that enable communication with human surrogates (chatbots, for example). In this and in other forms, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is increasingly available, accessible and used by individuals, sometimes from young ages, not only to support social communication interactions, but also educational communication interactions. Educational communications through GenAI are reported in some instances to be of help to teachers (for example, in managing document creation) and to learners (for example, in searching for relevant and specific topic material). However, at the same time, there are concerns raised about uses that might be inappropriate (for example, passing off unverified or unvalidated GenAI-created material as one’s own) or unhelpful (for example, accepting source material that is not checked for accuracy).

It is clear that GenAI is a rapidly developing field, and new functionality is being developed in an ongoing way. For education, this provides, on the one hand, possible potential advantages, but, on the other hand, can lead to insufficient understanding and lack of critical use. Research will be fundamental if necessary understandings of these emerging facilities can frame effective support, practice and policy. Currently, while GenAI facilities are strongly advocated for use in education by some, it is also clear from others that critical concern about use needs to be aligned to ensure that outcomes are positive and desirable.

Guidance and policy in the GenAI and education field are being considered and developed at both international and national levels. However, those groups, whether they be UNESCO, the EU, or individual countries, require continuing access to research that explores key questions about emerging contemporary Gen AI uses for educational purposes.

This Special Issue will consider this contemporary topic of ‘Generative AI and Education’, which requires ongoing monitoring and exploration as the digital technology facilities continue to develop and emerge. Whilst there is previous literature in this field, our understanding of how this field is being managed by teachers and learners, whether policy is mirroring practice, and how monitoring of uses continue to identify strengths and weaknesses, are all at a stage where questions still need to be asked. Submissions that offer original contributions, and that contribute to developing theory in this field, that examine how theory has been (and might be) used in the field, or that emphasise the roles of GenAI for enhancing and implementing purposeful interactions, are particularly welcomed.

Studies in Technology Enhanced Learning aims to provide a lively forum for debate and reflection on a wide range of issues connected with TEL in disparate settings. This Special Issue will examine ‘Generative AI and Education’, with particular reference to the ‘critical’ and ‘contextualised’ aspects of the journal’s Aims and Scope.

Whether you have a long-established association with the Centre for Technology Enhanced Learning or have received this Call for Papers as it cascades through our extended networks, we encourage you to consider contributing! 

Scope of papers

We welcome contributions of papers from across the range of educational contexts; across the disciplinary, political and geographical spectrum; and from established scholars and newer researchers, including PhD students. In the spirit of STEL’s aims and scope, we do not wish to prescribe the content of any papers.

Topics and areas of submissions might include:

• Understanding GenAI practices that have been developed in specific educational contexts, which have influenced engagement and outcomes for teachers and/or for learners.

• Exploring implementation and uses of GenAI, not only within specific educational settings and contexts, but also for those who are transitioning into education, whether to pre-schools, nurseries, schools or universities.

• Recognising the specific ways that GenAI is involved in enabling ethical and appropriate uses in any sector of education, including compulsory, higher, vocational, further, adult and professional education.

• Exploring how GenAI third parties or companies have integrated their facilities to support educational practices.

• Discussing how educators have used or would use GenAI for curriculum development or to construct assessments or teaching materials.

• Considering how GenAI has been used, and what the outcomes of those uses might be, in any local, national, regional or international context, or through a comparison between national or regional contexts.

• Understanding the ethical and critical needs that can enable effective outcomes when GenAI is used for educational purposes.

• Identifying how curriculum is being adapted and adopted to address both concerns and potential advantages of uses of GenAI in educational contexts and settings.

Paper types

We envisage that papers might come in a range of lengths and formats. When submitting your proposal please indicate the kind of paper you wish to contribute. You may wish to specify one of the categories below.

• Synthesis paper (6,000-12,000 words).

• Standard paper (4,000-8,000 words).

• Commentary (2,000-4,000 words).

• Book review (1,000-3,000 words).

All articles will be double-blind peer-reviewed, apart from clearly labelled editorials and invited commentaries. Articles will be distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY 4.0).

Submission instructions and provisional timeline

Please submit a provisional title and abstract (200-500 words), with authors and affiliations, by email to Don Passey ([email protected]).

Key timings are:

• Proposals can be submitted at any time until 31 August 2024.

• Authors will be notified of acceptance, with brief editorial comments, no longer than one month from the date of proposal submission receipt by the guest editors.

• First drafts of papers can be submitted at any time until 31 October 2024.

• Peer reviews will be returned approximately one month from the date of paper submission receipt by the guest editors.

• Revised manuscripts are due one month after the review is returned to the authors.

• If major revisions are needed, then peer reviews will be returned approximately one month from the date of paper submission receipt by the guest editors.

• Once major or minor revisions are completed, authors will receive typeset versions for checking approximately one month from the date of final manuscript submission.

• Publication will continue through 2024, as soon as the typeset version is checked and accepted by the editor-in-chief of the journal.