Mediation and media coverage

Thejournal Mediations and Mediatizations iscalling for articles for an issue on the theme of "Distance learning: some aspects of an already long history."

Among the various modes of adult education (internships, evening classes, work-study programs, etc.), distance learning occupies a special and significant place, both historically and in the current context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It has existed for a long time, in various forms. It first appeared in the mid-19th century with correspondence courses, then moved on to audiovisual media, then to computers, and for the past twenty years or so, it has become increasingly prevalent on the Internet with "online training." New concepts, which specify how it is organized, have emerged over the years: "open and distance learning," "hybrid learning" (combining face-to-face and distance learning), "e-learning" (emphasizing the use of digital technology), "online learning" (highlighting access via the Internet), MOOC (or CLOM, "massive open online courses," aimed at a wide audience), etc.

The era of print media, radio and television, information technology, and networks could be used to periodize distance learning... However, technical media are only one element and are not sufficient to define it. Distance learning is also characterized by a series of other specific features that have also changed over the decades: objectives (commercial, social, etc.), organization (more or less industrialized), supporting organizations, enrolled students (whose numbers and motivations have changed), teaching methods and learning situations (high demand for autonomy, high dropout rates, frequent feelings of isolation now combated by opportunities for interpersonal exchanges and collaborative work, etc.), institutional actors whose roles have changed with the emergence of new functions (project managers, course designers, tutors, technical teams, etc.), sometimes somewhat inaccurately referred to as "professions."

As part of this special issue, we invite you to present your research, analyses, reflections, or experiences concerning the history of distance learning by focusing on one of the periods, organizational methods, or essential components of this history. These elements should be placed within the genealogy of distance learning systems, their uses, and their educational and socioeconomic implications. Three complementary themes may be addressed in particular: the history of pedagogical methods used in distance learning, the history of the uses of information and communication technologies in distance learning, and the history of emblematic distance learning organizations.

Finally, whether it is a research article, a practitioner article, or other, it is possible, if you wish, to address a topical issue (distance learning during COVID, for example), but it will then be necessary to place the action analyzed in a historical perspective by relating it to events that have marked the history of distance learning and/or by showing how and why it constitutes a continuity or a break with previous practices in this field.

Coordination of this special issue: Viviane Glikman

* Notice of intent: until October 19, 2020
* Submission of articles: until November 30, 2020

Link:https://revue-mediations.teluq.ca/index.php/Distances/announcement/view/10