About the Journal

Computer-Based Learning in Context (ISSN: 2690-1307) is a completely and permanently free and open-access journal for rigorous scientific research on computer-based learning in context. We are particularly interested in how learners’ contexts impact their interactions, within as well as around computer-based learning, and how those differences in interaction impact learning, long-term learner outcomes, and educational effectiveness.

CBLC is interested in these themes writ large:

  • Differences between learners of different nationalities, cultural backgrounds, linguistic backgrounds, racial and ethnic differences, gender in its full complexity, urbanicity and other factors
  • Computer-based learning in all its contexts, including use of educational technology in classrooms, universities, informal learning settings, the home, fully online, mobile computing, and blends of these
  • Computer-based learning in all its forms, including intelligent tutoring systems, games, simulations, virtual and augmented reality, online courses, massive online open courses, teacher support systems, clickers, and many others
  • A full range of variables involving learner-computer interaction and computer-mediated learner-learner interaction, including behavior, affect, self-regulation strategies, cognition, meta-cognition, and motivation

CBLC welcomes rigorous, high-quality research from a variety of paradigms, including learning analytics/educational data mining, video analysis, observational studies, questionnaire studies, ethnography, and qualitative analysis, so long as the research is of high-quality, presents concrete clear and sufficient evidence for its claims, and centers on questions relevant to the journal’s areas of focus. Replications of studies and/or analyses previously conducted in other research settings are strongly welcomed, so long as the papers make a clear scientific contribution and explicate the similarities and differences from past published work in terms of contextual and/or cultural factors. The journal also welcomes survey articles, review articles, theoretical articles, and position papers, so long as these articles build on existing work, focus on the core themes of the journal, and advance our understanding of the challenges and opportunities unique to this area of research.

CBLC offers two tracks for submission:

  • Full paper. Experienced researchers are encouraged to submit their papers in standard journal format. All full paper submissions will be stringently peer-reviewed through a standard process. Full paper submissions may be of any length.
  • Emerging scholarship. CBLC offers a special track for researchers working in traditionally underrepresented contexts, such as universities, government agencies, or NGOs in countries historically less intensively involved in scientific research, or colleges and universities that focus on historically underrepresented populations in wealthy countries. Papers submitted to the emerging scholarship track will be stringently peer-reviewed through a standard process. However, papers in this track will receive additional mentorship during the review process, including mentorship on research analysis and the framing of the research question(s). Articles that are out of scope or which are sufficiently far from acceptable to make our mentorship process infeasible will still be rejected by editorial decision. Proofreading and English-language writing will remain the responsibility of the authors. Emergent scholarship submissions may be of any length.

Papers published in CBLC will be permanently open-access on the web and free. There are no publication charges of any sort for publication in CBLC. CBLC is free both to authors and readers.

Only papers submitted in dialects of the English language frequently used in academic publication will be reviewed by CBLC. However, if an article is accepted for publication, authors are invited to co-submit versions of their articles in other languages for co-publication, along with signing a statement that the translation is true, accurate, and complete.

Articles should be submitted in APA format with one exception – all figures and tables should be included inline rather than at the end of the manuscript. Articles submitted to CBLC may not have been previously published, or under review by other journals. However, articles may contain content published in conference proceedings so long as at least 30% of the article’s empirical results are unpublished, new content. In this case, the letter of submission must indicate the original article(s) and what content is new.

All articles must be submitted by email to cb.learningincontext@gmail.com. Please indicate what paper category you are submitting to. Inquiries may also be submitted to that address.

Though CBLC is not affiliated with ACM, CBLC follows the ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.