Journal of Universal Computer Science (J.UCS)
ISSN 0948-695x
Online Edition: ISSN 0948-6968
To be published in October 2015
Guest Editors:
Jesús García Laborda (Universidad de Alcalá, Spain, jesus.garcialaborda@uah.es)
Elena Bárcena (UNED, Spain, mbarcena@flog.uned.es)
John Traxler, University of Wolverhampton, U.K., John.Traxler@wlv.ac.uk)
Background & Call for Manuscripts
Since the start of the new millennium, Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) has grown to become a significant paradigm that educators cannot ignore. The primary motivation comes from two factors. Firstly, the wide scale adoption of mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. Secondly, the importance of speaking other languages both in the international professional world, for access and career development, and also in increasingly plurilingual societies. The inherently flexible nature of MALL enables students to be targeted within formal education, lifelong learning, outside formal education and even in situations of professional and social exclusion.
Researchers and developers worldwide have made the connection between mobile devices and foreign languages on the basis that the relevant competences can be trained socially, rather autonomously and, to some extent, developed incidentally. Regional and national boards of education and social affairs are, therefore, designing and implementing programs based upon what is possible to learn when users are mobile and interconnected. Furthermore, context is also taken into consideration in MALL as a significant and versatile element, which can be incorporated as part of the learning process.
This special issue draws together research and experiences that illustrate the recent advances in this field, both from a theoretical and/or a practical perspective to mainstream implementation. The issue intends to provide a multidisciplinary view of MALL, emphasizing the integration of methodological and technological innovation in order to effectively attend the language learning needs of mobile individuals and social groups in the 21st century. To this end, the issue will contain original, pertinent and relevant contributions along topics which include but are not limited to the following:
• Creating interactive and collaborative MALL environments
• Design and development of educational materials for MALL
• Specially significant MALL pilot projects and applications to mainstream implementation
• Mobile technology for language teacher training
• MALL assessment techniques, practices and certification
• From mobile to ubiquitous language learning: future trends in MALL
Important Deadlines
Submission by: 31 December 2014
Notification of acceptance by: 31 March 2015
Revised submission by: 30 June 2015
Final version by: 31 August 2015
Submission and Evaluation Procedure
The Journal of Universal Computer Science is a high-quality electronic publication that deals with all aspects of theoretical and applied computing technology. J.UCS has been appearing monthly since 1995 and is one of the oldest electronic journals with uninterrupted publication since its foundation. A number of special issues as well as the printed archive editions of the volumes are also available in print and can be ordered directly from J.UCS office. The impact factor of J.UCS is 0.669, the 5-year impact factor 0.788 (2010). For further information, please refer to http://www.jucs.org/jucs_info/aims/unique_features.html.
Manuscripts should not exceed 20 double-spaced pages. Papers only prepared according to the JUCS’s guidelines for authors and submitted online (see procedure described below) will be included in the review process. Please refer to http://www.jucs.org/ujs/jucs/info/special_issues/special_guidelines.html.
The guidelines for authors are available at http://www.jucs.org/ujs/jucs/info/submissions/style_guide.html. Please submit your original and proof-read papers using the submission system to https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=malljucs15. Each article will be blind-reviewed by at least 3 reviewers. A selected set of reviewers with the appropriate expertise will be assigned to each article submitted according to its main subject.