icEIC 2011 - International Conference on Education, Informatics, and Cybernetics: icEIC 2011

Relationships between Education/Training and Information/Communication Technologies (ICT) are continuously increasing, sometimes in unexpected ways, with original ideas, innovative tools, methodologies and synergies.

Education (cognitive development) and training (performance in a specific skill) are different but highly related notions. They have common means to achieve their objectives as it is the case of, for example, teaching, learning and e-learning. ICT are supporting both of them with an increasing frequency and effectiveness in more and more activities and domains.

Accordingly, the main purpose of icEIC 2011 Organizing Committee is to bring together researchers, innovators, professionals and practitioners from the three areas in order to 1) provide an intellectual platform to share their knowledge and experiences in a multi- and inter-disciplinary intellectual climate, 2) support the bridging process between education/training and ICT communities, and 3) foster interdisciplinary communications among the related domains.

Invitation to participate

In order to accomplish this purpose, ICT researchers are invited to present their research results. Practitioners and consultants are invited to present case study papers and innovative solutions. Corporations are invited to present education/training information systems and software based solutions. Teachers and university professors are invited to present case studies, information systems developed for specific purpose, and innovative ideas and designs. Educational scientists and technologists are invited to present research or position papers on the impact and the future possibilities of ICT in educational systems and training processes and methodologies. Managers of educational organizations and training consultants are invited to present problems that might be solved by means of ICT, or solutions that might be improved by different approaches and designs in ICT. All are invited to organize panels or invited sessions. Panel sessions with panelists coming from both: ICT researchers/practitioners and teachers/professors.

Among the questions or problems that need some answers or reflections are the following

One on the main objectives of icEIC 2011 is to provide a forum for the presentation of both: solutions and problems of the applications of ICT in education and training. The following questions need answers from different perspectives:


What is the impact of the information and communication technologies in education and training?


How are information and communication technologies affecting and improving education and training? What new networks and models are emerging?


How are universities, schools, corporations and other educational/training organizations making use of ICT?


What electronic tools are there to facilitate e-learning, distance education and corporative training?


What specific tools, technologies and/or methodologies improved, or might improve, the effectiveness of educational and training processes?
Main Themes or Tracks

From the diagram above we can see that among the mains themes or tracks of the conference are the following


E-learning


Education/Training Systems, Methodologies and Technologies


Educational Informatics: Applications of Information and Communication Technologies in Education


Applications of Information and Communication Technologies in Training


Training in Information and Communication Technologies


Education of Information and Communication Technologies


Education for Trainers and Trainees


Educational Training
Organizational, Reviewing, and Selection of Best Papers Policies

Technical Keynote Speakers
Technical keynote speakers will be selected from early submissions because this selection requires an additional evaluation according to the quality of the paper, assessed by its reviewers, the authors' CV and the paper's topic.

Reviewing Process
All Submitted papers/abstracts will go through three reviewing processes: (1) double-blind (at least three reviewers), (2) non-blind, and (3) participative peer reviews. These three kinds of review will support the selection process of those papers/abstracts that will be accepted for their presentation at the conference, as well as those to be selected for their publication in JSCI Journal. Details regarding this subject can be found at http://www.iiis.org/iiis/MMRPfMDC.asp Details regarding the Acceptance Policy can be found at http://www.iiis.org/iiis/acceptancepolicy.asp.

Authors of accepted papers who registered in the conference can have access to the evaluations and possible feedback provided by the reviewers who recommended the acceptance of their papers/abstracts, so they can accordingly improve the final version of their papers. Non-registered authors will not have access to the reviews of their respective submissions.

Virtual Participation
Submissions for Face-to-Face or for Virtual Participation are both accepted. Both kinds of submissions will have the same reviewing process and the accepted papers will be included in the same proceedings.

Pre-Conference and Post-conference Virtual sessions (via electronic forums) will be held for each session included in the conference program, so that sessions papers can be read before the conference, and authors presenting at the same session can interact during one week before and after the conference. Authors can also participate in peer-to-peer reviewing in virtual sessions.

Invited Sessions Organizers
Registration fees of an effective invited session organizers will be waived according to the policy described in the web page (click on 'Invited Session', then on 'Benefits for the Organizers of Invited Sessions'), where you can get information about the ten benefits for an invited session organizer. To propose the organization of an Invited Session, please visit the conference web site.

Best Papers
Authors of the best 10%-20% of the papers presented at the conference (included those virtually presented) will be invited to adapt their papers for their publication in the Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics.

One best paper of each session included in the program will be selected by the respective session’s co-chairs after consulting with the session’s audience. Invited Sessions organizers will select the best paper of the session they organized. If there is a tie in a given session, the paper that will be selected as the best session’s paper will be the one which have had the highest quantitative evaluations average according to its double-blind and non-blind reviews. The selection process of the best 10%-20% to be also published in the Journal, will be based on the sessions’ best papers and the quantitative evaluation average made by its anonymous and non-anonymous reviewers.