HL'04
Special Track on "Hybrid Learning"

This one-day special track, which takes place during I-KNOW '04 in Graz - Austria, provides an interdisciplinary forum for international scientists and practitioners to discuss hybrid learning efforts.

BACKGROUND
Hybrid learning describes learning or training activities where traditional forms of training such as "class room" training are combined with eLearning supplements. There are many ways of combining these two principles of teaching and for every situation the right composition has to be found. Also the integration of hybrid learning into organizational settings poses challenges.

A mix of traditional teaching and eLearning has a lot of promising advantages compared to pure eLearning or pure traditional teaching. For example, one serious problem of eLearning is the loss of learners' motivation. Through recurrent classroom meetings the trainers can better build up relationships with their trainees and are thus able to support them better during their eLearning sessions. Traditional teaching in turn cannot offer the flexibility of eLearning. If the trainees are distributed among many different locations, the number of physical meetings can signifficantly be reduced with the help of additional eLearning units. If existing learning materials have to be used or traditional methods of organisational education have to be applied, hybrid learning can also be the better choice. It can also be applied if there are topics in a syllabus of an organisational education plan that are practically impossible to be taught with electronic means like for instance how to apply social skills, how to carry on negotiations or soft skills.

Some hybrid learning concepts have been suggested and initial experiences have been made. However, many recent approaches neglect the organizational setting in which they are to be employed. As with other corporate development initiatives, hybrid learning has to be well integrated within the organization, acknowledging its strategic objectives, social and organisational conditions and other general circumstances.

This special track seeks answers to the following questions:

How can hybrid learning be optimaly integrated into specific organizational conditions? How can it be implemented? Which IT infrastructure is needed for hybrid learning and how can it be selected? How can one assess to wich degree a learning course should consist of traditional and eLearning modules? What are requirements eLearning systems have to meet to support hybrid learning? Wich standards do exist for hybrid learning?

GOALS
This special track aims to answer the questions above. It brings together international researchers as well as practitioners to enable the exchange of current research concerning hybrid learning initiatives. The special track allows for networking among attendees to establish focussed, international relationships.

TOPICS OF THE SPECIAL TRACK:
The special track seeks contributions that discuss expectations and requirements, introduce new concepts or approaches, suggest software architectures or present case studies and experiences concerning issues of hybrid learning.

Topics may include, but are not limited to:

• Collaborative/distributive teaching and learning
• Evaluation of hybrid learning initiatives<./li>
• Selecting appropriate Learning Management Software
• Using standards for eLearning supplements
• Testing and assessing within hybrid learning
• Managing learners and learning resources
• Optimally balancing online learning, seminar based learning, electronic resources, collaboration of learners and other forms of communicating learning content
• Influences of organisational environments
• Supporting Initiation and maintenance of learner motivation and acceptance
• Influences of and integration into organisational settings
• The role of Hybrid learning in human ressource mangement, compentence management, knowledge management or organisational learning
• Effects of hybrid learning within the organization
• Structured procedures for implementing hybrid learning

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:
Authors are encouraged to refer to the identified topics of this special track in their contributions.

Please prepare your submission according to the J.UCS author guidelines available at http://www.jucs.org/jucs_submit/style_guide.html. All submissions, regardless of category, should include title, author(s), abstract, keywords, body, and references.
Submissions are to be made electronically in PDF (Adobe's Portable Document Format) or MS Word. Submissions are treated as confidential communications during the review process, so submission does not constitute public disclosure of any ideas therein. Submissions should contain no information or materials that will be proprietary or confidential at the time of publication, and should cite no publications that are proprietary or confidential at the time of publication.

SUBMISSION PROCEDURE:
Please submit your contribution via http://www.i-know.at/submission. In case of problems or questions concerning the submission of papers, please contact the track organizer Herbert Pacnik at hpacnik@know-center.at.

Important Dates
January 26th, 2004 - Submission of papers (4 pages)
March 22nd, 2004 - Notification of acceptance
April 26th, 2004 - Camera ready paper (8 pages)
June 30th - July 2nd, 2004 - The special track takes place during I-Know '04 Publication

Accepted papers will be published within the I-Know'04 conference proceedings in cooperation with J.UCS and Springer Co. Pub. In addition to that, special track presenters have the possibility to publish an extended version of their paper (up to 20 pages) in a special issue of J.UCS to appear after the conference.

PROGRAM COMMITTEE (not yet closed):
Dietrich Albert, University of Graz, Austria
Eva Heinrich, Massey University, New Zealand
Andreas Holzinger, University of Graz, Austria
Kohtaro Kamizono, Nagasaki University, Japan
Armin Kreuzthaler, Magna Steyr, Austria (requested)
Thomas Pitner, Masaryk University Brno, Czech Republic
Maja Pivec, FH Joanneum, Austria

Gabi Reinmann Rothmeier, Uni Augsburg, Germany
Cathie Sherwood, Griffith University, Australia (requested)

Doru Ursutiu, University Transilvania Brasov, Romania
Vincent Wade, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland