The Journal of Student Centered Learning

Encouraging college and university faculty in the search for ways to achieve a focus on learning that is student centered versus teacher centered.

• About the Journal
• Order the Journal
• Guidelines for Authors
• The Review Process
• Manuscript submission and Formatting requirements
• Length and Content
• Proofs and Reprints

About The Journal of Student Centered Learning

Among the challenges facing higher education today are maintaining high-quality instructional programs and competent, effective instructional personnel when declining enrollments and possible retrenchment result from eroding state and national funding.

The Journal of Student Centered Learning, published three times each year, serves as a medium for the exchange of information and ideas that will address these and other pressing issues in higher education. In this complex world, creative classroom instruction centered on students is essential at all levels.

Teachers who embrace student centered learning (SCL) encourage students to:

• take responsibility for their own learning,
• involve students directly in the discovery of knowledge,
• use materials that challenge students to use their prior knowledge to create new and deeper understandings of concepts,
• embrace the concept that learning is enhanced through social activities such as cooperative learning, problem based learning, etc.,
• use school, work, home, and community as resources for collaborative learning,
• involve all constituents in contributing to student learning (faculty, students, staff, alumni, employers, family, and others),
• use activities beyond the classroom to enhance the learning experience.

Specific learning approaches that have strong student centered components are Cooperative Learning, Collaborative Learning, Learning Communities, Problem Based Learning, Project Based Learning, Service Learning, Case Method, peer based learning, paired or grouped courses, adult learning, experiential learning, Constructivist learning, to name a few.

Guidelines for Authors

The Journal of Student Centered Learning is a resource for the exchange of both practical and theoretical information regarding the planning, design, implementation, and assessment of practices and programs that enhance college teaching and learning through student centered learning.

The Journal publishes researched articles and descriptions of exemplary practice related to improved college teaching, technology, development and assessment. Although oriented primarily to the interests of the practitioner, the Journal invites theoretical studies as well as summaries of research that have practical implications for faculty in colleges and universities. The Journal also publishs information about resource development and personnel practices that facilitate and support better student centered learning.

Specific topics or issues the editorial board seeks to address in the Journal include: Cooperative Learning, Collaborative Learning, Learning Communities, Problem Based Learning, Project Based Learning, Service Learning, Case Method, peer based learning, paired or grouped courses, adult learning, experiential learning, Constructivist learning, and other related ideas.

Manuscripts will be acknowledged upon receipt. Normally, following an initial review by the Editor, manuscripts will be sent to three members of the Editorial Board. Manuscripts which include statistical studies or research models receive additional review by a Research Editor.

At the present time, the Journal is not accepting reviews of educational materials, interviews or dialogues, articles promoting a commercial service or product, descriptions of programs or projects not yet implemented, or articles extremely technical in nature.

• Submit the article in MS Word format via email to the publisher, at submissions@newforums.com.
• Include an abstract of the manuscript not to exceed 50 words.
• Double-space the entire manuscript, including references, quotations, tables, and figures.
• Leave generous margins (an inch all around) on each page.
• Use headings and subheadings to divide the manuscript into meaningful sections.. Type major headings centered and type lesser headings flush with the left margin.
• Number all pages consecutively. Do not place your name on any of these pages.
• Type references in alphabetical order by the author's last name. Complete references must be cited in the style specified by the latest edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition. References should be cited in the text using author's last name and year of publication (Doe, 1998), etc., as outlined in the APA Publication Manual.
• Place your name, title, complete address, institution, telephone number, and email address on a cover page only, so that the manuscript can be reviewed anonymously. Please remove from the body of the manuscript and the citation list all references to specific individuals and institutions.
• Do not submit material that has been published previously or that is under consideration for publication elsewhere.
• Authors bear full responsibility for the proper crediting of sources used in the manuscript and for the accuracy of references, quotations, tables, and figures.
• Table: should be done as TAB-DELIMITED text only; save each table as a SEPARATE FILE, clearly named (i.e., "Table 1," "Table 2," etc.). If you are using Microsoft Word, each table can be saved as a Word Table, but a SEPARATE FILE for each table is still necessary. Excel spreadsheets are also acceptable. DO NOT ADD GRIDLINES.
• Graphic Images, line art, illustrations, charts, should be submitted as SEPARATE FILES in TIFF or EPS format, with an optional resolution of 300 dpi; DO NOT EMBED THEM OR PLACE THEM AS IN-LINE GRAPHICS in the text of your manuscript. PowerPoint graphics can not be used.

• Full length articles. Manuscripts should generally not exceed 3,500 words (approximately 14 pages of double-spaced typewritten copy including references, tables, and figures).
• Exemplary practice articles. Manuscripts should not exceed 2,000 words (approximately 8 pages of double-spaced typewritten copy including references, tables, and figures). These articles should report on or describe new and/or exemplary practices, programs, techniques, or policies and procedures.

If your submission is accepted for publication, page proofs will be sent to you for review and corrections. At this time, you will be offered the opportunity to order reprints of your article. Each author will receive a courtesy copy of the issue in which their article appears.