RUSC. Universities and Knowledge Society Journal
http://rusc.uoc.edu
CALL FOR PAPERS OPEN FOR RUSC’S SPECIAL SECTION ON
TRANSFORMING DIGITAL FUTURES:
LEADERSHIP AND INNOVATION FOR OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING
The RUSC. Universities and Knowledge Society Journal is an open-access e-journal jointly published
by the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC, Spain) and the University of New England (UNE,
Australia).
The 2013 results of the Scopus impact indices became available in the second semester of 2014: SJR
(SCImago Journal Rank) ( http://www.scimagojr.com/index.php) and SNIP (Source Normalized
Impact per Paper) (http://www.journalindicators.com). The journal has made considerable
progress in both indices. In 2013, it obtained an SJR of 0.268 (in 2012, it was 0.193) and a SNIP of
0.70 (in 2012, it was 0.20), thus making it a journal of reference in the field of university e-learning.
RUSC. Universities and Knowledge Society Journal ranks 544th out of 1,035 education-related
journals and proceedings listed in SJR – Scopus. In addition, it ranks 17th out of 73 e-learningrelated journals listed in SJR – Scopus.
Call for articles for the forthcoming special issue on
Transforming Digital Futures:
Leadership and Innovation for Open and Distance Learning
The accelerated development of advanced digital technologies is creating new opportunities and
challenges for open and distance learning leaders who must effectively navigate their institutions
and organizations within a highly competitive and rapidly changing market. Moreover, the field has
lacked a substantive body of literature on leadership for open and distance learning. Conversely,
despite a prolific body of research and practice on innovation, the conceptual basis has been
focused on innovation concepts being synonymous with technology rather than a broader
framework that builds a community of innovation across institutions, communities and ODL units
that encapsulate innovative thinking in policies, procedures, processes, partnerships, and leading
change. This special issue on leadership and innovation will focus on expanding the frameworks for
leadership and innovation for ODL and exploring how both can create synergistic strategies that
help ODL organizations thrive, not just survive, in the 21 st century.
Subject areas
We are interested in receiving research articles on the following topics covered by the special
section, corresponding to any sector of education and from anywhere in the world.
Specifically, the special section's subject areas are as follows:



Shared leadership models for ODL organizations, institutions and multinational
partnerships
Visionary leadership approaches for managing and leading institutional and organizational
change
Policy and planning for development of open distance education





Managing and developing the unique cultural dimensions of leadership in developing
countries, particularly in Latin and South America, Africa, and Asia
Application/realization of classical and contemporary theories of leadership and
management specific to open and distance learning
Institutional frameworks for creating ‘communities for innovation’ in tertiary institutions
in collaboration with schools, business, government and community agencies.
Re-conceptualizing a broader vision for innovation beyond technologies
Critical leadership skills, attributes, behaviours for the next generation of ODL leaders
Guest editors
Dr. Don Olcott, Jr., FRSA, is currently Professor of Leadership and ODL, and Co-Director of the
uImagine Digital Learning Innovation Laboratory at Charles Sturt University in Australia. He also
holds an appointment as Professor of Leadership and ODL at the University of Maryland University
College. Don has over thirty years of leadership, management and faculty experience in open and
distance learning, and ten years in the private sector. He was the 2013 recipient of the ICDE’s
Individual Prize of Excellence for his global leadership and contributions to open and distance
learning. Don was inducted in to the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) Hall of
Fame in 2014 and was made a Fellow of the European Distance and E-Learning Network (EDEN) in
2010. He is former president and chair of the board of the USDLA.
Professor Mpine Makoe, Head, Institute for Open Distance Learning (IODL) at the University
of South Africa (UNISA). Mpine is also the director of the African Council of Distance Education
(ACDE) and responsible for coordinating the continental distance education database. She holds a
PhD in Educational Technology and an MSc in Research Methods in Educational Technology from
the Open University, UK. She also has an MA in Journalism from the University of Michigan, a BA in
Communication and English (cum laude) from Hope College in Michigan, and a diploma in
journalism from the Africa Literature Centre in Zambia.
Lisa Marie Blaschke, Program Director and associate professor for the Master of Distance
Education and E-Learning at Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg in Germany. Lisa is also an elearning and communications consultant with over 20 years’ experience leading and implementing
enterprise-wide knowledge management and training solutions in corporate learning
environments. She has an MDE from the University of Maryland University College and a BS in
Technical Communication from the University of Minnesota. Lisa is an executive committee
member of the European Distance and E-Learning Network (EDEN), and an EDEN Fellow. She is a
member of the editorial board for the European Journal of Open, Distance, and E-Learning
(EURODL) and a peer reviewer for numerous distance learning publications, such as IRRODL, JOLT,
ALT-J, the South African Journal of Higher Education, and IGI Global.
Submission deadline
Articles should be submitted by 30 JUNE 2015
Articles will be published in Issue 13, Vol. 1 (January 2016)