Editorial

One of the things that makes ALT-J distinctive is its diverse readership. There are people
who consider themselves to be practitioners pure and simple; others who only research this
area; a fair number who do both.

Because of this, there is a tension between timeliness and the need for deliberation in the
articles that are printed. ALT-N already provides a forum for articles where timeliness is the
greatest priority; ALT-J, therefore, must concentrate on articles where the emphasis is on
identifying the wider context, providing considered debate or giving longer-term analyses.
However, in a field as fast-moving as learning technology, there always remains the need to
ensure that current issues are addressed.

Fortunately, the submissions for this issue have provided a good mix of timely discussion
and consideration of long-term concerns. We have, for example, Plewes and Issroff's review
paper, which will be particularly relevant to the UK-based projects soon to be funded
under the JISC's Exchange for Learning call; Pearson and Koppi's analysis of inclusion
and accessibility online, which is particularly timely for UK universities facing changes to
the Disability Discrimination Act; and Waycott's article on the use of the increasingly
popular Personal Digital Assistants.

At the same time, we have articles which address longstanding areas of concern, such as
Singh and Dron's study of cross-cultural interaction, or Holt et al.'s questioning of
assumptions about the benefits of online learning. Alsop and Tompsett offer a piece that is
as much about methodology as about findings. It is to be hoped that their concern for
methodology will prompt other researchers in this area to adopt a similarly thoughtful and
honest approach.

This leads well into mention of an aspiration for future issues. ALT-TS diversity is
important to maintain, but as noted earlier, not at the expense of scholarship. Indeed, this
is an area that we are actively seeking to develop. To achieve this, we have begun to tighten

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ALT-J Volume 10 Number 2

up the submission and review process. In future, our handling of submissions should be
smoother and swifter; at the same time, reviews of papers will become more focused. All
authors will be expected to locate their paper within a wider research context, and a more
consistent format will be adopted for articles, giving more importance to discussion of
methodology and the paper's structure.

Finally, readers will notice that our 'experiment' from the last issue is featured again here.
The feedback we have received has been universally positive, so we are planning to
continue these discussions as a regular part of the journal. This issue sees Gwyneth
Hughes replying to Gunn, French, MacLeod, McSporran and Conole's article on gender
issues. We hope, that this is merely the start of the debate - on this topic, and on the others
that we plan to feature.

Martin Oliver
Deputy Editor

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