Editorial

This issue of ALT-J is dedicated to Professor David Squires, the previous editor of ALT-J,
who died tragically in August 2001. A previous editorial of this journal paid tribute to
David's work and provided a review of some of his research interests (Conole, 2001). The
seven articles in this issue are from friends and colleagues who worked with David over the
years. Some worked with David for only a relatively short time; others are lifelong friends.
The authors represent internationally recognized experts in their field and come from all
corners of the earth. This in itself is a testament to David's significant contribution to
learning technology research. The authors have submitted papers which in some way align
with David's own research work or report on joint work done by the authors in partnership
with him.

The issue begins with a review by Conole of the current status of learning technology,
which benchmarks current developments against the visionary concept of a Peripatetic
Electronic Teacher outlined by Squires only a few years ago (Squires, 1999) and discusses
the extent to which this vision has been realized. This article attempts to provide a
taxonomy for learning technology and outlines current areas of research activity. The
remaining articles in this issue provide an excellent sample of work across these areas and
form a valuable snapshot of the current status of learning technology research.

Adaptive hypermedia is an area of increasing research interest and importance. The article
by Ng, Hall et al. reports on the application and evaluation of adaptive hypermedia
techniques, whilst Kemp, Davis et al. report on an evaluation of the shift from classroom
tutor to hypertext adviser.

Developing engaging and interactive learning materials, particularly ones that provide
interactive and authentic learning opportunities, is a major area of activity. A particular
subset of this is the development and use of models and simulations in teaching and
learning. Riley reports on a pioneering initiative - the Computers in the Curriculum

2



ALT-J Volume 10 Number 3

Project - for which David Squires was Director of Science in the 1980s, as well as more
recent developments in systems modelling within geographic and business education.

Student assessment and evaluation are major areas of concern as we attempt to
understand the benefits and impact of Information and Communication Technologies
(ICT) in education and distil examples of good practice. Macht and Preece in their paper
consider the issue of how accurately instructors judge students' attitudes online.

Finally, the remaining two papers consider aspects of associated student support
mechanisms and the learning environment. McDougal reports on the development of
technology-supported environments for learning through cognitive conflict, whilst
Jameson reports on work that she did with David Squires looking at graduate supervisors
as advanced expert coaches.

To conclude, we hope you feel, as we do, that this issue acts by way of a celebration of
David's work to form a special tribute to him and his family.

Gráinne Conole
Editor

References

Conole, G. (2001), 'Editorial - A tribute to David Squires', ALT-J, 9 (3), 2-4.

Squires, D. (1999), 'Peripatetic electronic teachers in higher education', ALT-J, 7 (3), 52-63.

3