Computers in Education: Advances in Software Technology J.UCS Special Issue

We live in the information society. Consequently, computers are nowadays ubiquitous in every aspect of our lives. Computer applications are used in many central sectors of our society: health, bank, security, etc. Of course, education is not an exception, and it introduces unique technical, managerial and most importantly pedagogical issues. These unique features make computers and education a field of study on its own. This special issue features nine extended papers selected from the Proceedings of the X Symposium on Computers in Education (SIIE 2008) [Velázquez-Iturbide, 08]. SIIE already exhibits a long tradition and acknowledged prestige in Latin America. It also has a tradition of publishing selected papers In the last edition, 69 papers were accepted, resulting in an acceptance rate of 42%. The variety of educational software is very rich, as illustrated in this special issue. The nine articles included can be classified into three groups, namely e-learning and web-based educational software, user-centered educational software, and visualization tools. A first group of articles deal with e-learning and web-based educational software. e-Learning and its different blended-learning variants are nowadays ubiquitous, at least at the university level. These articles illustrate some of the most relevant issues in e-Learning. The first article, " Innovation and Quality in e-Learning: a European Perspective " , is authored by Dondi and is a general, comprehensive discussion on quality in e-learning. It is a common trend to think of e-learning as a monolithic technological and social model of learning. The author calls the attention to the diversity of sectors, roles and visions where e-learning takes place. Each of these dimensions has unique characteristics and values that influence expectations and ultimately quality criteria. The article elaborates this framework and gives recommendations to organizations involved in e-learning. The article by Díaz et al. is titled " A Meta-modeling based Approach for the Multidisciplinary Design of Web-based Educational Systems " .