Making “Research in Learning Technology” Open Access Seb Schmoller Chief Executive The Association for Learning Technology (ALT) 21/9/

? About ALT Our journal – Research in Learning Technology Getting from A to B (to C) Managing the transition Reflections

About ALT – Learning Technology 1/3 “Learning technology is the broad range of communication, information and related technologies that can be used to support learning, teaching, and assessment.” “Learning technologists are people who are actively involved in managing, researching, supporting or enabling learning with the use of learning technology.”

About ALT – some numbers 2/3 18 years old 225 organisational and sponsoring members - stable 900 individual members – growing rapidly (432 in 2007) £0.45m turnover -£160k staffing - ~4 staff -£ 40k journal -£200k conference -£ 50k overheads (all figures approximate)

About ALT - activities 3/3 ALT’s charitable Object: "to advance education through increasing, exploring and disseminating knowledge in the field of learning technology for the benefit of the general public" Policy consultation responses Workshops and conferences Projects – bid for and commissioned Professional accreditation scheme for learning technologists Publications – Fortnightly ed Digest; Quarterly edited ALT News Online; the journal Research in Learning Technology

Research in Learning Technology Research in Learning Technology “aims to raise the profile of research in learning technology, encouraging research that informs good practice and contributes to the development of policy. The journal publishes papers concerning the use of technology in learning and teaching in all sectors of education, as well as in industry”. 3 Issues/year, intending to grow to institutional subscriptions – print and online (225 ALT member organisations) 700 individual print-based but not online subs By agreement with the publisher – back numbers > 18 months old hosted in our Open Access Repository

Where art thou, Routledge?

Getting from A to B (to C) 1/3 A – bobbling along a conventionally published journal with a publishing agreement that has run for 5 years and been extended for 12 months twice journal available in print to individual members and online and in print to organisational members and to other “library” subscribers three issues per year and no impact factor negligible royalty income B – transition to Open Access achieved market tested publishing contract negotiated sustainable business model defined systems changes successfully made good flow of copy C – growth in esteem, readership, submissions, citations, and overall influence and utility

Getting from A to B - timeline 2/3 Talk to current publisher Write and issue RFP Receive and judge proposals Give notice to current publisher Contract negotiations Catch up with the other parts of your job! Obtain transfer information from current publisher Systems and procedures shifts of various kinds Q3Q4 2010Q1 2011Q2Q3Q4 Decision announcedSwitch Ideal period Actual period

Getting from A to B – points to note 3/3 Request for Proposals Demanding and unfamiliar process (for the society if not for the publisher..) Responses are challenging to judge Contract negotiation People Journal tendering for societies: a brief guide – available from Request for Proposals and Scoring Template – available from

Managing the transition “Dry run” Scholar One to OJS Web site configuration Membership fees and entitlements Print distribution Metrics Writing it up for others

Some (mainly obvious) reflections Talk pays Generalisation is bad Culture, calibre and commitment Disruption is inevitable The snake oil problem Small is …..

One month of openness Anticipating the future

We are about to get to B! But our objective is C “growth in esteem, readership, submissions, citations, and overall influence and utility” To those here - thank you for listening To many others (mostly not here) - thank you for your comments and advice over the last 15 months In conclusion