Founded in 1989, The Learner Research Network emerged from a commitment to understanding learning “in all its sites, formal and informal, and at all levels”—from early childhood to adult, community, and workplace education. From its beginnings in Sydney, with a focus on literacy and genre, the Network has expanded to encompass multiliteracies and “new learning” in changing social, cultural, and technological conditions. Over time, it has become a global forum where researchers, practitioners, and policymakers explore how pedagogy shapes transformation, how curriculum organizes knowledge, and how institutions and policies enable or constrain the possibilities of learning.
The International Conference on Learning is hosted each year with a leading institution. Recent editions include Utrecht University (Netherlands, 2024) and the University of Granada (Spain, 2025), continuing a global itinerary that has also included partners such as the University of Barcelona, the Hong Kong Institute of Education, the University of Mauritius, the Institute of Education at the University of London, the University of the Aegean (Rhodes), Touro College (New York), the University of British Columbia, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and Queen’s University Belfast. Each gathering sets a Special Focus that links research and practice in contemporary learning—addressing questions of equity, digital transformation, assessment, leadership, and teacher development. Proposals and presentations are welcomed in both English and Spanish.
The Learner Journal Collection research across pedagogy, curriculum, assessment, literacies, higher education, technologies in learning, and more. It includes titles such as The International Journal of Learner Diversity and Identities, The International Journal of Adult, Community, and Professional Learning, The International Journal of Assessment and Evaluation, The International Journal of Early Childhood Learning, The International Journal of Educational Organization and Leadership, The International Journal of Learning in Higher Education, The International Journal of Literacies, The International Journal of Pedagogy and Curriculum, The International Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Learning, and The International Journal of Technologies in Learning. The journals publish peer-reviewed, hybrid open access work that investigates learning in classrooms, institutions, communities, and workplaces, drawing on diverse methodologies and theoretical traditions. All submissions undergo double-anonymous, rubric-guided peer review with constructive editorial feedback, and the Collection provides clear pathways from conference presentations and Member Knowledge Community contributions to fully developed, peer-reviewed publications.
The Learner Book Imprint publishes monographs and edited collections that translate learning research into frameworks for teaching, curriculum design, assessment practice, institutional development, and policy innovation. Volumes connect theory and practice across sectors—from early childhood and K–12 to higher education, vocational learning, and professional development. The imprint follows an inclusive, quality-driven acquisitions approach, welcomes both broad and highly specialized topics, and offers open access pathways to increase the reach and impact of authors’ work.
The Learner Research Network’s Member Knowledge Community on CGScholar is a year-round hub for members—keeping profiles, projects, and conversations in motion. Built for collaboration, it offers a multimodal authoring environment with light, community-guided review to strengthen clarity, purpose, and reader context before sharing. Works in progress sit alongside programs, recordings, and calls, connecting conference presentations with our journals and book imprint, and opening structured pathways for ongoing participation and publication across curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, equity, leadership, and teacher development. A dedicated Spanish-language community, supported by the Network’s Spanish Chair, enables members to post, review, and publish entirely in Spanish.
The Network is chaired by Professors William (Bill) Cope and Mary Kalantzis, leading voices in pedagogy, literacy, and learning design whose work links equity-centered practice with evidence and digital innovation—foundational to the Network’s mission. Spanish-language Chair: Professor José Luis Ortega Martín (University of Granada, Spain), whose focus on bilingual education, teacher development, and assessment extends the Network’s programs across Spanish-speaking communities.
College of Education, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, United States
College of Education, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, United States
University of Granada, Granada, Spain
Partnerships extend the Network’s scholar-led mission—linking universities, research institutes, and community organizations committed to improving learning. Recent and past collaborators include:
Athens, Greece
Patras, Greece
Valencia, Spain
Valencia, Spain
Granada, Spain
São Paulo, Brazil
Kraków, Poland
Utrecht, Netherlands
Hong Kong