Collaborative Research: Shaping the Future of Science through the Science of Learning

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The proposed workshop will bring together awardees of the NSF Science of Learning Program. It seeks to capitalize on NSF investments in the Science of Learning to build community among diverse interdisciplinary researchers studying learning, and to build capacity so that investigators can readily reconfigure and mobilize collaborations to capture new opportunities offered by NSF priority areas. As examples, how technology impacts the way we learn and work, as well as how we might harness Big Data to gain greater insight into real-world learning are areas of relevance to the NSF's 10 Big Ideas (https://www.nsf.gov/about/congress/reports/nsf_big_ideas.pdf). This gathering will include researchers from several disciplines under one large umbrella, including neuroscience, cognitive, behavioral and social sciences, computer and information sciences, engineering and education. The proposed effort is needed as there is currently no professional society meeting to support this interdisciplinary Science of Learning community of investigators and their trainees. The gathering seeks to foster information exchange and resource sharing, and to build trust among community members for successful interdisciplinary research. The workshop format will include small group discussions on topics that include new insights and methodologies that offer opportunities to make transformative advances in fundamental knowledge about learning over the lifespan, and intersections in interdisciplinary research that offer opportunities for convergence research in support of NSF's Big Ideas. In this way, the workshop will leverage the group's collective interdisciplinary intelligence for "Big Idea" problem-solving and the unique opportunity to work on problems that are larger than any taken on by individual laboratories. A survey of the research and other needs of the Science of Learning community will be conducted. The diverse disciplinary representation of the participants and the requirement to communicate and discuss science across a broad audience will have broader impacts in building an active and vibrant community capable of addressing complex societal problems through collaborative efforts. In addition, and as part of the workshop, plans will be developed to promote better communication of research findings to educational practitioners, policy makers, and the public. This will help to bridge the gap in understanding between basic research findings and their relevance to social challenges.