Educational systems worldwide are facing an enormous shift as a result of sociocultural, political, economic, and technological changes. The technologies and practices that have developed over the last decade have been heralded as opportunities to transform both online and traditional education systems. While proponents of these new ideas often postulate that they have the potential to address the educational problems facing both students and institutions and that they could provide an opportunity to rethink the ways that education is organized and enacted, there is little evidence of emerging technologies and practices in use in online education. Because researchers and practitioners interested in these possibilities often reside in various disciplines and academic departments the sharing and dissemination of their work across often rigid boundaries is a formidable task. Contributors to Emergence and Innovation in Digital Learning include individuals who are shaping the future of online learning with their innovative applications and investigations on the impact of issues such as openness, analytics, MOOCs, and social media. Building on work first published in Emerging Technologies in Distance Education, the contributors to this collection harness the dispersed knowledge in online education to provide a one-stop locale for work on emergent approaches in the field. Their conclusions will influence the adoption and success of these approaches to education and will enable researchers and practitioners to conceptualize, critique, and enhance their understanding of the foundations and applications of new technologies.

Deryn Watson and Jane Andersen Editors INTRODUCTION The role of a Preface is to introduce the nature of the publication. The book that emerges from an IFIP Technical Committee World Conference on Computers in Education is complex, and this complexity lies in the nature of the event from which it emerges. Unlike a number of other major international conferences, those organised within the IFIP education community are active events. A WCCE is unique among major international conferences for the structure that deliberately ensures that all attendees are active participants in the development of the debate. In addition to the major paper presentations and discussion, from international authors, there are panel sessions and professional working groups who debate particular themes throughout the event. There is no doubt that this was not a dry academic conference - teachers, lecturers and experts, policy makers and researchers, leamers and manufacturers mingled and worked together to explore, reflect, discuss and plan for the future. The added value of this event was that we know that it will have an impact on future practice; networks will be formed, both virtual and real -ideas will change and new ones will emerge. Capturing the essence of this event is a challenge - this post-conference book has three parts. The first is the substantial number of theme papers.