Promoting Next-generation Learning Environments Through Cgscholar

Virtual learning environments are crucial portals for students to take full advantage of the educational process, especially as we have seen a rise in the use of such environments due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A next-generation virtual learning environment, called Common Ground Scholar (CGScholar), has been researched, developed, and employed in different scenarios, countries, and domains. Promoting Next-Generation Learning Environments Through CGScholar provides first-hand experience on how this innovative social network-like learning environment has changed the way students interact with their teachers, the content, and their peers. It outlines all conceptual and philosophical underpinnings that have enabled the realization of a next-generation virtual learning environment that assists educators and learners. Covering topics such as community-based peer review process, medical education, and collaborative affordance, this premier reference source is an essential resource for educators and administrators of both K-12 and higher education, pre-service teachers, teacher educators, librarians, government officials, researchers, and academicians.

Matthew Montebello is an associate professor at the Department of Artificial Intelligence at the Faculty of ICT, University of Malta and an adjunct professor at the College of Education at the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign. Before joining the University in 1999 with a PhD in Computer Science he was already heavily involved in Education in secondary schools after graduating in 1990 at the University of Malta B.Ed.(Hons) degree. Having obtained an extensive teaching experience and having been involved with the introduction of computer labs through the Ministry of Education, he proceeded to switch to the Computer Science domain when he pursued his post-graduate studies obtaining a Masters and a Doctorate at the Cardiff University in Wales in 1996 and 1998 respectively. Furthermore in 2009 and 2016 he also completed an M.A. and an Ed.D. (Higher Education) specialising in the application of Artificial Intelligence to e-learning. In 2017-18 he was offered a visiting academic status at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign where he collaborated with the Computer Science department and College of Education on numerous projects and research initiatives. In May 2018 he was appointed Adjunct Professor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. His last two monographs focussed on the application of AI to Higher Education as he presented research on the next e-Learning generation and Ambient Intelligent classrooms of the future respectively.