Key findings about learning form the launch content of a new open access journal dedicated to the science of learning.
The Queensland Brain Institute at The University of Queensland has published the first content for npj Science of Learning this week, in partnership with Nature Publishing Group.
Editor-in-chief, QBI Director Professor Pankaj Sah, said the journal positioned Queensland as a world-leader in evidence-based learning.
Neuroscience evidence to inform learning
“The merger of neuroscience with education has the same potential that the union of medical science had with biology in the health revolution of the last century,” Professor Sah said.
“These are exciting times for neuroscience—taking our understanding of the nuts and bolts of brain function all the way to the classroom.
“This open access journal is about trying to understand not only how we learn, but how we can learn better.”
The launch content on npj Science of Learning includes:
- Professor Sah’s editorial outlining the vision for the journal
- A review of the nature and role of relational thinking and reasoning in human learning and performance
- Researchers from Israel and Italy showing the link between taste and memories is dependent on the activity of protein “factories” in brain cells
- A team from the USA and China's finding that the absence of a single brain protein at critical times during learning can alter memory formation or persistence.
Open access format gives journal access to all readers
The open access format means all published articles are free to read, providing greater access for the wider community—from researchers to school teachers and from first to third world.
“It just doesn’t make sense for the most impacted people to be sidelined from the discussion, and we’re happy that by making our content open access, everybody can contribute and everybody can benefit,” Professor Sah said.
Professor Sah is also Director of the Australian Research Council’s Science of Learning Centre, an ARC-funded program hosted at UQ involving researchers from eight different universities across Australia.
Martin Delahunty, Global Director of Nature Partner Journals, said it was exciting to see the launch content of npj Science of Learning.
“What is so exciting about these new journals is that in addition to publishing research they can serve as centrepieces for generating dialogue,” Mr Delahunty said.
“By virtue of being open access, they will also serve as intersections for many disciplines and systems that are in themselves seeking collaboration.”
Nature Partner Journals Publisher, Dr Warren Raye, said npj Science of Learning was one of the first Nature Partner Journals to be conceived when the program was created two years ago.
“npj Science of Learning is a cutting-edge journal that is truly interdisciplinary, bringing together researchers in the education, neuroscience, and psychology spheres to understand how the brain learns,” Dr Raye said.
“We want to connect neuroscientists and psychologists with teachers and policymakers.”
npj Science of Learning can be accessed here. Content will be updated weekly.
