Organization: Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT)
Location: Remote / Freelance Independent Contractor
Type: Freelance Independent Contractor, Three (3) Year Term (Renewable)
Start Date: January 1, 2027
Application Deadline: August 31, 2026, EOD
The Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is seeking candidates for the position of Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Formative Design in Learning (JFDL), one of AECT's specialized journals and a unique peer-reviewed publication dedicated to the exploration and implementation of formative design in teaching and learning. This freelance independent contractor position is a three (3) year term, renewable upon recommendation by the AECT Center of Excellence for Publishing Advisory Board to AECT leadership (Executive Director and Board of Directors).
AECT is seeking candidates with (1) strong academic publishing experience, (2) a demonstrated ability to grow and develop an emerging journal, and (3) international reputations and networks. The Editor-in-Chief will serve as a contracted international academic ambassador for JFDL as an important part of the publishing ecosystem and will be expected to actively expand the journal's reach, submission volume, and scholarly visibility.
Journal at a Glance: 2.0 Journal Impact Factor (2025) | 1.7 5-Year Impact Factor (2025) | 43.9k Annual Downloads (2025)
The Journal of Formative Design in Learning is an official AECT specialized journal, published biannually by Springer Nature, focused on the exploration of formative design in teaching and learning — the deliberate and iterative process of creating educational experiences that are continuously shaped and improved by feedback and evidence gathered during the design and implementation stages.
JFDL serves a broad international audience of educational designers, researchers, teachers, instructors, and reflective practitioners in K-12, higher education, and professional training contexts. A distinctive feature of the journal is its formative peer-review process, specifically designed to support and mentor less experienced authors through submission, review, and publication, nurturing the next generation of scholars in the learning sciences. The journal is indexed in Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Google Scholar, ProQuest, EBSCO, Dimensions, Scopus-eligible databases, and many other major repositories.
Reporting to AECT leadership (Executive Director and Board of Directors), the Editor-in-Chief is responsible for the overall content and health of the journal, including soliciting and selecting manuscripts; editing or supervising the editing of manuscripts; developing, adding, or removing standard features such as columns and departments; securing, appointing, supervising, and terminating contract workers and volunteers; directing and approving the layout and design of the journal; managing the peer-review process; completing the annual end-of-year report; addressing the submission volume and fiscal health of the journal; and other responsibilities consistent with the position or assigned by the AECT Leadership.
The new Editor-in-Chief will assume the role on January 1, 2027. It is hoped that the incoming Editor-in-Chief will attend the journal's Editorial Board meeting at the 2026 AECT Convention in Chicago (November 3–7, 2026) and begin assisting with editorial responsibilities between November and December 2026 to ease the transition.
As a specialized and still-developing journal, JFDL is at a pivotal stage in its evolution. AECT and Springer Nature have agreed that JFDL's momentum needs to be maintained and strengthened by ensuring minimum annual publication targets and the requirement to produce at least one special issue per volume year. Candidates should understand that this is a growth-oriented role, and the incoming Editor-in-Chief will be expected to:
- Actively grow the submission pipeline through targeted outreach, conference presence, calls for papers, and engagement with AECT divisions, international affiliates, and scholarly networks
- Meet or exceed minimum annual publication counts as defined by the AECT–Springer publishing agreement, and will be reflected in their hiring MOU
- Plan and execute at least one special issue per year, in coordination with AECT leadership and Springer—including identifying guest editors, developing themed calls for papers, and managing timelines
- Develop strategies to expand the journal's international reach, indexing footprint, and citation impact over the term
- Build and cultivate a strong reviewer pool to support timely and high-quality peer review as submission volume grows
- Report annually on submission trends, acceptance rates, and growth trajectory to AECT leadership and Springer
Candidates are strongly encouraged to describe in their Cover Letter how they plan to address this dimension of the role.
Manuscript Processing
- Receives all submissions to JFDL and determines whether they are: (1) suitable for review, (2) rejected without review, (3) returned for revision prior to review, or (4) more appropriate for another AECT/Springer publication
- Oversees development and review of all submitted manuscripts
- Manages the full review workflow, including article revisions and final publication decisions
- Maintains timely communication with authors, reviewers, Springer, and AECT leadership
- Responds to inquiries from authors and reviewers
- Identifies and recruits qualified reviewers; removes retired or non-performing reviewers
- Reports to the AECT Executive Leadership and Board of Directors
Journal Leadership and Growth
- Collaborates with the Editorial Board, AECT Leadership, and Springer representatives in planning future issues and the mandatory annual special issue
- Leads the Editorial Team in accepting and rejecting manuscripts based on established standards of quality and readership suitability
- Manages the appointment and rotation of Editorial Board members and Consulting Reviewers, and notifies AECT Leadership and Springer of outcomes
- Develops and executes a proactive submission growth strategy, including calls for papers, author recruitment campaigns, writer workshops, and outreach at conferences
- Uses professional networks to advocate for JFDL and AECT's publishing initiatives (e.g., Publishing Summit) among interested scholars
- Coordinates JFDL sessions and writer workshops at AECT events (e.g., AECT Convention and AECT International Publishing Summit)
- Monitors and reports on key journal health metrics (submissions, acceptance rates, download trends, citation growth) to AECT Leadership and Springer, as required by the publishing agreement
- Conducts an annual reflective review of journal content and submits a report to AECT Leadership prior to the end of the first month of the following volume year
- Every third year, leads a review of editorial policies and provides a summary report to AECT Leadership
- Doctoral degree in Instructional/Learning Design, Educational Technology, Educational Research, Educational Psychology, or equivalent
- Established international professional and/or scholarly network across colleges, universities, businesses, nonprofits, or similar organizations
- Record of publication in JFDL or similar peer-reviewed journals focused on Design-Based Research, Formative approaches to design for learning, Learning Sciences, Educational Technology, or Instructional/Learning Design
- Demonstrated commitment to supporting emerging scholars and early-career researchers
- Active AECT membership (membership may be initiated if not already in place)
- Willingness to commit to attending the Annual AECT Convention (when funding is available), the International Publishing Summit, and AECT online meetings, and demonstrated overall commitment to AECT as an organization
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Citizen or Permanent Resident authorized to work in the United States to accept a 1099-NEC form for tax filing purposes. This position is NOT eligible for a visa sponsorship.
- Demonstrated experience growing a journal's submission volume, reach, or impact metrics
- Prior service on the JFDL Editorial Board or Consulting Reviewers panel
- Prior experience as an Editor, Guest Editor, or Editor-in-Chief of an academic journal
- Experience organizing special issues, writer workshops, or similar author development initiatives
- Process development and management skills
- Detail-oriented and highly organized
- Enthusiastic, action-oriented leadership style with demonstrated team-building skills
Applications must be submitted by August 31, 2026, EOD via the AECT application portal: https://form.jotform.com/AECT/jfdl-application-form
Please submit the following documents as PDFs:
- Cover Letter (one page): Indicating your interest in the position, outlining your vision and special initiatives for JFDL, and describing your strategy for growing the journal's submissions, reach, and publication output
- Curriculum Vitae (two pages maximum): Including a link to your professional website or profile, if applicable
- Letter of Institutional Support: From your Department Chair, Dean, or equivalent supervisor
The Search Committee will review all applications and interview candidates throughout August and September, and issue its recommendation in October 2026. The newly selected JFDL Editor-in-Chief will begin their duty on January 1, 2027. The recommended candidate will be ratified by the AECT Center of Excellence in Publishing Advisory Board and the AECT Board of Directors.
Questions about the position may be directed to the most recent former Editor-in-Chief for JFDL, Dr. Michele Garabedian Stork, Program Coordinator/Professor, Department of Teacher Education and Learning Sciences, Florida Gulf Coast University.
Inquiries about the search process must be directed to the AECT Headquarters Staff at aect@aect.org.