ACM Transactions on Computing Education (TOCE, pronounced “tose”) publishes high quality, peer-reviewed research articles on all aspects of computing education of interest to computing education researchers, computing educators, instructional designers, school teachers, institution administrators, policy makers, and other stakeholders.

The topics covered by TOCE span all aspects of computing education at the individual, group, community, organizational, systems, and policy levels:

    Any age, from young children to the elderly;
    Any learning or teaching context, including primary, secondary, post-secondary, professional, and informal learning;
    Any content area of computing, from classic areas of CS, to historical foundations of computer science, computing and society, human-computer interaction and design, computer engineering, software engineering, information systems, information technology, informatics, data science, and integrations between computing and other computing-adjacent disciplines;
    Any aspect of computing education, including but not limited to: teaching, learning, literacy, identity, culture, community, policy, diversity, ethics, equity, inclusion, justice, reform, and advocacy;
    Any type of research contribution that advances learning and/or teaching about computing, including, but not limited to: novel empirical studies, theories, arguments, research methods, educational technologies, teaching methods, tools, curricula, and policies;
    Any epistemology, including but not limited to: positivist, post-positivist, as well as interpretivist, and critical theory;
    Any method, including but not limited to: quantitative methods, qualitative methods, design methods, historical methods, mixed methods of any combination, and novel arguments.

While the scope of TOCE is broad, there are some things the journal does not publish:

    The journal does not publish experience reports. To count as research, submissions are expected to 1) pose one or more research questions; 2) be thoroughly grounded in prior research literature; 3) articulate methods, approaches, and rationale for answering the questions; and 4) discuss implications for research.
        Note: the journal has very broad, epistemologically plural notion of research: all methods — quantitative, qualitative, argumentative, design, empirical, non-empirical, large samples, single cases, analyses and syntheses of prior research, and more — are considered research, as long as they have these required elements. Any paper that uses research methods, but does not pose a question, is not grounded in prior research literature, or does not discuss implications for research, will not be considered a research submission.
        Note: Research questions do not necessarily be labeled as research questions; it just needs to be evident what the question is, so we can assess what is being asked or investigated and how it relates to prior work.
    The journal does not publish on learning technologies, unless the technology is specifically about teaching and/or learning computing concepts, and reveals insights about teaching/and or learning computing. It is not enough for learners to be using computers to learn, or for learning to be set in a learning context about computing concepts. The work must reveal insights about teaching and/or learning computing in particular to be in scope.
    The journal publishes manuscripts about integrations between computing and other disciplines, but only if the submission reveals insights about the teaching and/or learning of computing. It is up to authors to make explicit how the paper concerns the teaching and/or learning of computing and what the submission discovers about this teaching or learning. For example, we welcome and encourage submissions about integrations in mathematics, science, social studies, language arts, the arts, and more, but submissions must teach us about teaching and/or learning computing in those contexts in some way, rather than strictly be about teaching and/or learning in those other subject areas.

If you're unsure whether your submission fits the scope above, the Editor-in-Chief is happy to provide guidance before you submit.

Special Issue on  Embodiment in Computing Education
Submission Date: 2024-09-30

Guest Editors:
• Craig Miller, DePaul University, craig.miller@depaul.edu
• Anthony Robins, The University of Otago, anthony.robins@otago.ac.nz

What is the role of embodiment in computing education? As generative artificial intelligence demonstrates the
power of disembodied systems, can we conclude that bodies don't matter for cognition? Several strands of
cognitive research have reached the opposite conclusion, that cognition can only take place in a body, anchored
to the external world by perception and the ability to act. Collectively these related themes have been described
as "second generation" cognitive science. This special issue explores computing education in the context of this
second generation framework. We invite submissions that explore the role of embodiment, perception and
action, tangible artefacts, physical activities, and related topics within our field. We also welcome contributions
that address the role of embodiment in social phenomena as it applies to computing education.

Topics
Example topics might include:
• Perception and action in interactive learning environments, including interactive visualization tools,
Parson’s problems, and AI-supported interfaces
• Interactive pedagogical devices such as tangible notional machines
• Use and limitations of mental models for second-generation cognitive science
• CS Unplugged activities
• Tangible programming in learning settings
• Theoretical contributions to embodiment in learning computing
• Perspectives on ability and disability as it relates to embodiment and learning computing
• Any additional topics on embodiment as it relates to computing education

Important Dates
• Extended abstract deadline: September 30, 2024
• Chosen authors invited to submit manuscript: October 31, 2024
• Invited manuscripts due: February 28, 2025
• Initial Opinion Pieces Due: March 31, 2025
• Reviews/decisions returned to authors: May 31, 2025
• Deadline for revision submissions and opinion pieces: July 31, 2025
• Notification of final decisions: August 30, 2025
• Tentative publication: September 30, 2025

Submission Information
For consideration to submit a full paper, prospective authors should submit an extended abstract (up to 1000
words) by September 30, 2024. Feedback will be provided to authors by October 31 regarding relevance of the
proposed paper with respect to the special issue. If invited, full paper submissions are due February 28, with
publication expected in late 2025. Submitting authors will be expected to review one to two other papers
submitted to the special issue. In the cover letter, please indicate that the paper is for the Special Issue on
Embodiment in Computing Education. More information on submission requirements to TOCE can be found
on https://dl.acm.org/journal/toce/author-guidelines. In addition to full papers, the guest editors plan to invite
opinion pieces for inclusion in the special issue.
For questions and further information, please contact Craig Miller (craig.miller@depaul.edu) and Anthony
Robins (anthony.robins@otago.ac.nz).