The MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching (JOLT) is a peer-reviewed, open-access, online publication that aims to promote scholarship in the use of the Internet and web-based multimedia resources in higher education. The first issue appeared online in July 2005 and included a number of invited papers from various disciplines. The journal is now published quarterly in March, June, September, and December. Its objectives are to:
- Enable faculty to develop effective, evidence-based practices in online learning and teaching by learning from a community of researchers and scholars;
- Enable academic programs to design and deploy academic technology to optimize online learning and teaching;
- Build a community around the research and scholarly use of web-based multimedia resources for learning and teaching in higher education.
JOLT welcomes papers on all aspects of online learning and teaching in higher education. Topics may include, but are not limited to: learning theory and the use of multimedia to improve online learning; instructional design theory and its application to online learning; online learning and teaching projects and initiatives; use of emerging web-based tools and technologies in online education; blending of online and face-to-face teaching modes; networked learning using mobile devices; innovative online learning and teaching strategies and practices.