Introduction to the IJELLO Special Series of Chais Conference 2012 Best Papers.

This is the fourth issue of Interdisciplinary Journal of E-Learning and Learning Objects (IJELLO) special series that includes a selection of best papers presented at Chais Conference on Instructional Technologies Research 2012: Learning in the Technological Era. The 7th Chais conference was held at The Open University of Israel, Raanana, Israel, on February 15-16, 2012, and was organized by its Research Center for Innovation in Learning Technologies. This preface presents the mission and activities of the Research Center for Innovation in Learning Technologies at the Open University of Israel. It describes the objectives and themes of the Chais Conference 2012, explains its synergies with IJELLO and the Informing Science Institute, and introduces the papers included in this special selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]