Call for Proposals

Virtual Worlds Best Practices has re-conceptualized the Call for Proposals this year, based on feedback from the community. We also want to remain true to our three main goals of building community, providing networking opportunities, and sharing current innovation and best practices, regardless of whether you are an educator or support educators.

Because we want to be more inclusive and provide more choice to our varied communities, we have created four categories of presentations, each with their own choices for tracks (topics), presentation format, and venue. There are even a couple of new surprises.

The information below is organized into the four categories, each with the choices you need to make.

*If you wish some assistance in developing a proposal for submission, please email [email protected].

Academic Category

The academic category includes research and best practices application within educational settings that use virtual worlds, both traditional and corporate, who wish to share findings and implications for innovative practice.

Submitting to the academic category includes required submission of a paper, which will undergo a blind peer review.

First Choice: Track

Academic tracks include research and best practices application within educational settings that use virtual worlds, both traditional and corporate, who wish to share findings and implications for innovative practice. These tracks are peer reviewed and require a developed short paper for publication.

These academic tracks include topics in:

  1. K-12 Best Practices
  2. Higher Education/College Best Practices
  3. Games and Simulations
  4. Tools and Products
  5. Advocacy

Second Choice: Format

In the academic category, your proposal may be one of the following three formats, which vary in length and venue needs:

  1. Lecture (50 minute, mostly lecture and discussion based)
  2. Workshop (110 minutes, hands on and experiential)
  3. Panel (discussion with 3-6 panelists)

Third Choice: Venue

The academic categories will be hosted in two venues, which have been set up for conference specific needs. The Programs committee schedules your presentation based on the format and venue you select upon submitting a proposal, and the available sims.

These are your choices:

  1. Second Life
  2. AvaCon Grid

Guidelines / Submit Proposal

You can review the guidelines for the academic tracks or submit your proposal.

GUIDELINES FOR ACADEMIC TRACKS

SUBMIT A PROPOSAL

Communities of Practice Category

The Communities of Practice category is for those who support education or research, but who are not academics, educators, or directly connected to schools or educational organizations. These may include non-profit organizations, developers or designers, tool providers, and other individuals who offer training and support for educators, but who are not educators themselves. This category also undergoes a blind peer review composed of members of the community. Submission does not require a full paper.

First choice: Track

Within the communities of practice category, the following tracks or topics are available:

  1. Field Practices
  2. Games and Simulations
  3. Tools and Products
  4. Advocacy

Second Choice: Format

In the communities of practice category, your proposal may be one of the following three formats, which vary in length and venue needs:

  1. Lecture (50 minute, mostly lecture and discussion based)
  2. Workshop (110 minutes, hands on and experiential)
  3. Panel (discussion with 3-6 panelists)
  4. Power Promos (20 minute opportunity to promote a product that supports education: see submission guidelines for details)

Third Choice: Venue

The communities of practice category will be hosted in two venues, which have been set up for conference-specific needs. The Programs committee schedules your presentation based on the format and venue you selected in your proposal submission, and the available sims.

These are your choices:

  1. Second Life
  2. AvaCon Grid

Guidelines / Submit Proposal

You can review the guidelines for the communities of practice tracks or submit your proposal.

GUIDELINES FOR COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE TRACKS

SUBMIT A PROPOSAL

Creative Category

The creative category is for both academics and communities of practice, who wish to showcase their creative works in virtual worlds through artistic expression in order to promote their organization or achievements.

Submissions to this category are VWBPE committee reviewed and require an already developed product for showcasing.

First Choice: Track

Within the creative category, the following tracks or topics are available:

  1. K-12 Best Practices
  2. Higher Education/College Best Practices
  3. Field Practices
  4. Games and Simulations
  5. Tools and Products
  6. Advocacy

Second Choice: Format

In the creative category, your proposal may be one of the following two formats:

  1. Exhibits: Review the Guidelines for Exhibits
  2. Machinima: Review the Guidelines for Machinima

Third Choice: Venue

The creative category has only one choice of venue due to resources available to the conference.

All accepted submissions in this category will be hosted in Second Life.

Guidelines / Submit Proposal

You can review the guidelines for the communities of practice tracks or submit your proposal.

GUIDELINES FOR CREATIVE TRACKS

SUBMIT A PROPOSAL

Immersive Experiences Category

The Immersive Experiences category showcases locations whose main objective is interaction, immersion, and engagement for those who enter them, whether to play a game, solve an immersive problem, or engage participants in hands-on, interactive learning.

Immersive Experiences submissions require a guide to provide basic instruction on the interface of the platform. Time should be spent mainly on having the participants play, immerse, or engage with the location, not just “touring” it.

Submissions to the immersive experiences category are VWBPE committee reviewed and require already existing and ready for use locations or platforms. Because of the length of time required for these experiences, these will be hosted pre- and post-conference. If a proposal is selected for inclusion, it will be scheduled two weeks before conference, or one week after, depending on availability and timing.

First Choice: Track

Within the immersive experiences category, the following tracks or topics are available:

  1. K-12 Best Practices
  2. Higher Education/College Best Practices
  3. Field Practices
  4. Games and Simulations
  5. Tools and Products
  6. Advocacy

Second Choice: Format

In the immersive experiences category, your proposal may be one of the following two formats:

  1. Virtual World: Guidelines for virtual worlds can be found at this link.
  2. Wanna Play?: Guidelines for Wanna Play? can be found at this link.

Third Choice: Venue

The immersive experiences category has a wide open option for venues, but they do fall under two general venue types, as long as they can be accessed through a computer, not a specific gaming console. Specific details on access must be submitted with the proposal. These are your choices:

  1. Any 3D Virtual Environment
  2. Any Gaming Platform

Find out about hyping your platform by participation in our Passport to the Metaverse, coming soon.

Guidelines / Submit Proposal

You can review the guidelines for the immersive experiences tracks or submit your proposal.

GUIDELINES FOR IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES TRACKS

SUBMIT A PROPOSAL