Call for Papers, Workshops and Tutorials



Over the last ten years, the way in which education and training is delivered has changed considerably with the advent of new technologies. One such new technology that holds considerable promise for helping to engage learners is Games-Based Learning (GBL). The Conference offers an opportunity for scholars and practitioners interested in the issues related to GBL to share their thinking and research findings. Papers can cover various issues and aspects of GBL in education and training: technology and implementation issues associated with the development of GBL; use of mobile and MMOGs for learning; pedagogical issues associated with GBL; social and ethical issues in GBL; GBL best cases and practices, and other related aspects. We are particularly interested in empirical research that addresses whether GBL enhances learning. This Conference provides a forum for discussion, collaboration and intellectual exchange for all those interested in any of these fields of research or practice.

The conference committee welcomes both academic and practitioner papers on a wide range of topics using a range of scholarly approaches including theoretical and empirical papers employing qualitative, quantitative and critical methods. Action research, case studies and work in progress/posters are welcomed approaches. PhD Research, proposals for roundtable discussions, non-academic contributions and product demonstrations based on the main themes are also invited.

Submission details are given below. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

Technology:

§ Innovative games-based learning technologies, applications, tools and environments
§ Technology for massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) for learning

§ Use of mobile games for learning
§ Implementation issues associated with games-based learning

§ Location-based technology for game-based learning


Pedagogy:

§ Learning and instructional theory for games-based learning
§ “Serious” games

§ Role playing
§ Assessment in games-based learning

§ Evaluation of games-based learning
§ Use of narrative and storytelling

§ Use of audio
§ Case studies and best practices in the use of games-based learning

§ Future of games-based learning


Social and Ethical Issues:

§ Social and collaborative aspects of games-based learning
§ Political education using games

§ Gender, age, cultural and violence issues
§ Ethical issues

§ Organisational issues associated with the implementation of GBL in education and training


Academic Paper submissions
Papers should address the conference topics listed above and can describe a wide range of research including empirical or theoretical studies. In addition, philosophical papers presenting an argument and papers presenting a process that has been developed and is now ready for wider use are welcome. In all cases concepts and underlying principles should be emphasised, with enough background information to orient any reader who is not a specialist in the particular subject area original. The work should not have been published elsewhere and should not be intended to be published elsewhere during the review period.

Work in Progress/Posters
Researchers are invited to submit current projects which are either at the proposal stage or are work in progress. In the first instance you should submit an abstract describing the project. If your abstract is selected you will be asked to produce a short positioning paper of no more than 2000 words (including abstract, keywords, references). The paper will be double-blind peer reviewed and if accepted will be published in the conference proceedings. Presentation of the work at the conference will take the form of a Poster. Posters will be on display for the duration of the conference and there will be a timetabled slot for contributors to stand by their posters so that participants can come and discuss the research.

PhD Research
Doctoral Candidates are invited to submit papers describing their research. To be eligible, it is necessary for the paper to be produced to a publishable academic standard and papers will be subject to the same criteria and processes as research papers. However the final results of the research may not have been fully completed and interpreted.

Case study submissions
Case study submissions should be written to publishable standards. Case studies will be subject to the same criteria and the processes as research papers.

Non-Academic Contributions
The conference committee welcomes contributions from individuals and organisations working in the field. These contributions can take the form of a presentation or a demonstration. In the first instance an abstract should be submitted describing the work to be presented. If the abstract is selected you will be asked whether you wish to produce a paper, a poster or just give a presentation. You will need to register for the conference to have a confirmed timetabled slot.

Round Table Proposals
The Programme Committee invites topical subjects to be proposed for discussion. In the first instance an abstract describing the proposed topic should be submitted. If selected the convener will be given a timetabled slot for the round table and will be expected to register to attend the conference.

Product Demonstrations and Exhibitor Opportunities
If you are contributing to the conference in any of the above categories you can also request the opportunity to give a product demonstration. If you would like to exhibit and/or demonstrate a product at the conference we suggest that you apply for one of our exhibitor packages.

Submission details

Abstract details: All submission types require an abstract in the first instance. Abstracts should be a minimum of 300 and no more than 500 words including up to five keywords and keyphrases to be received by 1 April 2010. Please read the online guidelines.

Submission: Submissions should be made via the online form. Please ensure that all required fields are completed. Abstracts must include the proposed title for the paper, the full names (first name and surname, not initials); postal addresses and email addresses of all authors and a telephone number for at least one contact author. Please indicate clearly if the contact author is not the lead author and select the appropriate submission track.

Full paper: Only required for academic submissions to main conference streams once the abstract has been selected and not to be more than 5,000 words including abstract, keywords and references (the Harvard referencing rules need to be followed). Submission date will be no later than 20 May 2010. Papers should be submitted as .doc or .rtf file attachments by email to the conference manager, Elaine Hayne.



Publication opportunity
Papers accepted for the conference will be published in the conference proceedings, subject to author registration. The proceedings have an ISBN and ECGBL proceedings are listed in the Thomson ISI Index to Scientific and Technical Proceedings (ISTP/ISI Proceedings), the Thomson ISI Index to Social Sciences & Humanities Proceedings (ISSHP), the Thomson ISI Index to Social Sciences & Humanities Proceedings (ISSHP/ISI Proceedings) and INSPEC.

Papers presented at the conference will be considered for publication in a special issue of the Electronic Journal of e-Learning. The journal is rated level 1 in the Danish Government bibliometric lists. The latest issue of the journal is available to read online.

Conference proceedings.
Proceedings for previous ECGBL conferences can be purchased from our bookshop by clicking on the link above.



Important information

The selection panel of the conference committee will consider all abstracts received by the submission deadline to ensure that the proposed paper is relevant to the Conference.
The authors of abstracts that describe a relevant paper will receive a notification of abstract selection.
All full papers will be double-blind reviewed by members of the conference committee to ensure an adequate standard, that the proposed subject of their abstract has been followed, that the paper is of a suitable length, the standard of English is adequate and the paper is appropriately referenced.
For authors whose first language is not English we request that you have your work proof read prior to submission by a native English speaker (or at least a fluent English speaker). Papers can be rejected due to a poor standard of English.
Papers that are accepted will be published in the conference proceedings providing at least one author registers and presents the work at the Conference (see the registration section of the conference website for more information about registration).
Due to the large number of papers expected for this conference, the committee only allows an author to present one paper. Therefore if multiple papers are accepted for presentation different co-authors need to present each paper. Author registrations must be completed by 16 September 2010.


Important dates

Abstract submission deadline:
1 April 2010

Notification of abstract acceptance:
8 April 2010

Full paper due for review:
20 May 2010

Notification of paper acceptance (with any changes):
29 July 2010

Earlybird registration closes:
12 August 2010

Final paper due (with any changes):
26 August 2010

Final author registration date:
16 September 2010