Call for Papers, Posters, Round Table Proposals, Practitioner Contributions and Product Demonstrations

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 contributions 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. You can find full details in the submission types document (.pdf format).

Publication opportunity

Papers accepted for the conference will be published in the conference proceedings, subject to author registration and payment. Selected papers will also be considered for publication in a special issue of the Electronic Journal of e-Learning and to the International Journal of Game-Based Learning. The latest issue of the Electronic Journal of e-Learning is available to read online. You can see details of the proceedings and journal accreditations by clicking on the star to the right.

Participants will be asked to vote for the best poster and a prize will be given for the poster receiving the highest number of votes. Additionally, a prize is awarded to the best PhD paper presented at the conference.

Conference topics
In addition to the main conference topics below, submissions are welcomed to 5 mini tracks: User Performance and Status Assessment in Games-Based Learning, chaired by Francesco Bellotti of the University of Genoa, Italy; Mobile Games-Based Learning, chaired by Dr Patrick Felicia, Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland; Multi User Virtual Environments for Games-Based Learning (GBL) co-chaired by Dr Stefan Göbel and Viktor Wendel of the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany; Content and Assessment Integration for Games-Based Learning, chaired by Dr Thomas Hainey, University of the West of Scotland, UK and Barriers and Opportunities for the Introduction of GBL in Educational Settings, chaired by Dr Pauline Rooney of Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland.

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

Submission details

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Read the author guidelines

Download the main call for papers in .pdf format

Mini Track Call for Papers: User Profiling in Games-Based Learning

Track Chair: Francesco Bellotti, University of Genoa, Italy

Effective user adaptivity requires the availability of ever more appropriate metrics, tools, and techniques for measuring elements such as learning outcomes, user engagement and entertainment during the game. Recent technological advances have brought Human-Computer Interaction devices that were once expensive, specialized equipment located in research labs, to our family rooms at an affordable cost. Beside new interaction methods, these tools also offer compelling opportunities to develop innovative ways of user monitoring, assessment, and evaluation. However, due to the complexity of human nature, and individual differences, objective and systematic assessment of human behavior and performance remains highly difficult. In this mini-track we are interested in discussing the latest research developments around methodologies, applications and tools for user performance and status modeling and assessment, particularly with reference to games-based learning.

Topics could include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Automatic/interactive assessment of user performance
• In-game assessment mechanics
• Time and precision effects
• Metrics and tools for measuring fun and/or learning outcomes
• Score rules and mechanisms
• User modeling and profiling

Francesco Bellotti

Mini Track Call for Papers: Mobile Games-Based Learning

Track Chair: Dr. Patrick Felicia, Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland

This track will focus on the application of mobile technologies to Game-Based Learning.  Sessions featured in this mini-track will include presentations that provide empirical evidence on the effectiveness of this platform, guidelines on how to incorporate mobile GBL in current instructional and informal settings, an overview of the areas where it can be best applied, and descriptions of innovative mobile GBL approaches to teach, train, motivate, and change behaviours.

Topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Low cost mobile GBL
• Augmented Reality and GBL
• Integrating GBL in current teaching practices
• Opportunities, issues and challenges

Patrick Felicia

Mini Track Call for Papers: Multi-User Virtual Environments for Game-based Learning (GBL)

Track Co-chairs: Dr Stefan Göbel and Viktor Wendel, Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany

Today’s game-based learning applications are mainly focused on single player games. However, learning concepts like collaborative learning or training of soft skills like communication skills, negotiation, or teamwork requires the involvement of multiple persons working/playing together.

The concept of Multiplayer Serious Games offers a wide range of new application areas for these learning concepts and soft skills. Yet there are still many open research questions to solve. Both Serious Multiplayer Game design questions and technical questions are unresolved. Also the influence of various factors like group size, competition, or communication in Multiplayer Serious Games is still not investigated exhaustively. Furthermore, storytelling in multiplayer learning scenarios requires new concepts.

Topics can include, but are not limited to:

• Learning theory for Multiplayer Serious Games
• Mobile Multiplayer Serious Games
• Multiplayer Serious Games for use in classroom
• Communication in Multiplayer Serious Games
• Applicability of game genres for various learning scenarios
• Game Mastering in collaborative learning scenarios

Dr Stefan Göbel


Viktor Wendel

Mini Track Call for Papers: Content and Assessment Integration for Games-Based Learning

Track Chair: Dr Thomas Hainey, University of the West of Scotland, UK

Games-based learning is perceived by some educationalists to be a suitable approach for teaching and learning at a supplementary level.  Two issues that face educationalists and games-based learning application developers are how to incorporate learning content and assessment into games-based learning applications.  This stream will present papers on these two highly important issues and will welcome papers on content integration including implicit, explicit, intrinsic, extrinsic and procedural content and assessment integration including formative and summative assessment and embedded and external assessment.  The papers can focus on literature reviews on assessment and content integration, proposed incorporation frameworks and the description of empirical evaluation evidence of games-based learning applications that use content and assessment integration approaches.

Topics can include, but are not limited to:

• Content integration for games-based learning
• Assessment integration for games-based learning
• Models and frameworks for content integration
• Models and frameworks for assessment integration
• Literature reviews on the areas of assessment and content integration
• Development of games-based learning applications using content and assessment integration approaches
• Evaluation of games-based learning applications that have used content or assessment integration approaches

Thomas Hainey

Mini Track Call for Papers: Barriers and Opportunities for the introduction of GBL in Educational Settings

Track Chair: Dr Pauline Rooney, Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin, Ireland

Over recent years game based learning (GBL) has attracted increasing interest from practitioners and researchers, with much research showing that games hold considerable potential for enhancing learning and skills development. However, despite this, the use of games as a pedagogical tool remains far from mainstream: considering this, it is now important to ask the fundamental question, why is this the case?

This mini track invites contributions which explore reasons why, despite its acclaimed potential, GBL remains confined to pockets of innovation among educators, as opposed to constituting more mainstream pedagogical practice. It asks “are our educational institutions really ready for game based learning?”

Associated issues/questions may span, but are not limited to:

• Technical issues (e.g. do our institutions have the required technical infrastructure? What changes are needed?)
• Pedagogical issues (e.g. are we really ready for the pedagogical change GBL entails?)
• Attitudinal issues (e.g. of students/educators towards GBL. Do they constitute are barrier?)
• Developmental issues (e.g. where do we source appropriate “games” from? Commercial deployment? Develop inhouse?)

Pauline Rooney

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 acceptance.
• 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 (not more than 5000 words or 10 pages in 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 registration must be completed by 31 August 2012.

Important dates