VWBPE 2022: PHOENIX RISING

Call for Proposals

Call for Proposals

VWBPE: The Virtual Conference for Practice, Creation, and Learning in Digital Spaces

Around the globe (and across the metaverse), the phoenix is a symbol of hope and renewal, ushering in an era of prosperity and transformation.

Like the newly reborn phoenix arising from the ashes of its previous life, virtual education is also experiencing an uprising of abundance and transformation. Whether it be fully immersive or simple video conferencing, the practical application of tools and techniques over the past two years represents a wealth of inspiration for connecting teachers and students in ways that are comprehensive, progressive, and meaningful.

The past two years also provide a real time, global case study as to the merits and limitations of virtual education: What works, what doesn’t, why or why not. There is a plethora of real-world evidence supporting the practical application and best practices of teaching virtually that we have never truly had access to until now.

The world is forever a changed place for those on the front lines of education, asking how the next generation of students are going to perceive and integrate a post-COVID society into opportunities for growth, for renewal, and for a redefinition of the values that once drove us.

Join us and share your reawakening into a world like no other. VWBPE 2022 is asking educators to consider their transformative journey as we sweep away the ashes of the past two years and venture out into the unknown. Join us and share your research and insights as we arise in this new landscape of virtual education.

All subject areas and virtual environments that support teaching and learning are welcome.

If you would like to share your work with a wider audience in addition to your presentation,
consider submitting a paper or video directly to the Journal of Virtual Studies.

Livestream Engagement

Many of the conference sessions are streamed via YouTube Live as part of the recording process. The audience for these livestream sessions has been increasing each year. Therefore, VWBPE 2022 will be incorporating questions and comments from the livestream with the presenter(s) and participants in-world.

Call for Proposals

The VWBPE committee seeks submissions of presentation proposals along with proposals for exhibits and immersive experiences (pre- and post-conference virtual experiences). The call for proposals encompasses these three categories, with further details about each in the section below.

Submission due dates for proposals:

  • Presentations: EXTENDED to 31 January 2022
  • Exhibits: 14 February 2022
  • Immersive Experiences: 14 February 2022

There are seven tracks and six formats. When formulating your proposal, we encourage you to consider the current theme of the conference, which in 2022 is “PHOENIX RISING”.

We invite proposal submissions from a broad range of communities including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Educators and Trainers
  • vLanguage Members
  • Artists, Designers and Builders
  • Advocacy and NonProfit
  • Support and Help Communities
  • Entertainers and Performers
  • Coders, Scripters, and System/IT Analysts
  • Business and Entrepreneurs
  • Students

Please consider the following information in preparing your proposal.

Presentations

Submission Deadline:
January 31, 2022

Presentation proposals are those which will be included as part of the conference program, during any of the three days of the conference. These will be scheduled in a particular location and be listed on the main program.

All proposals submitted here are required to submit a title, a presentation summary, and 1-2 objectives, and a description of how your proposal fits the “PHOENIX RISING” conference theme. Each of these fields has character limits, so please compose in a document before you add it to the form. Text that exceeds the character limit will be truncated.

Click on each of the tabs above to get additional information on how to create a proposal that fits this conference.

Paper or video submissions for the VWBPE conference proceedings are no longer accepted through the Call for Proposals. Instead, consider submitting a paper or video directly to the Journal of Virtual Studies to share your work with a wider audience.

Time zones for the lead presenter and co-presenter are requested in order to assist in scheduling your presentation.

You will also be asked to include 1-4 keywords that are applicable to your proposal, such as tags for topics, technologies used, digital skills applied and other similar tags.

An additional consideration to keep in mind is the manner in which you will make your presentation accessible in text and voice for our diverse audience. We suggest one of the following or you may indicate a different method in your proposal submission.

  • SpeakEasy HUD Tool
  • Provide your own transcriptionist
  • Provide a written script during the presentation
  • Other: (please specify)

Consider the type of community you represent:

  • Educators and Trainers
  • vLanguage Members
  • Artists, Designers and Builders
  • Advocacy and NonProfit
  • Support and Help Communities
  • Entertainers and Performers
  • Coders, Scripters, and System/IT Analysts
  • Business and Entrepreneurs
  • Students
  • Other (if needed)

Presentations for VWBPE: PHOENIX RISING should fit one of the seven Digital/Virtual Tracks listed below.

  1. Analytic Thinking and Complex Problem Solving
    Proposals to this track should engage participants with innovative examples, projects, or best practices on how analytic thinking is applied and used for solving meaningful, real life problems with applications to society, practice, creation, and learning, including the development of proof of concept or experimentation.
  2. Creativity and Innovation in Design, Practice, and Learning
    Proposals to this track should engage participants with innovative examples, projects, or best practices of creative and innovative work, by featuring ways to demonstrate originality, artistic and practical expression in practice, creation, or learning.
  3. Essential Accessibility in Digital and Virtual Spaces
    Proposals to this track should engage participants with innovative examples, projects, or best practices on using technology to make practice, creation, or learning accessible to multiple populations with varied abilities and engagement styles.
  4. Collaboration and Distance Connections
    Proposals to this track should engage participants with innovative examples, projects, or best practices on how virtual and digital technologies make connections and collaborations possible across distances in unexpected ways in practice, creation, or learning.
  5. Multimedia Communication and Multifaceted Interactions
    Proposals to this track should engage participants with innovative examples, projects, or best practices on the use of multimedia communications made possible through multiple technologies, insofar as interactions are redefined and go beyond text and spoken word in practice, creation, or learning.
  6. Ethics, Responsibility, and Tolerance
    Proposals to this track should engage participants with innovative examples, projects, or best practices on how to engage digitally in responsible ways, demonstrate tolerance of differences and multiple viewpoints, and/or models ethical behavior in practice, creation, or learning.
  7. VWBPE Redux
    Proposals to this track should engage participants with previously presented subjects from past VWBPE conferences with updated content. Redux sessions will be generally be 30 minutes long, unless submitted as a Micro Burst Cluster format presentation (15 minutes).
The main VWBPE conference program will include six formats scheduled during any of the conference dates. Please review the descriptions before you make your choice. Presenters will be issued presentation tools and trained on their use, including a SpeakEasy HUD for making content accessible.

  1. Spotlight Presentations (50 minutes)
    Proposals using this format are like traditional lectures with slides of information on ideas, projects or research in any of the tracks listed previously. Consider submitting a paper or video for inclusion in the conference proceedings – encouraged but not required.
  2. Hands on Technology Workshops (80 minutes)
    Workshops should be hands on and allow participants to interact with the environment or the technology featured through multiple digital skills. Participants should not be passive listeners but be able to do what is demonstrated in the environment. Those who propose workshops will be able to build and/or set up their interactive area five hours before the session is to be scheduled. Prim counts are limited.
  3. Compass Points Roundtable Discussions (50 minutes)
    Roundtable discussions are not lecture presentations, nor are they hands on engagement. Presentation materials are kept to a minimum, and the focus is on the topic under discussion, which will be addressed from four compass point questions: What is exciting? What is worrisome? What is the current stance or opinion? What else do we need to know? A roundtable discussion should include at least 3, and no more than 5, discussants, with some audience discussion possible, as appropriate.
  4. Micro Burst Clusters Presentations (15 minutes)
    Proposals using this format will be ‘clustered’ together by topic / track. Presentations are to be 15 minutes, with 5 minutes for questions / discussion. A session moderator will guide the discussion between presentations. Topic Clusters may be 60 – 80 minutes in total, depending upon the number of topic submissions. Accept the challenge of sharing a quick burst of ideas.

    Conference Sponsors are encouraged to submit a Micro Burst presentation for a Sponsors Cluster. Refer to the Sponsorship information for more details.

  5. Tool Talk Demonstrations (20 minutes)
    There are many ‘tricks of the trade’ in education. The big ideas are shared frequently at conferences, but what about those little things we do that might slip under the radar. Is there a tool, technique, or technology that you cannot do without? Have you developed or found a practice or tool that supports learning? Now is your chance to share with your colleagues across the metaverse. Prepare a short demonstration presentation that engages the audience showing why this idea is not to be missed. Rezzed examples and handouts are encouraged.
  6. Poster Presentations
    New to 2022 is a venue for Poster Presentations. This will be similar to more traditional physical conference Posters, allowing time for both asynchronous exploration and synchronous scheduled presentation times during the conference. In addition to their poster, presenters are encouraged to provide a short video overview of their work to be shown at their poster booth venue. Handouts are encouraged.

    Students are strongly encouraged to share their current work with a poster presentation.

    Information about poster formats, video requirements, and poster booth limitations will be provided upon acceptance, along with submission details for posters and videos.

Presentation Proposal Submission Guidelines

Paper or video submissions for the VWBPE conference proceedings are no longer accepted through the Call for Proposals. Instead, consider submitting a paper or video directly to the Journal of Virtual Studies to share your work with a wider audience.

Click Here to
Submit Proposal

Exhibits

Submission Deadline:
February 14, 2022

Exhibits are for those who wish to showcase their creative works in virtual worlds through artistic expression in order to promote their organization or achievements.

Exhibit submissions are VWBPE committee reviewed and require an already developed product for showcasing.

There are only tracks for the exhibit category of proposals. You can review the Exhibitor Guidelines for detailed information.

When preparing your exhibit proposal, consider the eight tracks below.

  • K-12 Best Practices
  • Higher Education/College Best Practices
  • Field Practices
  • Games and Simulations
  • Tools and Products
  • Advocacy
  • Support and Help Communities
  • Artists, Designers and Builders
Click Here to
Submit Proposal

Immersive Experiences

Submission Deadline:
February 14, 2022

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. Accessibility must be considered to allow participation for all.

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 in the two weeks before or after the conference, depending on availability and timing.

Would you like to showcase your Immersive Experience through video (machinima)?
We welcome you to consider providing a short video that can be used to promote your Immersive Experience.

Please indicate your interest by checking the video engagement option on the submission form. Additional information will be provided upon acceptance.

There are seven tracks for presentation proposals. They are as follows:

  1. Analytic Thinking and Complex Problem Solving
    Proposals to this track should engage participants with innovative examples, projects, or best practices on how analytic thinking is applied and used for solving meaningful, real life problems with applications to society, practice, creation ,and learning, including the development of proof of concept or experimentation.
  2. Creativity and Innovation in Design, Practice, and Learning
    Proposals to this track should engage participants with innovative examples, projects, or best practices of creative and innovative work, by featuring ways to demonstrate originality, artistic and practical expression in practice, creation, or learning.
  3. Essential Accessibility in Digital and Virtual Spaces
    Proposals to this track should engage participants with innovative examples, projects, or best practices on using technology to make practice, creation, or learning accessible to multiple populations with varied abilities and engagement styles.
  4. Collaboration and Distance Connections
    Proposals to this track should engage participants with innovative examples, projects, or best practices on how virtual and digital technologies make connections and collaborations possible across distances in unexpected ways in practice, creation, or learning.
  5. Multimedia Communication and Multifaceted Interactions
    Proposals to this track should engage participants with innovative examples, projects, or best practices on the use of multimedia communications made possible through multiple technologies, insofar as interactions are redefined and go beyond text and spoken word in practice, creation, or learning.
  6. Ethics, Responsibility, and Tolerance
    Proposals to this track should engage participants with innovative examples, projects, or best practices on how to engage digitally in responsible ways, demonstrate tolerance of differences and multiple viewpoints, and/or models ethical behavior in practice, creation, or learning.
  7. VWBPE Redux
    Proposals to this track should engage participants with previously presented subjects from past VWBPE conferences with updated content.
In the Immersive Experiences category, your proposal may be one of the following two formats:

Virtual Worlds
or
Wanna Play?

You can read more about these formats in the VWBPE 2022 Immersive Experiences Guidelines.

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:

3D Virtual Environment
or
Gaming Platform

Click Here to
Submit Proposal