VWBPE 2023: Uncommon Realities

The VWBPE 2023 theme is Uncommon Realities. The conference is an opportunity to explore the concepts behind the theme, together. Learning from each other is a hallmark of virtual world communities, sharing how we visualize challenges, the skills we bring to bear in working through alternatives, prototyping solutions, and finding meaning as we interpret the results of our efforts.

Learning, whether formal or informal, needs to be both personal and personalized. It is a delicate interplay between mastery of a suite of skills and the application of those skills to a context in which they will be observed. It is not enough to know the summative criterion for acceptance but to be seen doing it in practice. Learning at its very core is immersive, formative, and innovative when applied to new or complex situations. It is the application of knowledge to those uncommon realities that are pervasive in today’s society that separate out those critical thinkers from those whose problem solving skills are subjective at best.

We face unparalleled challenges these days. Embracing our Uncommon Realities can be a source of inspiration to bring people together: To tell our own stories; To show people our strengths; And to inspire others to not be afraid of being different. More importantly, it allows us to explore a profusion of ideas we may never have thought of if not for our willingness to share and be seen.

Join us at VWBPE 2023 to share YOUR Uncommon Realities as we learn and celebrate, together.

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

Presentation proposal submissions are due 23 Jan 2023 (round 2).

Presentation Tracks

VWBPE presentations should fit one of these Digital/Virtual Tracks. Proposals will be accepted based on their level of innovation, novelty and originality, revolutionary ideas, and the degree to which they break boundaries and shatter old paradigms.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 (15 minutes).

Track Suitability

Please describe specifically and clearly how your proposal fits the track you have selected.

Presentation Formats

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. Presentation submissions undergo a double-blind peer review process for inclusion in the program.

PLEASE NOTE: 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. Add a comment that this work will be presented at VWBPE 2023.

Presenters accepted for inclusion in the program will be provided venue presentation tools and trained on their use, including a SpeakEasy HUD for making content accessible.

Spotlight Presentations (1 hour)

Proposals using this format are like traditional lectures with slides of information on ideas, projects or research in any of the tracks listed previously.
Presenters will be issued presentation tools and trained on their use, including the SpeakEasy for making content accessible.

Hands on Technology Workshops (90 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.

Compass Points Roundtable Discussions (1 hour)

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.

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. Clusters may be 60 – 80 minutes in total, depending upon the topic submissions. Accept the challenge of sharing a quick burst of ideas.
Presenters will be issued presentation tools and trained on their use, including the SpeakEasy for making content accessible.

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

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.

Poster Presentations

Let’s share a Poster! 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.

Other Submission Details

These items will also be asked of you when you submit your presentation proposal.

About the Presentation

Presentation Title

The title cannot be longer than 50 characters.

Presentation Summary

A brief description of the presentation. [500 characters maximum]

Objectives

List 1 or 2 objectives which indicate what participants will gain from the session in learning, skills, application, or engagement. Each objective should be one concise sentence, which begins as follows: Participants will be able to…. [100 characters maximum]

Uncommon Realities Connection

Describe how the proposed presentation fits the Uncommon Realities conference theme. [500 characters maximum]

Keywords

Please list 1-4 keywords that apply to the presentation. They may include tags for topics, technologies used, digital skills applied, etc. [50 characters maximum]

About Presenters

Presenter Names

Real names are suggested but not required for inclusion in the conference proceedings. Please note that presenters will be accepted for no more than TWO (2) presentations, exclusive of roundtables, posters, or Redux sessions.

Time Zone

Our conference schedule uses the time zone of our virtual venue, Second Life, which is US Pacific Time (UTC -7). Because of our global audience, we make every effort to schedule each presentation at a time that is friendly to the desired particular time zone, though generally, our daily conference runs from 6:00 am to 8 pm PT.

If a co-presenter is in a different time zone, please indicate that information.

Community Represented

Please select only one. Communities include:

1. Educators and Trainers
2. vLanguage Member
3. Artists, Designers and Builders
4. Advocacy and NonProfit
5. Support and Help Communities
6. Entertainers and Performers
7. Coders, Scripters and System/IT Analysts
8. Business and Entrepreneurs
9. Students
10. Other (please specify)