Welcome to this, the 16th Annual Conference of Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education.

This year, we will meet from March 23 to 25, 2023. In addition to the main event, we will have pre- and post-conference immersive experiences during the two weeks beforehand and afterward. This international gathering of professionals and students in the field of education is unique, because it is completely virtual and free to attend. It will run simultaneously on multiple platforms including Second Life®, streamed live on YouTube.

The Theme for VWBPE 2023 is Uncommon Realities

This year’s conference explores the concepts behind our Uncommon Realities. Learning from each other’s perspectives in how we visualize challenges, the skills we bring to bear in working through alternatives, prototyping solutions, and the personal meaning we find in interpreting 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.

To be immersive means the exploration of skill mastery through a combination of visual storytelling, interactivity, and realism. Each person’s circumstances are unique. What is a common reality to one individual may be completely foreign to another. Immersion is an opportunity to bridge the divide and to learn through different perspectives. It helps to broaden the horizons of the challenges that may lie ahead and how to overcome them.

We face unparalleled challenges in today’s society. 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: March 23 – 25, 2023

Join us and share your uncommon reality to a world like no other. This year we are asking educators to share how they create realism through visual storytelling and interactivity as part of an immersive curriculum.

We recognize that instructors do not teach in a vacuum. Educational technologists, web developers, and experts in a multitude of fields all need to come together as we connect with our students. All who support immersive educational experiences in virtual worlds are welcome.

Let us share our research and insights into this new landscape in which we find ourselves.

What worked well during the lock-downs either for virtual, hybrid, or in-person classroom experiences?

What could we do better?

How have you contributed to doing things differently that others could emulate?

How are perceptions and actions of students changing for the better or worse towards educational curricula and life-long learning?

Please join us at the 16th Annual Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education Conference. Together, let us inspire each other with transformative examples toward a global online learning environment that incorporates our hard-learned lessons in kinder, more effective ways.