Game-Based Learning (GBL)

The conference aims to ask and search for answers to the following questions:
In what ways are games and virtual world applications effective tools?

• What founding theories and approaches are emerging to support the field?
• What and how can different technologies contribute to build ever better serious games?
• What are the benefits of serious games for end-users and stakeholders? How can benefits be assessed?
• What are the technologies (e.g. applications, platforms, engines) that are most effective in which areas and for what targets?
• What cross-disciplinary approaches are emerging to support design, development and implementation of the technologies?
• How and for what benefits is user generated content supported?

Researchers, developers, practitioners and decision-makers working with or applying serious games in their communities are invited to present papers in the following two main streams of the conference: games and virtual world applications for serious applications.

Read the Call for Papers here.

Deadline for paper submissions is 1 June 2012.

The project has been implemented through the following phases:

The first phase is aimed at the development of a specific SMILEY methodology enabling the teachers involved in the project to apply the multimedia technologies having as final aim engaging the students on different social issues and problems such as bullying, violent attitudes, ethnic and religious discrimination, etc...

The second phase is oriented to practical training of Referring Teachers in the use of ICT in education. The specific objective of this phase has been achieved through the design and implementation of integrated courses and through  the provision of specific textbooks designed to allow teachers to make the best use of digital potential and to facilitate the transmission and dissemination of the SMILEY  methodology to other teachers in the respective countries.

The third phase will be addressed to the direct involvement of students through the experimentation of “Your Town”, an educational role-playing game (ERPG) as an interactive tool of testing and stimulating the students' level of social mindedness. Through a game-based learning approach and within a safe virtual town scenario, this exciting new game encourages players age 10–16 years to think about various positive and negative social issues and situations with a view to promoting constructive, co-operative, social minded behaviour. 

The CHERMUG project is in line with the EU 2020 strategy "New skills for new jobs" and the general priorities of LLP (Lifelong Learning Programme) that funds the CHERMUG project. The LLP programme aims to promote acquiring key competences during education.

Using games to teach methods and statistics fits with the acquisition of:

• Mathematical and basic competences in science and technology
• Digital competences
• Learning to learn.

The project will deliver a website with for registered members access to:

a game with which students can develop among other things an understanding of how to formulate hypothesis, select suitable methods of data analysis, identify relevant ethical issues, and interpret and discus the findings;
teacher training materials including best practice guides.
The game and the supporting materials will be available in English, Spanish, Dutch, Romanian, Finnish, French and German.

eLearning Papers continues to support researchers and practitioners in the ongoing dialog about the role of ICT in education. The special annual edition 2012 focuses on Open Educational Resources, Virtual Learning Environments, and Creative Classrooms. We want to thank all our contributors for sharing their work and enriching the debate.

The six In-depth articles and five 'From the field' articles bring together selected contributions from last year, representing the ‘best of the best’ of eLearning Papers from 2011. Two of the articles cover three case studies of OER use in institutional contexts. Three articles address the wide spectrum of game-based learning, from schools to informal learning and language learning.

Learning design is addressed by three in-depth articles, while the potential of virtual mobility in higher education is explored in another. Blogathlon 2011 presents a case study of language learning and another case study looks into the potential of art-based learning interventions in eLearning.

Read more at www.elearningpapers.eu.