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In parallel to the phenomenal rise of the digital game development industry through time, the acceptance of games in other sectors has also been changing. Computer game skills have been increasingly applied in almost all areas of human activity within modern societies. Digital games have now been embraced by the academic research community as a research topic, as well as discovered by the education sector as a highly interactive media that can support and foster learning. As a popular and powerful media, computer games are being considered for use in various education and training settings to motivate learners, to focus their attention, and to help them to construct meaningful and permanent records of their learning.

Games have high presence in informal segments of learning – but in formal education, games are still often seen as an unserious activity and the potentials of games for learning remain undiscovered. However, when evaluating games with their children, 85% of parents believed that computer games contributed to learning as well as providing entertainment.

Beside fantasy and fun elements, games have potential to foster players’ ability to communicate and interact with others during gameplay. Computer games can help players to think critically when they are required to construct connections between virtual and real life. Game-like learning environments can provide motivating interdisciplinary learning settings, creating opportunities that could improve student collaboration skills as well as help them learn new concepts and synthesize new information. Games have also been praised for the potential they offer in learning business leadership and other skills by practicing in a safe environment.

The potential of Game Based Learning (GBL) is still underestimated. It can play a major role in renewing learning as it is perceived by learners in all levels of education and training systems. eLearning Papers seeks contributions about mixed realities, virtual worlds and gaming in both sections: In-Depth and From the Field.

We specifically invite contributions which address one or several of the following issues:

• Innovative game based learning technologies, applications, tools and environments
• 3D virtual worlds supporting learning, e.g. in language learning or leadership training
• Use of mobile games and location-based technology for learning
• Innovative applications of mixed realities for learning
• Use of simulations in education, corporate training and military
• Technology for massive multiplayer online games (MMOGs) for learning
• Interactivity design in game based learning applications
• Player immersion and learning
• Case studies and best practices in GBL
• Social and collaborative aspects of GBL
• Implementation issues associated with GBL
• Learning design, good gameplay and instructional theory for GBL
• Use of role plays for learning and training
• Assessment and evaluation in GBL
• Gender, age, cultural and ethical issues in GBL
• Rating of games for learning
• Accessibility of games for learning

The article submission has been extended to June 3, 2011 The provisional date of publishing is 14 July 2011. For further information and to submit your article, please contact:

Guest editor:

Professor DI Dr. Maja Pivec, University of Applied Sciences FH JOANNEUM in Graz, Austria

The submissions need to comply with the following guidelines:

• Submission language: English
• Title: must effectively and creatively communicate the content of the article and may include a subtitle.
• Executive summary for In-depth section should not exceed 200 words.
• Executive summary for From the field section should not exceed 50 words.
• Keywords: up to five relevant keywords need to be included.
• In-depth full texts: articles should range from 4,000 to 6,000 words.
• From the field texts: texts should not exceed 1,200 words.
• Conclusions: special importance is given to the representation of the conclusions, which should be clearly stated both in the summary and at the end of the article.
• References: All the references must be adequately cited and listed.
• Author profile: author name, institution, position and e-mail address must accompany each submission.
• Images: Please send high resolution JPEG files

See the complete guidelines at: Instructions for writers

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are indeed changing the educational landscape, says Mr Dillenbourg in a podcast interview with eLearningEuropa.info, but “in terms or technology and the kind of pedagogy involved, there is not a major revolution compared to what was done before.” The major changes, he points out, are on the social dimension.

“My goal is to show there is much more into the MOOCs than what we see”, he says. For instance, it is already being acknowledged by university teachers that on-campus students who follow MOOCs are better prepared when they take their exercises, “because they have time to digest” the information. This single fact, he says, justifies all the energy put into the design of these courses, as “being better prepared for an exercise is a key factor” for educators.

Professor Dillenbourg also stresses that “you need to be quite self motivated to follow a MOOC”, as these are usually tough and contents are highly demanding.  This is for example something valuable that potential employers might want to know, and students should start adding MOOCs in their CVs because “they are an indicator of motivation.”

Researchers on learning technologies should analyse in-depth “the innovative practices that come around what seems a traditional medium”, he recommends.

The SpeakApps openly licensed tools are directed at different types of activities and are suitable for all students, regardless of the level they have reached in a particular language.

The platform's OER repository allows teachers to find a growing amount of activities and experiences to be carried out in their classrooms. Moreover, and since the repository is build in a wiki environment, users are able to actively contribute to the project by modifying and adapting activities to their needs.

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