Virtual Environments 2010 - Call for Chapters - Multi-User Virtual Environments forthe Classroom: Practical Approaches to Teaching in Virtual Worlds 2010

CALL FOR CHAPTER PROPOSALS

Proposal Submission Deadline: February 28, 2010
Full Chapters Submission: May 31, 2010

Multi-User Virtual Environments for the Classroom: Practical
Approaches to Teaching in Virtual Worlds

A book edited by:
Giovanni Vincenti, Towson University, Towson, MD, USA
James Braman, Towson University, Towson, MD, USA

To be published by IGI Global: http://www.igi-global.com/requests/details.asp?ID=...

Synopsis
Teaching merely through books and lectures is quickly becoming
overpowered by learning through the many forms of multimedia and Web
based content students are exposed to every day. Obtaining information
and multitasking through these many mediums is not simply a skill, but
it is a way of life for many students and teachers. Education is
changing. For this very reason we should be proactive towards reaching
out to students through non-traditional means to enhance teaching and
learning. Our particular focus is teaching and learning through multi-
user virtual environments (MUVEs). The educational community has
certainly seen an increase in interest for teaching in MUVEs like
Second Life, Twinity, There, and World of Warcraft, just to name a
few.

The idea of using multi-user virtual environments is often met with
skepticism and objections. Many even consider these tools as too
technical for present students with significant barriers of entry.
Even more challenging seems the idea of porting traditional classroom
material into this new medium. The plasticity of these environments,
however, allows us venues to create simulations that truly immerse the
students in a particular subject and can also serve as another
platform for online education. Through the use of innovative
technology we can reach a new generation of learners.

Objective
This book aims at becoming a key component of any technology-oriented
university-level education course that wishes to include multi-user
virtual environments in its curriculum or as a method of content
delivery. The content of this book will assist educators to develop
lessons to use these environments for teaching. We are seeking a
combination of small case studies, examples, lesson plans, and advice
to be included as chapters for this book.

Audience
This book aims at becoming a resource for students to start learning
about teaching through multi-user virtual environments. We wish to
cater to university-level courses in Education as well as
Instructional Technologies, Distance Learning, Computer Science, and
Instructional Design to name a few. We wish to create a course-
adoption textbook that is easy to understand and that offers practical
guides and applications of concepts in parallel with case studies and
reports on state-of-the-art research.

Desired table of contents
Part 1 ? Teaching practices applied to multi-user virtual environments
(1 without lesson plans and hands-on material)
Part 2 ? The curriculum and multi-user virtual environments (1, 2)
Part 3 ? Practical experiences of teaching through multi-user virtual
environments (2, 3)
Appendix A ? Survey of virtual worlds

Please note that the numbers in parentheses indicate the type of
chapters each section will contain

Chapter types
We are looking for three main types of chapters:
1. Summary of concepts, preliminary data, lesson plans, and hands-on
material for teachers and students;
2. Case studies and applications, reports of courses/activities
carried out in virtual worlds;
3. Strategic implementation plans, selling virtual worlds for the
classroom to academic decision-makers.

Submission
Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before
February 28, 2010, a 2-3 page chapter proposal clearly explaining the
mission and concerns of his or her proposed chapter. Authors of
accepted proposals will be notified by March 14, 2010 about the status
of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines. Full chapters should
be between 5,000 and 7,500 words in length and are expected to be
submitted by May 31, 2009. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on
a double-blind review basis. Contributors may also be requested to
serve as reviewers for this project. Further information on this book
can be found at http://www.teachingthroughmuves.info/.

Publisher
This book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global (formerly Idea
Group Inc.), publisher of the “Information Science
Reference” (formerly Idea Group Reference), “Medical Information
Science Reference,” “Business Science Reference,” and “Engineering
Science Reference” imprints. For additional information regarding the
publisher, please visit www.igi-global.com. This publication is
anticipated to be released in 2011.

Important Dates
February 28, 2010: Proposal Submission Deadline
March 14, 2010: Notification of Acceptance
May 31, 2010: Full Chapter Submission
June 20, 2010: Review Results Returned
July 15, 2010: Final Chapter Submission

Proposals in WORD format can be submitted electronically or mailed
directly to the authors at the addresses shown below:

teaching.through.muves-AT-gmail.com

Giovanni Vincenti
Dept. of Computer and Information Sciences
Towson University
8000 York Rd.
Towson, MD 21252
United States of America
giovanni.vincenti-AT-gmail.com

James Braman
Dept. of Computer and Information Sciences
Towson University
8000 York Rd.
Towson, MD 21252
United States of America
James.Braman-AT-gmail.com