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New Op-Ed in Wired on Misleading Research on Disinformation
by Dr. Emma Briant 18 Feb '21

18 Feb '21

Dear Colleagues, I am just sharing an article I published today in Wired. After many headlines on the scale of 'disinfo for sale' University of Oxford recent study offering useful insight for policymakers into its growth? I say no. A high profile study into disinformation by influential Oxford Internet Institute scholars which has been in the headlines worldwide in the last month is misleading, poorly researched and misreported: 'The Grim Consequences of a Misleading Study on Disinformation <https://www.wired.com/story/opinion-the-grim-consequences-of-a-misleading-s…> .' I hope you will find it illuminating and helpful for students too who are trying to understand this phenomenon. Best wishes, Emma -- Dr Emma L Briant Independent Researcher/Author/Analyst Associate Researcher at Human Rights Program Bard College, Annandale on Hudson New York Website: www.emma-briant.co.uk Author of: *Propaganda and Counter-Terrorism: Strategies for Global Change *from Manchester University Press Co-Author of: *Bad News for Refugees* with Prof. Greg Philo and Dr. Pauline Donald from Pluto Press. Follow me on Twitter @emmalbriant

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ICDHAN 2021: CFP date & deadline extended!
by Waliya, Yohanna Joseph 18 Feb '21

18 Feb '21

Hi everyone! Greetings! We are glad to inform you that the 1st International Conference of the Digital Humanities Association of Nigeria (ICDHAN-2021) is going to be a FULLY VIRTUAL EVENT! The good news is attendance is FREE. Only those interested in a certificate of Attendance would pay N10,000. 10 Sessions (A – J); 40 Presenters ; 10 Experts to Chair Sessions A. African Cultures in the Age of Technology B. Digital Archival, Cultural Heritage, and Library Sciences C. Social Media Discourse, Communication and Language D. Text mining, Cross-language retrieval, and Cultural Heritage E. Computer Science, DH Software, and Open Access F. Digital Cultures, Technologies, Ethics and Privacy G. Digital Media, Storytelling and African literature H. Education, Philosophy, Digital Culture and Technology I. Indigenous Languages, NLP, and Computer-Assisted Textual Analysis J. Human Sciences, Digital musicology, and Technology Quality presentations will be peer-reviewed and published in the association's Journal of Digital Culture and Society . Currently, we have 23 ACCEPTED PAPERS, and 17 more slots for those who wish to submit Abstracts. Conference website: https://dhnigeria.org/conferences Abstract registration: March 18, 2021 (Note: For those who have submitted already, you would received a mail in the coming days concerning the status of your paper) Abstract Submission Link: http://bit.ly/dhanechair Presentation Submission Deadline April 18, 2021 Accepted abstract for presentation to be submitted after notification of acceptance. Such presentations (slides or Video) to be submitted to: icdhan2021(a)dhnigeria.org<mailto:icdhan2021@dhnigeria.org>, Deadline for submission of presentation slide or pre-recorded video: April 18, 2021 All participants whose papers are accepted will be expected to join the conference live for questions, answers and comments from colleagues. Deadline for submission full paper after the conference: July 31, 2021 Best Wishes, ICDHAN Organising Committee Waliya, Yohanna Joseph Enseignant et chercheur à l'université de Calabar. Auteur de La récolte de vie, Quand l'Afrique se lèvera etc. Mail: waliyayohannajoseph(a)unical.edu.ng Mobile:+2348038940016. Webs: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4456-7458<https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4456-7458> https://unical-ng.academia.edu/WALIYAYOHANNAJOSEPH https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yohanna_Waliya http://vispo.com/guests/waliya/

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Call for contributions: Glossary of decentralised technosocial systems
by Idelberger, Florian 18 Feb '21

18 Feb '21

Dear colleagues, The Blockchain and Society Policy Research Lab (University of Amsterdam), in collaboration with the P2P Models (Universidad Complutense de Madrid), Trust in Distributed Environments (Weizenbaum Institut, Berlin) and Blockchain Gov teams (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris), invites you to contribute to the Glossary of decentralised technosocial systems, an interdisciplinary glossary aimed at building a common vocabulary for research on peer-to-peer, user-centric and privacy-enhancing decentralised technologies. The full call for abstracts can be found here https://policyreview.info/node/1541 Looking forward to your contributions! Possible terms are: accountability; ~ in decentralised systems anarcho-capitalism; ~ technological manifestations of anonymity; ~ in technological systems asset tokenisation; consensus protocol; ~ in distributed ledger technologies crowdsourcing; ~ via decentralised technologies crypto-anarchy; crypto exchanges; ~ decentralised cryptography; data intermediaries; data sovereignty; decentralised finance; digital activism; digital identifiers; in distributed systems digital wallets; for storage of crypto-assets dispute resolution; ~ in or via distributed systems distributed network topologies; ethereum; ~ protocol / network federated; ~ networks / protocols gamification; illicit market; technologically mediated immutability; ~ as technology design principle initial coin offering; liability vs accountability; ~ in decentralised systems libertarianism; ~ as a technological design principle nodes; ~ of decentralised networks openness; ~ as a technological design principle peer-to-peer networks; personal information management systems; ~ personal data stores privacy-enhancing technology; public key infrastructure; ~ decentralised regulatory technology; ~ decentralised self-regulation; ~ as technological governance option social media; ~ decentralised token; ~ digital TOR; user-centric technology; voting-systems / decision-making; ~ decentralised zero knowledge proof; And important dates are: Important dates Release of the call for abstract: 16 February 2021 Deadline for expression of interest and abstract submissions (directly to Valeria Ferrari): 21 March 2021 Feedback/Invitation to submit a full entry: 31 March 2021 Online roundtable on Glossaries, Encyclopedias and Academic Terminology Management: 8 April 2021 Full entry submission deadline: 30 June 2021 Peer review and open-peer review process: 1 July – 5 September 2021 Publication of entries’ final version: 30 September 2021 The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination, distribution, forwarding, or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited without the express permission of the sender. If you received this communication in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer.

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Online interviews participants with speech issues
by María González Aguado 17 Feb '21

17 Feb '21

Dear all, I will really appreciate it, if you could share your experiences of conducting online qualitative interviews with participants with speech problems. I would like to know in particular what issues should I take into account to interview these participants and making them feel comfortable during the online interview and seek rapport, as well as to reduce the risk of distress to the minimum. Any further guidance or references would be highly appreciated. Thank you a lot in advance. Best wishes, -- Dr María González School of Communication, Media and Sociology Bankfield House 132 New Walk Leicester LE1 7JA

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SIGDOC Student Research Competition 2021 CFP
by Luke Thominet 17 Feb '21

17 Feb '21

Dear Colleagues, The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Special Interest Group on Design of Communication (SIGDOC) invites current undergraduate and graduate students to submit proposals for this year's ACM Student Research Competition (SRC) sponsored by Microsoft. The SRC offers a unique forum for undergraduate and graduate students to present their original research at a well-known ACM-sponsored conference before a panel of judges and attendees. Participants also have the option of preparing an Extended Abstract to be published in the conference proceedings. Students should submit proposals to the SRC coordinator, Dr. Sonia Stephens at sonia.stephens(a)ucf.edu<mailto:sonia.stephens@ucf.edu>. Proposals can be up to 800 words long and should address topics related to the design of communication (a list of example topics is included in the full CFP). Up to 15 undergraduate and 15 graduate students will be selected to enter the SRC. This year's conference is a hybrid online event with local meeting hubs. The SRC will include a first round asynchronous e-poster session on October 12-13 and a live online second presentation round on October 14. Students in the SRC will be reimbursed for conference registration fees, but are responsible for SIGDOC membership, which begins at $19 per year. There are also monetary awards for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-place winners. For more information, please review the full 2021 Student Research Competition CFP<https://sigdoc.acm.org/conference/2021/student-research-competition/> (sigdoc.acm.org/conference/2021/student-research-competition/) Important Dates: * Proposals due: April 30, 2021. Please submit proposals by email to Dr. Sonia Stephens at sonia.stephens(a)ucf.edu<mailto:sonia.stephens@ucf.edu>. * Acceptance notifications: May 23, 2021 * Extended Abstracts (optional) due: June 18, 2021. Reviewer comments will be returned by July 11. * Final version of Extended Abstracts (optional) due: August 6, 2021 * E-posters and video introductions due: September 1, 2021 * Asynchronous e-poster session: October 12-13, 2021 * Live online second presentation round: October 14, 2021 If you have any questions, please email Dr. Sonia Stephens, the SRC Chair, at (sonia.stephens(a)ucf.edu<mailto:sonia.stephens@ucf.edu>). Best, Luke Thominet, PhD SIGDOC Communications Manager

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Second CFP - eSociety track at 'Digital Transformation & Global Society' Conference
by Sergei Pashakhin 17 Feb '21

17 Feb '21

Call for Papers eSociety track Digital Transformation & Global Society (DTGS 2021) - https://dtgs-conference.org/ Conference Date: 23-25 June 2021, online Submission Deadline: March 1, 2021 Track Organizers: Social and Cognitive Informatics Lab (SCILa - https://scila.hse.ru/en/) formerly Laboratory for Internet Studies (LINIS) at HSE University. Dear friends and colleagues, We are organizing the eSociety track at DTGS 2021 and invite you to submit 12-15 pages long papers (Springer LNCS format) focused on but not limited to such topics as: Quantifying offline phenomena through online data Forecasting of social phenomena with digital traces Social influence and social contagion Online community structure & dynamics Individual social tie formation, maintenance & decay Information & disinformation diffusion, perception and effects (including electoral and COVID-related information) Online political deliberation, polarization, and mobilization Problem detection in communication in and with vulnerable groups (children, women, ethnic minorities, etc.), including hate speech, discrimination, and cyber-bullying Predicting and explaining game user behavior and its social implications Designing digital environments to improve societies Security, privacy, trust, reputation, and incentive issues Opinion mining and social media analytics News production & consumption in the Internet era Social media and health behaviors Equity in social and information systems Accepted papers can be published in the Communications in Computer and Information Science series of Springer proceedings. Learn more on the conference website: https://dtgs-conference.org/. Best regards, Olessia Koltsova DTGS'21 Steering Committee Director, Laboratory for Social & Cognitive Informatics National Research University Higher School of Economics https://scila.hse.ru/en/ http://www.hse.ru/en/org/persons/202747 <http://www.hse.ru/en/org/persons/202747> Sergei Pashakhin DTGS'21 Organization Committee https://www.hse.ru/en/staff/pashakhin

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4S CfP - "Splinternets"
by Oreglia, Elisa 17 Feb '21

17 Feb '21

Dear colleagues, To the many excellent 4S CFPs that have already been sent to the list, let us add one more. Since its birth, the Internet has been viewed as a unifying force, building on a tradition of thinking about communication infrastructures that stretches at least as far back as McLuhan’s “global village” (1964). Yet the history of the Internet illustrates a series of struggles to control a multi-layered network, rather than a technologically-mediated unity. Analyses of these struggles have ranged from those focused on the role of states in controlling the open Internet (Kalathil and Boas 2003; Goldsmith and Wu 2006), to those drawing attention to the dangers of corporate “walled gardens” (Zittrain 2008; van Dijck, Poell, and de Waal 2018), to efforts at identifying geo-political spheres of influence on the Internet (O’Hara and Hall 2018). All of these analyses share a concern that rather than a unified global Internet, we might instead be dealing with a series of fragmented networks (Drake, Cerf, and Kleinwächter 2016; Mueller 2017), or “splinternets” (Malcomson 2016; Hoffmann, Lazanski, and Taylor 2020; Epifanova 2020). In this panel, we seek papers that build on existing scholarship on fragmented internets to understand from a historical, social and technical perspective the centrifugal and centripetal forces that may change how the Internet works. We are particularly interested in work that unpicks images of split internets which conflate technical, political and commercial considerations, and in work that offers new theoretical, methodological, or empirical insights into current and historical relational processes of fragmentation and unification. Organisers: Ashwin Mathew (King's College London) and Elisa Oreglia (King's College London) https://www.4sonline.org/167-splinternets/ For information about submission (open panel #167): https://www.4sonline.org/meeting/accepted-open-panels/ Feel free to contact Ashwin (ashwin.mathew(a)kcl.ac.uk) if you have any questions. best regards, Ashwin & Elisa

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Publication of The Handbook of Peer Production
by Mathieu.O'Neil 17 Feb '21

17 Feb '21

Publication of The Handbook of Peer Production [apologies for multiple exposures] We are delighted to announce the publication of The Handbook of Peer Production, part of Wiley’s Handbooks in Communication and Media series. This Handbook represents a milestone in the study of what has been described by Yochai Benkler as “the most significant organisational innovation that has emerged from Internet-mediated social practice.” **** Editors Mathieu O'Neil, Associate Professor of Communication, News & Media Research Centre, University of Canberra and Honorary Associate Professor of Sociology, Australian National University, Australia Christian Pentzold, Professor of Media and Communication, Department for Communication and Media Studies, Leipzig University, Germany Sophie Toupin, Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture (FRQSC) postdoctoral fellow, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands **** Summary Peer production is a mode of commons-based and – ideally – commons-oriented production in which participation is voluntary and predicated on the self-selection of tasks. This decentralised organisational model, which does not rely on exclusive ownership and formal contracts, has in some cases surpassed traditional forms of production. Originally the Internet enabled millions of people to collectively produce and revise computer operating systems and applications, encyclopedia articles, and film and television databases. Today peer production is still associated to the digital commons in the case of wireless networks and online currencies, but also encompasses offline ventures such as shared machine shops and biohacking, amongst many others. The Handbook of Peer Production outlines central concepts, examines current and emerging areas of application, and analyses the forms and principles of cooperation that continue to impact multiple areas of production and sociality. Featuring thirty chapters by an international and diverse team of experts in the field, this landmark work maps the origins and manifestations of peer production, discusses the factors and conditions that are enabling and co-opting it, and considers peer production projects’ current impacts and potential consequences for the social order. Detailed chapters address the governance, political economy, and cultures of peer production, as well as user motivations, social rules and norms, the role of peer production in social change and activism, and much more. Filling a gap in available literature as the only extensive overview of peer production’s modes of generating informational goods and services, this ground-breaking volume: • Offers accessible, up-to-date information to both specialists and non-specialists across academia, industry, journalism, and public advocacy; • Includes interviews with leading practitioners discussing the future of peer production; • Critically assesses the histories, key debates, contradictions, and pioneers of peer production; • Explores technologies for peer production, openness and licensing, peer learning, open design, and free and open-source software. The Handbook of Peer Production is an indispensable resource for students, instructors, researchers, and professionals working in fields such as communication studies, science and technology studies, sociology, and management studies, as well as those interested in the network information economy, the public domain, and new forms of organisation and networking. **** Follow The Handbook of Peer Production on Twitter: @beyourownpeer More information is available here: https://www.wiley.com/en-us/The+Handbook+of+Peer+Production-p-9781119537106 The same information (with nicer layout) is here: https://www.canberra.edu.au/research/faculty-research-centres/nmrc/critical… **** Table of Contents Part I – Introduction Chapter 01 – The Duality of Peer Production: Infrastructure for the Digital Commons, Free Labor for Free-Riding Firms (Mathieu O’Neil, Sophie Toupin & Christian Pentzold) Part II – Concepts: Explaining Peer Production Chapter 02 – Grammar of Peer Production (Vasilis Kostakis & Michel Bauwens) Chapter 03 – Political Economy of Peer Production (Benjamin Birkinbine) Chapter 04 – Social Norms and Rules of Peer Production (Christian Pentzold) Chapter 05 – Cultures of Peer Production (Michael Stevenson) Chapter 06 (reprint) – Commons-Based Peer Production and Virtue (Yochai Benkler & Helen Nissenbaum) Part III – Conditions: Enabling Peer Production Chapter 07 – Prophets and Advocates (George Dafermos) Chapter 08 – Virtue, Efficiency, and the Sharing Economy (Margie Borschke) Chapter 09 – Openness and Licensing (Mélanie Dulong de Rosnay) Chapter 10 – User Motivations in Peer Production (Sebastian Spaeth & Sven Niederhöfer) Chapter 11 – Governing for Growth in Scope: Cultivating a Dynamic Understanding of How Peer Production Collectives Evolve (Rebecca Karp, Amisha Miller & Siobhan O’Mahony) Part IV – Cases: Realizing Peer Production Chapter 12 – Free & Open Source Software (Stéphane Couture) Chapter 13 – Wikipedia and Wikis (Jutta Haider & Olof Sundin) Chapter 14 – Hacker Cartography: Participatory Mapmaking and Technological Power (Adam Fish) Chapter 15 – Peer Learning (Panayotis Antoniadis & Alekos Pantazis) Chapter 16 – Biohacking (Morgan Meyer) Chapter 17 – Makers (Yana Boeva & Peter Troxler) Chapter 18 – Blockchain (Pablo Velasco Gonzáles & Nate Tkacz) Chapter 19 – Wireless Community Networks (Gwen Shaffer) Chapter 20 – Urban Commons (Nicholas Anastapoulos) Part V – Conflicts: Peer Production and the World Chapter 21 – Peer Production and Social Change (Mathieu O’Neil & Sébastien Broca) Chapter 22 – Peer Production and Collective Action (Stefania Milan) Chapter 23 – Feminist Peer Production (Sophie Toupin) Chapter 24 – Postcolonial Peer Production (Maitrayee Deka) Chapter 25 – Gaps in Peer Design (Francesca Musiani) Chapter 26 – Makerspaces and Peer Production: Spaces of Possibility, Tension, Post-Automation, or Liberation? (Kat Braybrooke & Adrian Smith) Chapter 27 – Peer Production and State Theory: Envisioning a Cooperative Partner State (Alex Pazaitis & Wolfgang Drechsler) Part VI – Conversions: Advancing Peer Production Chapter 28 – Making a Case for Peer Production: Interviews with Peter Bloom (Rhizomatica), Mariam Mecky (HarassMap), Ory Okolloh (Ushahidi), Abraham Taherivand (Wikimedia Deutschland) & Stefano Zacchiroli (Debian) Chapter 29 – What’s Next? Peer Production Studies? (Mathieu O’Neil, Sophie Toupin & Christian Pentzold) Chapter 30 – Be Your Own Peer! Principles and Policies for the Commons (Mathieu O’Neil, Sophie Toupin & Christian Pentzold) **** [UC Logo]<http://www.canberra.edu.au> [UC Pro Fast and flexible | Online short courses for professionals. Learn more]<https://www.canberra.edu.au/ucpro/apply> [UC Facebook]<https://www.facebook.com/UniversityOfCanberra>[UC Twitter]<https://twitter.com/UniCanberra>[UC Instagram]<https://www.instagram.com/unicanberra/>[UC Linkedin]<https://au.linkedin.com/school/university-of-canberra/>[UC Youtube]<https://www.youtube.com/user/uniofcanberra> [University of Canberra] <http://www.canberra.edu.au> Australian Government Higher Education Registered Provider (CRICOS) #00212K The University of Canberra acknowledges the Ngunnawal people, traditional custodians of the lands where Bruce Campus is situated. We wish to acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of Canberra and the region. We also acknowledge all other First Nations Peoples on whose lands we gather. NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER: This email and any files transmitted with it may contain confidential or copyright materials and are for the attention of the addressee only. 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ZOOM RECORDING: Metrics at Work Angèle Christin book event | LSE Digital Ethnography Collective//Rutgers Digital Ethnography Working Group
by Glatt,ZA (pgr) 17 Feb '21

17 Feb '21

Hi all, For those of you who were interested but unable to attend our book event last Friday for Angèle Christin's 'Metrics at Work: Journalism and the Contested Meaning of Algorithms' (see info in email below), the zoom recording is now available on YouTube here: www.tinyurl.com/ysm1laut Thanks to everyone who attended, it was a lovely event! All the best, Zoe ________________________ Zoë Glatt www.zoeglatt.com <http://www.zoeglatt.com/> ESRC PhD Researcher in Media & Communications London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Co-Founder: LSE Digital Ethnography Collective @DigEthnogLSE <https://twitter.com/DigEthnogLSE> Graduate Student Rep 2019-2021: Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) Managing Editor 2018-2020: ICA journal Communication, Culture & Critique <https://academic.oup.com/ccc/pages/About> YouTube channel <https://www.youtube.com/user/Zedstergal> | Twitter <https://twitter.com/ZoeGlatt> | LSE bio <http://www.lse.ac.uk/media-and-communications/people/phd-researchers/zoe-gl…> On 10/02/2021, 12:55, "Air-L on behalf of Glatt,ZA (pgr)" <air-l-bounces(a)listserv.aoir.org on behalf of Z.A.Glatt(a)lse.ac.uk> wrote: Hello AoIRists! I wanted to let you know about a book event that is happening on zoom this Friday. The LSE Digital Ethnography Collective (LDEC) and Rutgers Digital Ethnography Working Group (DEWG) are excited to invite you to our co-hosted zoom conversation with Stanford ethnographer Angèle Christin on Friday 12th February (1-3pm EST/6-8pm GMT). We will be discussing her new book ‘Metrics at Work: Journalism and the Contested Meaning of Algorithms’ (Princeton University Press, 2020). Professor Christin will be interviewed by Jeffrey Lane (DEWG Co-Chair) and Zoë Glatt (LDEC Co-Founder) and the event will be chaired by Melissa Aronczyk (DEWG Co-Chair). They will discuss the book’s findings and how Christin adapted her fieldwork to study algorithms inside the newsroom, in addition to the new methods Christin has developed to study algorithmic labour ethnographically during social distancing. This will be followed by a Q&A with all event attendees. You can read more about the event and book a (free) ticket HERE: https://tan-kangaroo-307.eventbritestudio.com/136439168225 On a separate note, at the end of this month I will be leaving my post as AoIR Graduate Student Representative to go on maternity leave. I just wanted to take this opportunity to express what a pleasure it has been to serve on the Executive Committee for such an amazing association, and I look forward to seeing lots of you next year in Dublin (finally!!). All the best, Zoe ________________________ Zoë Glatt www.zoeglatt.com<http://www.zoeglatt.com/> ESRC PhD Researcher in Media & Communications London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Co-Founder: LSE Digital Ethnography Collective @DigEthnogLSE<https://twitter.com/DigEthnogLSE> Graduate Student Rep 2019-2021: Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) Managing Editor 2018-2020: ICA journal Communication, Culture & Critique<https://academic.oup.com/ccc/pages/About> YouTube channel<https://www.youtube.com/user/Zedstergal> | Twitter<https://twitter.com/ZoeGlatt> | LSE bio<http://www.lse.ac.uk/media-and-communications/people/phd-researchers/zoe-gl…> _______________________________________________ The Air-L(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/

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FINAL main-round CFP extension for iLRN 2021 Virtual Conference (IEEE Tech. Co-Sponsored)
by Lee, Mark 17 Feb '21

17 Feb '21

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ CALL FOR PAPERS AND PROPOSALS *** Final extension of main-round submission deadline to 2021-02-28 *** iLRN 2021: 7th International Conference of the Immersive Learning Research Network May 17 to June 10, 2021, on iLRN Virtual Campus, powered by Virbela ... and across the Metaverse! Technically co-sponsored by the IEEE Education Society, with proceedings to be submitted for inclusion in IEEE Xplore(r) Conference theme: "TRANSCEND: Accelerating Learner Engagement in XR across Time, Place, and Imagination" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Conference website: https://immersivelrn.org/ilrn2021/ PDF version of this CFP available at: https://bit.ly/3qnFYRu The 7th International Conference of the Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN 2021) will be an innovative and interactive virtual gathering for a strengthening global network of researchers and practitioners collaborating to develop the scientific, technical, and applied potential of immersive learning. It is the premier scholarly event focusing on advances in the use of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and other extended reality (XR) technologies to support learners across the full span of learning--from K-12 through higher education to work-based, informal, and lifelong learning contexts. Following the success of iLRN 2020, our first fully online and in-VR conference, this year's conference will once again be based on the iLRN Virtual Campus, powered by VirBELA, but with a range of activities taking place on various other XR simulation, gaming, and other platforms. Scholars and professionals working from informal and formal education settings as well as those representing diverse industry sectors are invited to participate in the conference, where they may share their research findings, experiences, and insights; network and establish partnerships to envision and shape the future of XR and immersive technologies for learning; and contribute to the emerging scholarly knowledge base on how these technologies can be used to create experiences that educate, engage, and excite learners. Note: Last year's iLRN conference drew over 3,600 attendees from across the globe, making the scheduling of sessions a challenge. This year's conference activities will be spread over a four-week period so as to give attendees more opportunities to participate at times that are conducive to their local time zones. ##### TOPIC AREAS ##### XR and immersive learning in/for: Serious Games • 3D Collaboration • eSports • AI & Machine Learning • Robotics • Digital Twins • Embodied Pedagogical Agents • Medical & Healthcare Education • Workforce & Industry • Cultural Heritage • Language Learning • K-12 STEM • Higher Ed & Workforce STEM • Museums & Libraries • Informal Learning • Community & Civic Engagement • Special Education • Geosciences • Data Visualization and Analytics • Assessment & Evaluation ##### SUBMISSION STREAMS & CATEGORIES ##### ACADEMIC STREAM (Refereed paper published in proceedings): - Full (6-8 pages) paper for oral presentation - Short paper (4-5 pages) for oral presentation - Work-in-progress paper (2-3 pages) for poster presentation - Doctoral colloquium paper (2-3 pages) PRACTITIONER STREAM (Refereed paper published in proceedings): - Oral presentation - Poster presentation - Guided virtual adventures - Immersive learning project showcase NONTRADITIONAL SESSION STREAM (1-2 page extended abstract describing session published in proceedings): - Workshop - Special session - Panel session ##### SESSION TYPES & SESSION FORMATS ##### - Oral Presentation: Pre-recorded video + 60-minute live in-world discussion with others presenting on similar/related topics (groupings of presenters into sessions determined by Program Committee) - Poster Presentation: Live poster session in 3D virtual exhibition hall; pre-recorded video optional - Doctoral Colloquium: 60-minute live in-world discussion with other doctoral researchers; pre-recorded video optional - Guided Virtual Adventures: 60-minute small-group guided tours of to various social and collaborative XR/immersive environments and platforms - Immersive Learning Project Showcase: WebXR space to assemble a collection of virtual artifacts, accessible to attendees throughout the conference - Workshop: 1- or 2-hour live hands-on session - Special Session: 30- or 60-minute live interactive session held in world; may optionally be linked to one or more papers - Panel Session: 60-minute live in-world discussion with a self-formed group of 3-5 panelists (including a lead panelist who serves as a moderator) Please see the conference website for templates and guidelines. ##### PROGRAM TRACKS ##### Papers and proposals may be submitted to one of 10 program tracks, the first nine of which correspond to the iLRN Houses of application, and the tenth of which is intended for papers making knowledge contributions to the learning sciences, computer science, and/or game studies that are not linked to any particular application area: Track 1. Assessment and Evaluation (A&E) Track 2. Early Childhood Development & Learning (ECDL) Track 3. Galleries, Libraries, Archives, & Museums (GLAM) Track 4. Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access, & Social Justice (IDEAS) Track 5. K-12 STEM Education Track 6. Language, Culture, & Heritage (LCH) Track 7. Medical & Healthcare Education (MHE) Track 8. Nature & Environmental Sciences (NES) Track 9. Workforce Development & Industry Training (WDIT) Track 10. Basic Research and Theory in Immersive Learning (not linked to any particular application area) ##### PAPER/PROPOSAL SUBMISSION & REVIEW ##### Papers for the Academic Stream and extended-abstract proposals for the Nontraditional Session Stream must be prepared in standard IEEE double-column US Letter format using Microsoft Word or LaTeX, and will be accepted only via the online submission system, accessible via the conference website (from which guidelines and templates are also available). Proposals for the Practitioner Stream are to be submitted via an online form, also accessible from the conference website. A blind peer-review process will be used to evaluate all submissions. ##### IMPORTANT DATES ##### - Main round* submission deadline -- all submission types welcome: 2021-02-28 (FINAL extension) - Late round* submission deadline -- Work-in-progress papers, practitioner presentations, and - nontraditional sessions only: 2021-03-22 - Notification of review outcomes from main submission round: 2021-04-06 - Camera-ready papers for proceedings due -- Full and short papers: 2021-04-16 - Presenter registration deadline -- Full and short papers (also deadline for early-bird registration rates): 2021-04-16 - Notification of review outcomes from late submission round: 2021-04-20 - Camera-ready work-in-progress papers and nontraditional session extended abstracts for proceedings due; final practitioner abstracts for conference program due: 2021-04-30 - Presenter registration deadline -- Work-in-progress papers, practitioner presentations, and nontraditional sessions (also deadline for regular registration rates): 2021-04-30 - Deadline for uploading presentation materials (videos, slides for oral presentations, posters for poster presentations): 2021-05-10 - All presenters to attend a mandatory orientation and training session on the iLRN Virtual Campus (choose from several days/times): 2021-05-11 to 2021-05-14 - Conference dates: 2021-05-17 to 2020-06-10 *Full and short papers can only be submitted in the main round. ##### PUBLICATION & INDEXING ##### All accepted and registered papers in the Academic Stream that are presented at iLRN 2021 and all extended abstracts describing the Nontraditional Sessions presented at the conference will be published in the conference proceedings and submitted to the IEEE Xplore(r) digital library. Content loaded into Xplore is made available by IEEE to its abstracting and indexing partners, including Elsevier (Scopus, EiCompendex), Clarivate Analytics (CPCI--part of Web of Science) and others, for potential inclusion in their respective databases. In addition, the authors of selected papers may be invited to submit revised and expanded versions of their papers for possible publication in the IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies (2019 JCR Impact Factor: 2.714), the Journal of Universal Computer Science (2019 JCR Impact Factor: 0.91), or another Scopus and/or Web of Science-indexed journal, subject to the relevant journal's regular editorial and peer-review policies and procedures. ##### CONTACT ##### Inquiries regarding the iLRN 2020 conference should be directed to the Conference Secretariat at mailto:conference@immersivelrn.org. General inquiries about iLRN may be sent to mailto:info@immersivelrn.org. 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