Do you have a story you’d like to share about gamifying a course? Would you like to immerse others in some aspect of game playing? Have you tried gamifying a course and want to share what didn’t work and what would work better? Is there research on gamification – or learning – or design – that you’d like others to consider? 

New Designs for Learning: Games and Gamification symposium invites interested groups and individuals to propose sessions for its September 29th event at the College Park Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. 

Participants include instructional designers, faculty, and academic leaders from across the University System of Maryland who are interested in exploring how games and gamification can reinvigorate courses, boost student engagement, and enhance student learning.

To learn more about each of these sessions, please download and review the document attached to this announcement.

Proposals must be submitted by August 22, 2016. Applicants will be notified about acceptances approximately one week after the submission deadline. Selection will be based on how well the proposal connects to the Symposium themes, communicates its focus and intent, and contributes to building a well-rounded program.

Questions may be directed to Nancy O’Neill, Associate Director of the Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation, at noneill@usmd.edu.

Registration for the event will begin in late August. Sign up to be notified.

The Symposium promises to be a forum where participants can explore what is meant by gamification and game design thinking, discover the research behind the movement to gamify learning, and test out ways to gamify their own content and approaches to course design. The keynote address and a featured workshop will be offered by Dr. Karl Kapp, an Instructional Technology Graduate Professor at Bloomsburg University. Dr. Kapp is a national speaker, consultant, and author of numerous books, including The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-based Methods and Strategies for Training and Education (2012). 

Registration will open in late August: Sign up to get notified. Questions may be directed to Nancy O’Neill, Associate Director of the Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation, at noneill@usmd.edu. Please share this announcement and the attached flyer with interested colleagues.