[spectre] CfP NILE (fwd)

[Zeljko Blace]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 20 Mar 2004 16:28:41 +0100
From: Mirko Petric <mirko.petric at umas.hr>
To: Zeljko Blace <zblace at mi2.hr>

Narrative and  Interactive Learning Environments
                                    NILE 2004 Conference
                             CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS

         10th August 2004 to 13th August 2004 inclusive
              Pollock Halls, The University of Edinburgh
                                  http://www.narrate.org

Contributions are invited for this, the 3rd NILE event which is aimed at
deepening our understanding of Narrative in the design, development and use
of Interactive Learning Environments.  Papers are invited as well as
innovative contributions from practitioners who, as usual, are especially
welcome.

Learning environments of the future are likely to draw increasingly on
studies of film theory, recent developments in the games industry, oral
storytelling, the practices of the theatre as well as structuralist and
post modern theories of narrative.  There is a need to tie them in to
educational, cognitive, affective and social explanations of learning (and
their associated empirical results) in order to develop a better
understanding of how to design interactive learning environments and a much
more theoretically driven understanding of the relationship between the
structure of the interaction, the associated emotional value and the
quality of learning.

The purpose of this third NILE event, intended to be a small scale
conference, will be to take advantage of an opportunity to meet just before
the Edinburgh International Festival and around the time of the Edinburgh
Fringe Festival and Edinburgh Film Festival to examine four major issues
which are inevitably interrelated.

All will have the opportunity to participate in the talks, performances,
story telling sessions, debates and other activities.

* Some key figures working in the general area will be present and we will
   all be able to discuss the future of narrative in interactive learning
   environments and consider some strategic issues.

* There will be opportunities to go beyond paper presentations to exploit
   the special skills of some of those attending. (In the past this has
   included short films, and oral storytelling.)

* Young researchers will be able to discuss their work.  They may be able
   to obtain Financial Support from the conference committee.

Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful of European cities, and hosts the
Edinburgh International Festival which will be running before, during and
after the workshop.

We want diversity!  If you are a researcher or practitioner that has
something to say about narrative and may have something valuable to say
about its possible uses in interactive learning environments and would like
to know more then please contact Paul Brna (Paul.Brna at northumbria.ac.uk).

Papers: papers describing unpublished research, not currently under review
by another conference or journal, are solicited.  Ideally, papers should
address one or more of the following themes:

* How are narrative aspects of the learning environment represented
   and developed in the design process?

       How can existing methods be adapted to improve the quality of
       the "designed-in" story?  How can designers take account of the
       ways in which the learning experience will be "read" by the
       learners?  Can knowledge of narrative and dramatic techniques
       improve the design and development process for learning
       environments?

* How does the medium of delivery influence the design of learning
   environments that take advantage of interactive narrative
   concepts (interactive TV, interactive video, educational games)?

       What theories of interactive narrative are needed to support the
       different possibilities provided by different delivery
       mechanisms?  How does the designer modify the interaction and
       the content to support the medium of interactive TV or
       interactive Video and so on.

* What can we learn from games designers that can be used within
   learning environments?

       How can we capture the knowledge possessed by experienced games
       designers?  How can we adapt this knowledge to the benefit of
       learners?

* How can notions of interactive narrative support the development
   of relationships between learners, teachers and designers?

       How are good quality relationships between people directly and
       indirectly engaged in the narrative maintained?  How do
       interactive learning environments help designers, teachers and
       learners to support each other?  How are different kinds of
       communication and reflection supported?

Submission: Papers should be submitted electronically to

     Paul.Brna at unn.ac.uk

by 30th April 2004.  Other contributions should be discussed with
Paul.Brna at unn.ac.uk.  Papers should be in pdf format using pages of A4
size.  The recommended typefont is Times New Roman and the main text as 12
pts.  More details are available at http://www.narrate.org.

Programme Committee: Paul Brna, School of Informatics, Northumbria
University; Justine Cassell, School of Communication, Northwestern
University, USA; Lisa Gjedde, Danish University of Education; James Lester,
North Carolina State University; Rose Luckin, School of Informatics,
University of Sussex; Frank Nack, The National Research Institute for
Mathematics and Computer Science in the Netherlands; Clark Quinn, OtterSurf
Laboratories; Judy Robertson, Division of Informatics, University of
Edinburgh; Atif Waraich, Department of Computing & Mathematics, Manchester
Metropolitan University; Michael Young, Liquid Narrative Group, North
Carolina State University.