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Volume 10, Issue 1, May 2019

VWBPE 2019 Conference Proceedings Now Available

The Journal of Virtual Studies publishes a special edition once a year for the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference proceedings. All papers were peer reviewed with the same level of care as journal papers typically are, convening an additional special editorial staff to assist in the process.

This yearly conference is one of the largest events for showcasing the work of individuals who lead the charge to re-imagine education. The proceedings found within these pages represent how virtual world educators and researchers continue to break the rules of what a virtual space is, and how it can be leveraged in education.

In this special issue, we have collected papers and abstracts from the conference that represent the vision of JoVS, which intersects work in virtual spaces with education. They explore the possible and the theoretical and present ideas that engage and immerse.

Regardless of whether you choose to read all the papers or to take a brief view at the abstracts, the richness of research, praxis, and conceptual ideas is evident in the varied and critical lenses that each of the authors and presenters utilized. Whether you are a researcher or a practitioner, reviewing the proceedings of this virtual conference is a way to expand your own ideas, to provide you with opportunities to extend your practice in ways you may not have previously imagined. 

We invite you to download your own copy of this biannual, peer reviewed, and open access publication that encourages continual renewal of what a virtual space for learning is and how virtual spaces can be best used in multiple educational contexts. We encourage teachers, academics, practitioners, and others engaged in the use of any virtual space for education, research, or training, to submit proposals to the journal for the upcoming issue.

This month :: Tool Spotlight: Canva | VWBPE Final Week | Coming in May

Rockcliffe is pleased to announce the appointment of our new Editorial Board for the Journal of Virtual Studies. We are excited to have some familiar faces back and some new talent joining the Board for this term. In addition to having a wealth of experience, the editors are going to have their hands full with categories that extend traditional peer review to both video and infographic submissions.

Managing Editor
Leticia De Leon
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, USA

Research Editor
Susanna Nocchi
School of Languages, Italy

Praxis Editor
Carmen Pena
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, USA

Conceptual Editor
Peggy Daniels Lee
Indiana University, USA

For a complete list of the Editorial Board and Peer Reviewers, see the JoVS About page.

Those interested in joining the journal’s editorial board should should review the requirements published in the first Editorial Board Call Out.

Rockcliffe is proud to announce the relaunch of their flagship publication, the Journal of Virtual Studies. JoVS (ISSN: 2155-1070) is a biannual publication, peer reviewed, and open access. In print since 2010, the journal is now celebrating its 10th publication year with a new look, a new domain name, a new vision and mission.

Our vision aims to create a medium that encourages continual renewal of what a virtual space for learning is and how virtual spaces can be best used in multiple educational contexts. Our mission is to provide a peer-reviewed multimedia publication that showcases papers and multimedia productions describing research, program implementation, and the conceptual that feature education for all ages in virtual spaces.

The journal is further expanding upon our existing mandate to include additional formats for peer review including video or machinima, and infographic submissions. Rockcliffe is treating this as a stepping stone to expanding the definition of what a journal should be in a modern information age. We are looking forward to new means of combining research with modes of communication that are accessible in multiple formats and available on multiple devices.

Please have a look at our updated publication at https://jovs.urockcliffe.press.

The Managing Editors of the Journal of Virtual Studies (JOVS) are inviting qualified peer reviewers to submit their interest in joining our Editorial Board for 2019.

Published by Rockcliffe University Consortium, the Journal of Virtual Studies (ISSN-2155-0107) is an international, open source, and peer-reviewed journal with a nine year history of research and praxis involving virtual spaces and their use in education. Rockcliffe is currently implementing aggressive plans to raise the impact factor and readership in 2019. Such plans include an updated vision and mission, acceptance of multimedia, not just traditional papers, and a modernized website currently being re-constructed under new guidelines and new publishing workflows.

The Journal of Virtual Studies aims to create a medium that encourages continual renewal of what a virtual space for learning is and how virtual spaces can be best used in multiple educational contexts. The Journal will begin publishing biannually (twice a year, in May and November), and will include both papers and multimedia (i.e., infographics, video/machinima, audio, and other forms of interactive media).

A full write-up on the vision, mission, and submission categories can be found on our current website. All submitted manuscripts and multimedia will undergo a double blind review process, as coordinated by the Journal Category Editors.

Qualified candidates should be able to show expertise in the use of virtual spaces in education , in any discipline and any grade or level. This expertise should be demonstrated in the curriculum vitae by listing relevant research, professional development and/or teaching experience, and service that demonstrate educational uses of virtual spaces, as described in the journal’s updated vision and mission.  

Your cover letter should include the following:

• any experience you may have as a peer reviewer
• Whether you are able and willing to review for all three categories in the journal
• Whether you are able and willing to review both papers and multimedia
• and/or any additional information that you feel strengthens your candidacy as a reviewer.

Peer reviewers will benefit from having their name published as part of Editorial Board in every issue’s masthead, receive recognition in Publons, and be provided a a yearly letter of recognition for service.

Those interested should send both the cover letter and curriculum vitae attached in an email to Leticia De Leon, Managing Editor, at journals@urockcliffe.com. by no later than January 31, 2019.

10 Years Later

As Rockcliffe University Consortium is quickly coming to the end of its 10th year, we have an opportunity to look back and consider all the friends we’ve made, the creativity we have inspired, the good we have done for our community, and the people we have helped along the way. We here at Rockcliffe are looking forward to another 10 years of transforming education and providing opportunities for people to learn, play, and serve.

As we celebrate this special time of year with friends and family, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone all the best on their successes and encouragement on your plans for the new year. May the new year be prosperous, filled with new challenges, and all your new year’s resolutions be successful.

All my best for you and yours.

Sincerely,
Kevin Feenan
President
Rockcliffe University Consortium