In partnership with UK’s Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Studies Department, “Leveling Up the Classroom” is continuing with a central focus on the integration of digital technologies and media into classroom settings. The last few years has given education a great insight into its own practices. Between online classrooms during the pandemic and the rapid emergence of more powerful technologies, we educators have seen a growing need to reevaluate our classrooms, as well as work with new tech to enhance these learning environments. 

Among the many questions relating to technology in classrooms is the type of artifacts that we can design to better implement these technologies. While papers and discussion posts are valuable, they are certainly not an exhaustive list of the types of artifacts that can be utilized or developed for classrooms. Thus, the theme for this year is “Uncovering New Artifacts.” We invite abstracts on topics related to the following:

• Accessibility through multimodality 
• Evaluations of interactive technology and learning outcomes 
• Application of current educational evaluative metrics to multimodal classrooms
• Game-based learning theory and application
• Media, Communication, Pedagogical, and Philosophical theory pertaining to multimodality and education 
• Implementing multimodal projects in classrooms, including success or difficulties

This year, the conference will be remote. The conference will also feature a keynote address from Dr. Tore Olsson, an Associate Professor of History at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and author of Red Dead History.

Abstracts of no more than 500 words, for papers that can be presented in twenty to twenty-five minutes, should be sent to nash.meade@uky.edu. We will review and accept both individual and roundtable presentations (roundtables should be submitted as one abstract, with time slots equal to fifteen minutes per presenter). Please include your name(s), email(s), and institutional affiliation(s) in the body of the email, with the abstract attached as a Microsoft Word or PDF document prepared for anonymous review. The updated deadline for submission is March 31st at midnight EST. Abstracts will be reviewed and presenters notified by April 5th. The conference will take place via Zoom on May 2nd. If enough strong abstracts are submitted, we will consider turning it into a two-day event, taking place on May 3rd as well. Graduate students, faculty, and educationally-focused media developers are encouraged to apply. 

If you have any remaining questions, email nash.meade@uky.edu.