NWALLT 2027

Save the dates

June 25th & 26th, 2027 (Fri. & Sat.)

In-Person Location

University of Washington, Seatttle
(Presenters must join in-person | Online attendance is an option for non-presenters)

Theme

Serious Games for Language Learning in Educational Contexts

Description

NWALLT 2027 invites individuals from all over the world to participate in this hybrid conference which will focus specifically on various types of serious games for language learning that are used in an educational context as part of a curriculum, whether inside or outside the classroom. Serious games vary by educational domain and target audience, however “many scholars and practitioners see serious games as involving fun, as well as being educational, engaging, impactful, meaningful, and purposeful” as a general definition (Vorderer & Ritterfeld 2009, p. 24). For language learning, a successful serious game will allow students to transfer what they learned in a game to a real life context. For the purposes of this conference, we invite proposals that focus on either digital games or tabletop games.

Over the past decades, there have been many advances in gaming, but the development serious gaming for language learning has been comparatively challenging due to the complicated junction of language aquisition with engaging gameplay, especially with respect to the concepts of meaningful communication and meaningful gameplay. Another major challenge is integrating gaming into a classroom curriculum or context that is already overtaxed. This conference will be a space to examine these problems from various perspectives. In addition to interest presentations from researchers and pedagogists, we will have group discussions around some of the most pressing topics.

Cody, M., Vorderer, P., & Ritterfeld, U. (2009). Part I Serious Games: Explication of an Oxymoron. In Serious Games. Taylor & Francis Group.

Keynote

Jonathon Reinhardt, PhD (University of Arizona)

Submenu

Photo Gallery from the most recent NWALLT/SWALLT conference

Registration:

Info coming soon!

Program (draft):

Friday, June 25th

• 1:00pmArrival / Check-in / Meet and greet w/ snacks
• 1:45pmWelcome
• 2:00pmKeynote
• 4:00pmLab and Campus Tour
• 5:30pmGroup Dinner

Saturday, June 26th

• 9:30Coffee and Chat
• 10:00-12:00Presentations
• 12:00-1:00Lunch
• 1:00-1:30Group Discussion 1
• 1:30-3:30Presentations
• 3:45-4:45Group Discussion 2
• 4:45-5:00Wrap-up

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Location of Conference:

Denny Hall, Room 159 & Zoom

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Safety:

While every city, town, etc. has safety concerns and no where is without risk, we are providing the following map to show some areas near campus that are generally considered to be less safe than others. The RED area to the north of campus is probably the least safe at night, particularly to the north of Denny Hall (on the other side of 45th), which is Greek Row. The YELLOW area to the west is filled with student housing and restaurants serving the campus community. To the Northeast is 'University Village' which is a higher end shopping complex that has security and is usually fairly safe. If you are looking for a late night grocery store to take an UBER/LYFT/TAXI to (or if you are staying at a nearby hotel), there is a 24 hour QFC in the complex. Again, please note that we can't guarantee or predict anything, but are simply providing some local awareness for those who might be interested.

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Transportation:

Light Rail

Seattle has a light rail which runs from Seatac Airport (you can walk from the arrivals terminal to the light rail station) to the UW campus. There are two stops for the UW, the second stop "U District" is the closest to most hotels and to Denny Hall.

More information on the light rail can be found here: https://www.soundtransit.org/Schedules/Link-light-rail

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Lodging:

Walking Distance:

Watertown Hotel - A Staypineapple Hotel

University Inn - A Staypineapple Hotel

Residence Inn by Marriott Seattle University District

Silver Cloud Hotel Seattle - University District

Short Drive Away:

Mildred's Bed and Breakfast

Greenlake Guest House

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Location of Friday Night's Dinner:

TBP

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Contact:

Host:

University of Washington Language Learning Center

Denny Hall, Room 162 Box 353140 Seattle, WA 98195

website

nwallt@uw.edu

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Past Conferences

NWALLT/SWALLT 2018 Joint Conference

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