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UCI Esports Conference 2020: Where Research Meets Practice

events featured partner Sep 23, 2020
UCI Esports Conference 2020: Where Research Meets Practice

The Connected Learning Lab and Esports department at the University of California, Irvine are excited to work in close collaboration with the North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF) and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) for the third annual Esports Conference (ESC), October 8-9, 2020.

As professional and collegiate esports have garnered much attention over the past five years, high school and middle school educators are now actively building esports into curricular and extracurricular spaces. Through the addition of a scholastic track, NASEF and NAE will dive deeper into what’s happening in the K-12 world, both nationally and internationally. UCI ESC aims to bring the communities and people of this growing phenomenon together for the benefit of all.

NASEF, NAE, and UCI Esports are fielding a stellar line-up of presenters, panelists, and workshop leaders at their upcoming virtual conference, ESC 2020. The event will provide valuable insights into scholastic esports programs and the depth of learning that is possible through them.

There will be sessions throughout the day on October 8 and 9, plus a special pre-conference discussion on the evening of October 7, 2020. Tickets are $149 for researchers, practitioners, and educators. Discounted tickets will be offered to students. Visit esportsconference.uci.edu for details and to register.

NASEF is hosting the Middle & High School track of the event. Sessions will run in parallel for Research and Collegiate tracks. With three different tracks, plenty of breaks, a collegiate invitational finals, plus many opportunities to network and play together, this virtual experience promises to be both fun and educational.

Highlights: October 7 and 8

A pre-event panel will discuss Confronting Racism on the evening of October 7. As the conference opens on October 8, attendees will hear from researchers from the University of Limerick, who will make Esports Science Research Lab Keynote Presentations. The afternoon’s sessions wrap up with a poster session featuring insights into esports and education. Morgan Romine, PhD, Director of Initiatives at AnyKey, will then present a keynote on Strategies for Meaningful Change: Fostering Diversity and Inclusion in Esports. The day will wrap up with the exciting “Best Coast Invitational Finals,” featuring more than a dozen collegiate teams.

Highlights: October 9

Anthony Salcito, Vice President of Education at Microsoft, will kick off the day on October 9 with the education keynote. Salcito leads the worldwide execution of Microsoft’s vision for education, working to help empower educators and inspire students to achieve more. He aims to transform the way we learn with the support of the best technology to help build critical skills for the modern, global workplace.

The final keynote On October 9 will feature Tricia Saito, CEO at FlyQuest, discussing Building A Successful Esports Brand. The closing session will allow you to leverage the diversity and caliber of attendees and presenters at networking and career events.

Throughout each day, leaders in scholastic esports will share their experience building programs to maximize the learning potential of esports. Presenters in NASEF’s track include well-known pioneers in the industry: James O’ Hagan, Chris Aviles, Tyler Hahn, Steve Isaacs, and others. NASEF’s Jorrel Batac, Laylah Bulman, and Holly Steele will also present.

Middle & High School topics include:

  •        Staying Connected: Scholastic Esports in a Virtual / Hybrid Environment
  •        Developing Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility in School-Based Esports
  •        The IT of Esports: How to Prepare Your School District
  •        Theorycrafting: Engaging students in Quantitative Analysis through Gaming and Esports
  •        Student Perspectives: Future of High School Scholastic Esports
  •        and many others 

Topics from the Research and Collegiate tracks include:

  •        Shoutcasting Coursework and the Academic Future of Esports
  •        Fundraising and Revenue in College Esports
  •        Amplifying Voices: Finding Diversity in Esports
  •        An Analysis of Global Academic Esports Degree Programs
  •        and more

Don’t miss this exciting virtual event! From the speakers to the “lunch & games” breaks, you’ll learn how to establish and grow quality scholastic esports programs, plus make valuable connections with others.

Get tickets at esportsconference.uci.edu.

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