April 21: Winning Strategies for Esports Success
As more and more schools, districts and universities get involved in esports, the benefits for students and institutions alike are becoming hard to ignore. Start here for tips and best practices to help get your esports program to the next level.
9:00 – 9:50AM PT
Session 1: Running a District-wide Esports League
Kyle Berger, chief technology officer for a Texas district, was amazed by the response he received when he began working with students in his schools to set up an esports program. Kids who had never shown interest in any school-related activity suddenly vied to be part of the competitive teams, worried over grades that might disqualify them from participating and wore school athletic shirts with pride. In this session, you'll learn:
- How to convince your school leaders, teachers and parents that esports is worth adding
- What games to play and how to organize a schedule
- How to set up your esports labs
- How to choose the right gaming equipment and other technical considerations
- How to find and develop coaches
- How to work with students in designing an esports program
- What competitions are like
- What surprises esports might hold for you
Presenter
Kyle Berger, chief technology officer for Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District
Moderator:
Dian Schaffhauser, Content Editor, THE Journal
9:50AM – 10:00AM PT
Break/Twitter Chat
10:00AM – 10:50AM PT
Session 2: Creating Community in Esports through Inclusion and Diversity
Gaming is timeless, and games connect people. And at the university level, esports programs that prioritize that connection through inclusion and diversity ultimately result in success on all levels. In this session, the University of Montana will share how esports can give students a greater sense of community, dedication and purpose, while boosting their communication, collaboration and teamwork skills.
Presenters
Michael Cassens, assistant professor of media arts and director of esports, University of Montana, and Glenn Kneebone, program manager, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, University of Montana
Moderator:
Rhea Kelly, Executive Editor, Campus Technology
10:50AM – 11:00AM PT
Break/Twitter Chat
11:00AM – 11:50AM PT
Session 3: AV-Powered Esports Arenas Bring a Whole New Game to Higher Education
Esports is not only the hottest, fastest growing segment of online gaming, it’s also one of fastest growing areas of study in higher education. Forward-looking colleges and universities are moving quickly to create new gaming spaces on their campuses — for learning and for entertainment. In this session, AVIXA, the Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association, will moderate a panel with experts from Caldwell University and Full Sail University to discuss their recent esports projects and what it takes to create esports experiences that are as compelling as they are educational.
Panel topics include the importance of creating esports spaces on campus to attract and appeal to students; how to select the right technology for an installation; using AV tech to create flexible, multi-purpose esports spaces; measuring ROI of audiovisual esports installation; and much more.
Panelists:
- Anthony Yang, Executive Director, IT, Caldwell University
- Vince Lepore, Director, Events Technical Operations, Full Sail University
Moderators:
- Hanane Abdalla, Communications Manager, AVIXA
- Rhea Kelly, Executive Editor, Campus Technology
11:50AM – 12:30PM PT
Esports Editorial Led Twitter Chat