2,280 research outputs found

    Empathic mediators for distance learning courses

    Get PDF
    ConferĂȘncia Internacional realizada em Lisboa de 15-16 de novembro de 2018.Online distance learning introduces several challenges, such as the dependence of online tools, the asynchronous communication between teachers and students, and the lack of synchronous social engagement level that inclassroom teaching can leverage. The existence of an online tutor 24 hours/day would be an interesting asset to potentially work as an additional learning support tool. The Virtual Tutoring project aims at the development of solutions involving anthropomorphic 3D avatars that work as both virtual online tutors in the Moodle e-learning platform as well as coaches in a mobile application that interact empathically with the students by predicting their emotional state and selecting appropriate emotion regulation strategies. This paper presents the current status of the project, preliminary evaluations with students, and future developments.This work was developed in the context of the FCT project PTDC/IVC-PEC/3963/2014 with the support of the R&D units of his authors.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    Use and perceptions of second life by distance learners: comparison with other communication media

    Get PDF
    Research has demonstrated that the use of communication media in distance education can reduce the feeling of distance and isolation from peers and tutor, and provide opportunities for collaborative learning activities (Bates, 2005). The use of virtual worlds (VW) in education has increased in recent years, with Second Life (SL) being the most commonly used VW in higher education (Wang & Burton, 2012). There is a paucity of information available on students’ use and perceptions of SL in relation to other online communication media available to the distance learner. Consequently, in the study described here, this area was explored with a group of students registered in a part-time distance education Master’s program at a large UK University open to international students. A self-completion survey was designed to assess students’ use and perceptions of using SL compared with other communication media. The majority of students rated SL lower than other forms of communications media such as email, WebCT discussion boards, Skype, and Wimba for facilitating communication, promoting the formation of social networks, fostering a sense of community, and benefiting their learning.  It is possible that the results of this study were influenced by the lower frequency of use of SL in this program compared to other work reported on this subject. Further work is required to evaluate the effect of frequency of use of SL and availability of alternative communication media on students’ use and perceptions of this virtual world

    The impact of multimodal collaborative virtual environments on learning: A gamified online debate

    Get PDF
    Online learning platforms are integrated systems designed to provide students and teachers with information, tools and resources to facilitate and enhance the delivery and management of learning. In recent years platform designers have introduced gamification and multimodal interaction as ways to make online courses more engaging and immersive. Current Web-based platforms provide a limited degree of immersion in learning experiences, thereby diminishing potential learning impact. To improve immersion, it is necessary to stimulate some or all the human senses by engaging users in an environment that perceptually surrounds them and allows intuitive and rich interaction with other users and its content. Learning in these collaborative virtual environments (CVEs) can be aided by increasing motivation and engagement through the gamification of the educational task. This rich interaction that combines multimodal stimulation and gamification of the learning experience has the potential to draw students into the learning experience and improve learning outcomes. This paper presents the results of an experimental study designed to evaluate the impact of multimodal real-time interaction on user experience and learning of gamified educational tasks completed in a CVE. Secondary school teachers and students participated in the study. The multimodal CVE is an accurate reconstruction of the European Parliament in Brussels, developed using the REVERIE (Real and Virtual Engagement In Realistic Immersive Environment) framework. In the study, we compared the impact of the VR parliament to a non-multimodal control (an educational platform called Edu-Simulation) for the same educational tasks. Our results show that the multimodal CVE improves student learning performance and aspects of subjective experience when compared to the non-multimodal control. More specifically it resulted in a more positive effect on the ability of the students to generate ideas compared to a non-multimodal control. It also facilitated a sense of presence (strong emotional and a degree of spatial) for students in the VE. The paper concludes with a discussion of future work that focusses on combining the best features of both systems in a hybrid system to increase its educational impact and evaluate the prototype in real-world educational scenarios

    Using Virtual Worlds to Identify Multidimensional Student Engagement in High School Foreign Language Learning Classrooms

    Get PDF
    Virtual world environments have evolved from object-oriented, text-based online games to complex three-dimensional immersive social spaces where the lines between reality and computer-generated begin to blur. Educators use virtual worlds to create engaging three-dimensional learning spaces for students, but the impact of virtual worlds in comparison to the traditional face-to-face counterpart has been uncertain in terms of multidimensional student engagement. Research has a need to determine the impact of virtual worlds on student engagement in comparison to the traditional face-to-face environment. The study examined the effects of virtual world and face-to-face learning environments on high school foreign language students\u27 emotional, cognitive, and behavioral engagement, as well as combined engagement. A two-way MANOVA was used to determine the effect of traditional face-to-face and virtual world learning environments on combined student engagement. A 2 x 2 analysis of covariance was used to determine the effect of traditional face-to-face and virtual world learning environments on emotional student engagement. A 2 x 2 analysis of covariance was also used to determine the effect of traditional face-to-face and virtual world learning environments on cognitive student engagement. A t-test was used to determine the effect of traditional face-to-face and virtual world learning environments on behavioral engagement. The study did not find evidence of overall, cognitive, emotional, or behavioral engagement difference between the two learning environments. The findings indicate the virtual world environment is similar to the traditional face-to-face environment in terms of student engagement. School administrators and teachers can benefit from this research when determining effective means of creating highly engaging learning environments for students. Virtual worlds can be a medium for engaging learning opportunities for students in face-to-face and virtual schools. Additional research in this area is recommended to determine the impact of virtual worlds with different student populations and subject areas

    Using motivation derived from computer gaming in the context of computer based instruction

    Get PDF
    This paper was originally presented at the IEEE Technically Sponsored SAI Computing Conference 2016, London, 13-15 July 2016. Abstract— this paper explores how to exploit game based motivation as a way to promote engagement in computer-based instruction, and in particular in online learning interaction. The paper explores the human psychology of gaming and how this can be applied to learning, the computer mechanics of media presentation, affordances and possibilities, and the emerging interaction of playing games and how this itself can provide a pedagogical scaffolding to learning. In doing so the paper focuses on four aspects of Game Based Motivation and how it may be used; (i) the game player’s perception; (ii) the game designers’ model of how to motivate; (iii) team aspects and social interaction as a motivating factor; (iv) psychological models of motivation. This includes the increasing social nature of computer interaction. The paper concludes with a manifesto for exploiting game based motivation in learning

    Reflections on the use of Project Wonderland as a mixed-reality environment for teaching and learning

    Get PDF
    This paper reflects on the lessons learnt from MiRTLE?a collaborative research project to create a ?mixed reality teaching and learning environment? that enables teachers and students participating in real-time mixed and online classes to interact with avatar representations of each other. The key hypothesis of the project is that avatar representations of teachers and students can help create a sense of shared presence, engendering a greater sense of community and improving student engagement in online lessons. This paper explores the technology that underpins such environments by presenting work on the use of a massively multi-user game server, based on Sun?s Project Darkstar and Project Wonderland tools, to create a shared teaching environment, illustrating the process by describing the creation of a virtual classroom. It is planned that the MiRTLE platform will be used in several trial applications ? which are described in the paper. These example applications are then used to explore some of the research issues arising from the use of virtual environments within an education environment. The research discussion initially focuses on the plans to assess this within the MiRTLE project. This includes some of the issues of designing virtual environments for teaching and learning, and how supporting pedagogical and social theories can inform this process

    Gaming techniques and the product development process : commonalities and cross-applications

    Get PDF
    The use of computer-based tools is now firmly embedded within the product development process, providing a wide range of uses from visualisation to analysis. However, the specialisation required to make effective use of these tools has led to the compartmentalisation of expertise in design teams, resulting in communication problems between individual members. This paper therefore considers how computer gaming techniques and strategies could be used to enhance communication and group design activities throughout the product design process

    Towards a Contingency Theory of eLearning

    Get PDF
    This chapter proposes a contingency theory based model of eLearning. Using this theoretical lens the authors argue that given a virtual learning environment, there are ideal profiles of eLearning (“fit”) that result from a combination of learner engage- ment, learner style, learning task, and the appropriate leveraging of IT capabilities. Using this theoretical lens, the authors discuss how eLearning technologies can be classified into an eLearning technologies capabilities grid. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the implications of the proposed theoretical model and one illustration of “ideal profile” is described wherein bundles of information technology capabilities were utilized to enhance and augment the learning experience of the students

    ‘In the game’? Embodied subjectivity in gaming environments

    Get PDF
    Human-computer interactions are increasingly using more (or all) of the body as a control device. We identify a convergence between everyday bodily actions and activity within digital environments, and a trend towards incorporating natural or mimetic form of movement into gaming devices. We go on to reflect on the nature of player ‘embodiment’ in digital gaming environments by applying insights from the phenomenology of Maurice Merleau-Ponty. Three conditions for digital embodiment are proposed, with implications for Calleja’s (2011) Player Involvement Model (PIM) of gaming discussed
    • 

    corecore