Developing serious games for cultural heritage: a state-of-the-art review

Although the widespread use of gaming for leisure purposes has been well documented, the use of games to support cultural heritage purposes, such as historical teaching and learning, or for enhancing museum visits, has been less well considered. The state-of-the-art in serious game technology is identical to that of the state-of-the-art in entertainment games technology. As a result, the field of serious heritage games concerns itself with recent advances in computer games, real-time computer graphics, virtual and augmented reality and artificial intelligence. On the other hand, the main strengths of serious gaming applications may be generalised as being in the areas of communication, visual expression of information, collaboration mechanisms, interactivity and entertainment. In this report, we will focus on the state-of-the-art with respect to the theories, methods and technologies used in serious heritage games. We provide an overview of existing literature of relevance to the domain, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the described methods and point out unsolved problems and challenges. In addition, several case studies illustrating the application of methods and technologies used in cultural heritage are presented

Instructional Message Design: Theory, Research, and Practice (Volume 2)

Message design is all around us, from the presentations we see in meetings and classes, to the instructions that come with our latest tech gadgets, to multi-million-dollar training simulations. In short, instructional message design is the real-world application of instructional and learning theories to design the tools and technologies used to communicate and effectively convey information. This field of study pulls from many applied sciences including cognitive psychology, industrial design, graphic design, instructional design, information technology, and human performance technology to name just a few. In this book we will visit several foundational theories that guide our research, look at different real-world applications, and begin to discuss directions for future best practice. For instance, cognitive load and multimedia learning theories provide best practice, virtual reality and simulations are only a few of the multitude of applications. Special needs learners and designing for online, e-learning, and web conferencing are only some of many applied areas where effective message design can improve outcomes. Studying effective instructional message design tools and techniques has and will continue to be a critical aspect of the overall instructional design process. Hopefully, this book will serve as an introduction to these topics and inspire your curiosity to explore further

Instructional Message Design: Theory, Research, and Practice (Volume 2)

Message design is all around us, from the presentations we see in meetings and classes, to the instructions that come with our latest tech gadgets, to multi-million-dollar training simulations. In short, instructional message design is the real-world application of instructional and learning theories to design the tools and technologies used to communicate and effectively convey information. This field of study pulls from many applied sciences including cognitive psychology, industrial design, graphic design, instructional design, information technology, and human performance technology to name just a few. In this book we visit several foundational theories that guide our research, look at different real-world applications, and begin to discuss directions for future best practice. For instance, cognitive load and multimedia learning theories provide best practice, virtual reality and simulations are only a few of the multitude of applications. Special needs learners and designing for online, e-learning, and web conferencing are only some of many applied areas where effective message design can improve outcomes. Studying effective instructional message design tools and techniques has and will continue to be a critical aspect of the overall instructional design process. Hopefully, this book will serve as an introduction to these topics and inspire your curiosity to explore further!https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/distancelearning_books/1003/thumbnail.jp

Best Practice for Casualty Simulation - Role-playing Actor, High Fidelity Mannequin Simulation, or Virtual Reality?

Objective: The purpose of this systemic review of the literature is to determine the best practice with regards to simulating casualties during a disaster response exercise. Methods: MEDLINE was searched from 1950 till present for the key terms of disaster, simulation, and emergency preparedness. Articles were included which met the following criteria: English language, human subjects, original research using any research design (with or without intervention), and primary focus of disaster preparedness using simulation, virtual reality, or role playing actors. Results: Of the 386 articles reviewed only 18 met inclusion criteria. The literature is primarily descriptive in nature with regards to simulation in disaster preparedness. Seven articles (38%) were analytical in study design with the rest being observational or descriptive. The populations varied widely among the included articles ranging from participants at a formal training class to medical students to residents and finally nurses and full trained physicians. The majority of studies including the analytical ones used convenience sampling. These articles were assigned a level of evidence and best practice recommendations and conclusions were then determined. Conclusions: The results show that virtual reality and high-fidelity mannequin based simulation are at least equivalent to the traditional full scale exercise. In addition, both modalities have the advantage of allowing invasive procedures to be performed as well as giving a more realistic time frame experience for the participant. These modalities can be incorporated into future disaster response drills in order to complement each individual modalities strengths and weaknesses

'Breaking the glass': preserving social history in virtual environments

New media technologies play an important role in the evolution of our society. Traditional museums and heritage sites have evolved from the ‘cabinets of curiosity’ that focused mainly on the authority of the voice organising content, to the places that offer interactivity as a means to experience historical and cultural events of the past. They attempt to break down the division between visitors and historical artefacts, employing modern technologies that allow the audience to perceive a range of perspectives of the historical event. In this paper, we discuss virtual reconstruction and interactive storytelling techniques as a research methodology and educational and presentation practices for cultural heritage sites. We present the Narrating the Past project as a case study, in order to illustrate recent changes in the preservation of social history and guided tourist trails that aim to make the visitor’s experience more than just an architectural walk through

Designing Authentic Cybersecurity Learning Experiences: Lessons from the Cybermatics Playable Case Study

This paper reports our work on an educational simulation that we call the Playable Case Study (PCS). A PCS is characterized by a fictitious narrative integrated with real-world learning activities, helping students learn skills, knowledge, and dispositions relevant to a professional career. We describe a recent pilot test of a PCS focused on the discipline of cybersecurity, emphasizing the kinds of tensions and difficulties that can arise during the development of immersive, experiential learning experiences: a) challenges accompanying the work of interdisciplinary PCS teams, particularly maintaining technical accuracy while still developing an authentic and engaging narrative; b) reconciling the opportunities provided by the philosophy of the simulation with the need to scaffold educational experiences to support students’ capabilities; and c) integrating the PCS into the classroom environment. We also provide design recommendations, in the form of questions that others can consider if they are attempting to create similar educational experiences

Exercise Control And Performance Measures Feedback Requirements For Distributed Interactive Simulation: Proposed IEEE Draft Standard

Report defines the protocol data units used to provide data concerning simulated entity states and the types of entity interactions that take place in distributed interactive simulation