Digital Collaborative Language Learning and Augmented Reality

This portfolio is a collection of works written by the author as he was studying in the Masters of Second Language Teaching program at Utah State University. The focus of these works is on technology and its impact on language learning. The first few sections consist of an introduction to the portfolio, a few pages dedicated to the author’s philosophy on second language teaching, and details and insights from an observation of a teacher in practice while in the program. The following section comprises the bulk of the portfolio and includes a paper devoted to augmented reality’s place in digital language learning. Then the author’s professional goals and plans centered around his teaching philosophy will be addressed

The Dynamics of Student Learning within a High School Virtual Reality Design Class

This mixed method study investigated knowledge and skill development of high school students in a project-based VR design class, in which 3-D projects were developed within a student-centered, student-directed environment. This investigation focused on student content learning, and problem solving. Additionally the social dynamics of the class and the role of peer mentoring were examined to determine how these factors influenced student behavior and learning. Finally, parent and teachers perceptions of the influence of the class were examined. The participants included freshmen through senior students, parents, teachers and the high school principal. Student interviews and classroom observations were used to collect data from students, while teachers and parents completed surveys. The results of this study suggested that this application of virtual reality (VR) learning environment promoted the development of; meaningful cognitive experiences, creativity, leadership, global socialization, problem solving and a deeper understanding of academic content. Further theoretical implications for 3-D virtual reality technology are exceedingly promising, and warrant additional research and development as an instructional tool for practical use

Student understanding of the Boltzmann factor

We present results of our investigation into student understanding of the physical significance and utility of the Boltzmann factor in several simple models. We identify various justifications, both correct and incorrect, that students use when answering written questions that require application of the Boltzmann factor. Results from written data as well as teaching interviews suggest that many students can neither recognize situations in which the Boltzmann factor is applicable, nor articulate the physical significance of the Boltzmann factor as an expression for multiplicity, a fundamental quantity of statistical mechanics. The specific student difficulties seen in the written data led us to develop a guided-inquiry tutorial activity, centered around the derivation of the Boltzmann factor, for use in undergraduate statistical mechanics courses. We report on the development process of our tutorial, including data from teaching interviews and classroom observations on student discussions about the Boltzmann factor and its derivation during the tutorial development process. This additional information informed modifications that improved students' abilities to complete the tutorial during the allowed class time without sacrificing the effectiveness as we have measured it. These data also show an increase in students' appreciation of the origin and significance of the Boltzmann factor during the student discussions. Our findings provide evidence that working in groups to better understand the physical origins of the canonical probability distribution helps students gain a better understanding of when the Boltzmann factor is applicable and how to use it appropriately in answering relevant questions

A Student-Dominant View of the Readiness to use Metaverse in Education: The TRI-F Framework

This paper reports on students' readiness for using Metaverse for education in a university in a developing country facing infrastructure and poverty challenges. Covid-19 forced many universities to adopt a hybrid approach to teaching and supervision. While online meeting technologies have become commonplace, there is a lack of the connectedness of face-to-face meetings, for which Metaverse is promoted as a solution. We pose the question as to the level of readiness of students to use Metaverse technologies. Thematic analysis of students' self-reflections on their experience of supervision in a 2D virtual world revealed the usefulness of the technology readiness index model, from which an extension to the model was proposed to include facilitators for the application of the technology that may mediate the motivators and inhibitors when assessing readiness to use Metaverse in education settings

Exploring English as an Additional Language Students’ Perceived Engagement in and Experience of Content Vocabulary Acquisition and Retention Through Immersive Virtual Reality Games

This thesis aimed to explore whether headset-mounted display virtual reality (HMD VR) games could serve as an innovative approach to enhance content vocabulary learning and foster subject content knowledge of Years 7 and 8 Middle Eastern students. Specifically, it aimed to measure these students’ content specific vocabulary acquisition and retention, examine their perceptions of and attitudes towards VR game-based learning, and offer best practices for educational institutions that support culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) learners

Teacher torque: A research project investigating student cognitive engagement through observations of non-verbal responses to certain forms of classroom questions

This research project investigates student cognitive engagement through observations of nonverbal responses to certain forms of classroom questions. The basic assumption of this thesis is that education is the intentional act of expanding or evolving each individual student\u27s model of the world. This study explores the non-verbal responses that various forms of questions generate in order to assess the level of student thinking that occurs as a direct result of the question. It looks at responses to closed, open and schema accessing questions to discover the role that they play in the expansion of student schema. The expected readership of this thesis is teacher educators who will be able to use this information to train teachers to use questions for fulfilling their educational outcomes. It investigates the assumption that questions cause people to think. and shows that not al1 forms of questions consistently do this. The link between questions and thinking was investigated by examination of brain research which shows that ..... blood flow level reflects the level of neural activity (Goldberg. 2001. p49) and Greenfield (2000. p23) who tells us The harder working the brain region. the greater it\u27s consumption [of brain nutrients] and the greater the blood flow to that site . An external manifestation of the level of brain activity was sought by filming the non-verbal responses of a small group of students to their teachers\u27 classroom questions. See pages 35-37 of the literature review where it reveals that eye movements are both caused and are caused by stimulation to specific brain areas, and that the activation of the brain could be clearly seen by teachers when they watched the eye movements of their students. The study showed that observation of more movements of the eyes meant activation of more areas of the brain. Therefore the chain of events found in this study is: when students are focussing on the lesson they may choose to either discard or respond to questions. The level of cognition caused by response to the questions can be assessed by observation of eye movements Gust as external eye tracking can be observed when reading, so eye movements can be seen while people are tracking internally _ that is thinking). Eye movements are indicative of brain activation such as memory and thinking so we can postulate that learning is the result of brain activity. Teachers can therefore assess the level of cognitive involvement occurring in response to the various forms of questions they ask by observing the eye movements of their students

Situated Immersive Gaming Environments for Irish Language Learning

In this thesis, three cycles of design based research are outlined, implementing a situated immersive virtual reality game for Irish language learning. It was undertaken in order to investigate a potential technological solution to improve the limited number of daily Irish adult speakers in Ireland, 3%. It examines the intersection between game based learning, Irish language learning and virtual reality technology and the methodological approach undertaken follows a design based research paradigm. The research focus is on motivation and anxiety through interaction with a virtual reality game. It offers several contributions to current literature including: The utilisation of the Second Language (L2) self-system system of motivation within a design based research methodological approach. The study disseminates the results of three cycles of a design based research experiment. It found an increase in vocabulary retention, reduction in anxiety towards Irish and a significant increase in attitudes towards learning Irish. It also highlights learner’s experience of a immersive situated game to learn Irish. The first case study was conducted with 7 participants from TU Dublin’s game design programme. This was a pilot study which confirmed the questionnaires and game design direction of the thesis moving forward. The results led to a redesign of the game following quantitative and qualitative feedback from participants. The second case study was conducted with 13 participants from TU Dublin’s Irish language classes. There were no statistically significant results found, however, there was a large reduction in the mean for Irish language anxiety and Irish language self confidence in participants after engaging with the virtual reality game. The results led to a redesign of the game following the quantitative and qualitative feedback from participants. In the third case study there were 10 participants from Marino Institute of Education. Statistically significant results were found with a 21% increase in vocabulary retention alongside a decrease in Irish language anxiety and an increase in attitudes towards iilearning Irish. Focus groups of the participants are explored through thematic analysis in order to corroborate the quantitative data. Participants validated the quantitative analysis and illustrated how the design of the VR game aided their motivation and vocabulary retention. The thesis concludes by providing a summary of the research questions and the results obtained and gives game design recommendations for future immersive situated games for Irish language learning

The student-produced electronic portfolio in craft education

The authors studied primary school students’ experiences of using an electronic portfolio in their craft education over four years. A stimulated recall interview was applied to collect user experiences and qualitative content analysis to analyse the collected data. The results indicate that the electronic portfolio was experienced as a multipurpose tool to support learning. It makes the learning process visible and in that way helps focus on and improves the quality of learning. © ISLS.Peer reviewe