Realism in the design process and credibility of a simulation-based virtual laboratory

The credibility of an instructional simulation is a most important issue in distance education, where it may replace hands-on activities. This credibility is based in large part upon verisimilitude, a perception strongly influenced by the simulation’s realism. This paper presents a case study encompassing the design process of a simulation-based virtual laboratory, which was guided by a realism principle, and an investigation of its credibility among potential users. We found that many characteristics of the environment associated with the design principle did favour its credibility, but that others had widely varying, even opposite effects among users. User’s prior experience was shown to play a crucial but intricate role in verisimilitude and credibility judgements

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Integrating Information Technology into Education edited by Deryn Watson and David Tinsley, London, Chapman & Hall, 1995, ISBN: 0–412–62250–5, 316 pages

E-Simulations for educating the professions in blended learning environments

This chapter introduces digital, role-based simulations as an emerging and powerful educational approach for the professions and for broader workforce development purposes. It is acknowledged that simulations used for education, professional development, and training, have a long history of development and use. The focus is on digital simulations (e-simulations) situated in blended learning environments and the improved affordances of the newer digital media used via the web to enhance the value of their contribution to learning and teaching in professional and vocationally-oriented fields. This is an area which has received less attention in the whole “e-learning” literature compared with the voluminous body of knowledge and practice on computer-mediated communication, online community building, social networking, and various forms of online (usually automated) assessment. A framework of blended e-simulation design is outlined. The chapter concludes by examining what the future might hold for simulations in further and higher education, and ongoing work-based learning

Coming Out of the Dungeon: Mathematics and Role-Playing Games

After hiding it for many years, I have a confession to make. Throughout middle school and high school my friends and I would gather almost every weekend, spending hours using numbers, probability, and optimization to build models that we could use to simulate almost anything. That’s right. My big secret is simple. I was a high school mathematical modeler. Of course, our weekend mathematical models didn’t bear any direct relationship to the models we explored in our mathematics and science classes. You would probably not even recognize our regular gatherings as mathematical exercises. If you looked into the room, you’d see a group of us gathered around a table, scribbling on sheets of paper, rolling dice, eating pizza, and talking about dragons, magical spells, and sword fighting. So while I claim we were engaged in mathematical modeling, I suspect that very few math classes built models like ours. After all, how many math teachers have constructed or had their students construct a mathematical representation of a dragon, a magical spell, or a swordfight? And yet, our role-playing games (RPGs) were very much mathematical models of reality — certainly not the reality of our everyday experience, but a reality nonetheless, one intended to simulate a particular kind of world. Most often for us this was the medieval, high-fantasy world of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), but we also played games with science fiction or modern-day espionage settings. We learned a lot about math, mythology, medieval history, teamwork, storytelling, and imagination in the process. And, when existing games were inadequate vehicles for our imagination, we modified them or created new ones. In doing so, we learned even more about math. Now that I am a mathematics professor, I find myself reflecting on those days as a “fantasy modeler” and considering various questions. What is the relationship between my two interests of fantasy games and mathematics? Does having been a gamer make me a better mathematician or modeler? Does my mathematical experience make me a better gamer? These different aspects of my life may seem mostly unconnected; indeed, the “nerd” stereotype is associated with both activities, but despite public perception, the community of role-players includes many people who are not scientifically-minded. So we cannot say that role-players like math, or math-lovers role-play, because “that is simply what nerds do.” To get at the deeper question of how mathematics and role-playing are related, we first need to look at the processes of gaming, game designing, and modeling

The Credibility of Simulation-Based Environments: User Judgments of Verisimilitude

Few studies have investigated the credibility of computer simulations, from the user’s perspective. This thesis tackles the credibility question, construed as inextricably linked to the judgments of actors who deal with simulations. The theoretical part of this work consists in a typology of credibility-related judgments pertaining to various media . This analysis leads to the development of a judgment construct applying specifically to interactive simulation, and based on the notion of verisimilitude, the quality of appearing true or real. The empirical part is an exploratory study that investigated the perceptions of potential users of a simulation-based learning environment (the VPLab). This study aimed to show the pertinence of verisimilitude in examining credibility discourse, and to explore themes for future research. Its specific objectives were to uncover: (1) users’ preoccupations and representations relating to the VPLab’s verisimilitude, (2) the cues enabling users to make judgments about the VPLab, and (3) the roles played by such cues in the expression of judgments. Following a qualitative and descriptive approach, the investigation included in-depth interviews with thirteen university science students. As part of the results, several varied research themes were developed and the complex nature of user verisimilitude judgments was highlighted. Furthermore, connections appeared between these judgments and individual traits of users, such as prior use of certain computer applications. The influence of various aspects of the environment on its verisimilitude was also considered. ----- [Version française] ---->>>> Peu d’ouvrages traitent de la crédibilité des simulations informatiques, du point de vue de leurs utilisateurs. Ce mémoire examine cette question sous l’angle des jugements de divers acteurs concernés par ces technologies. Son volet théorique définit une typologie de jugements associés à la crédibilité de divers media et propose un concept de jugement propre aux simulations interactives, fondé sur la notion de vraisemblance. Son volet empirique consiste en une étude exploratoire des perceptions des utilisateurs potentiels d’un environnement d’apprentissage fondé sur la simulation (le laboratoire virtuel de physique). Cette étude visait à démontrer la pertinence du concept de jugement de vraisemblance dans l’analyse de discours traitant de crédibilité, et à explorer des pistes de recherche future dans ce domaine. Les objectifs spécifiques de l’étude étaient de mettre au jour (1) les préoccupations et représentations des utilisateurs à l’égard de la vraisemblance de l’environnement, (2) les repères sur lesquels ils s’appuient pour poser des jugements et (3) les rôles que jouent ces repères dans ceux-ci. L’approche qualitative et descriptive retenue s’appuyait principalement sur des entrevues en profondeur auprès de treize étudiants universitaires. L’étude a permis d’explorer de nombreux thèmes de recherche inédits; ses résultats ont mis en relief le caractère complexe des jugements et fait apparaître des relations entre ces derniers et des caractéristiques des utilisateurs, telles que leurs antécédents en matière d’usage d’applications informatiques. L’influence de divers éléments ou caractéristiques de l’environnement sur les jugements a également été examinée

Updating the art history curriculum: incorporating virtual and augmented reality technologies to improve interactivity and engagement

Master's Project (M.Ed.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2017This project investigates how the art history curricula in higher education can borrow from and incorporate emerging technologies currently being used in art museums. Many art museums are using augmented reality and virtual reality technologies to transform their visitors' experiences into experiences that are interactive and engaging. Art museums have historically offered static visitor experiences, which have been mirrored in the study of art. This project explores the current state of the art history classroom in higher education, which is historically a teacher-centered learning environment and the learning effects of that environment. The project then looks at how art museums are creating visitor-centered learning environments; specifically looking at how they are using reality technologies (virtual and augmented) to transition into digitally interactive learning environments that support various learning theories. Lastly, the project examines the learning benefits of such tools to see what could (and should) be implemented into the art history curricula at the higher education level and provides a sample section of a curriculum demonstrating what that implementation could look like. Art and art history are a crucial part of our culture and being able to successfully engage with it and learn from it enables the spread of our culture through digital means and of digital culture

Selecting Serious Games for the Computer Science Class

The aim of this paper was to investigate models to select serious games for use in the computer science class. The lack of a useful framework to select serious games that meet the teaching and learning objectives presented a significant obstacle when serious games where introduced into tertiary education. This paper briefly discusses three frameworks, the RETAIN model, the four-dimensional framework, and the magic bullet model. Lecturers evaluated serious games using the guidelines suggested by each of these models and their perceptions of the models were captured using a short questionnaire. Using descriptive analysis to analyse the data, the results are that lecturers prefer the four-dimensional framework when considering and selecting serious games as a teaching tool in the computer science class. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n21p39

Impact of Personalized Interactive Storytelling on Suspension of Disbelief in Clinical Simulation

The literature review found suspension of disbelief (SOD) in clinical simulation heavily weighted on educators alone within high-fidelity environments. The project examined a co-created narrative background story applied to a simulated patient’s clinical profile to determine achieving an improved connectedness toward the simulated patient leading to enhanced SOD and enhanced levels of learning and reaction. The studied population was third-semester associate degree nursing students over 18 years of age with prior clinical simulation experience who were not repeating the semester. The research methodology used a quantitative experimental design with cluster sampling, randomization, and post-Likert-scored questionnaires. The intervention group co-created personalized storytelling narratives for the simulated patient’s clinical profile. After the clinical simulation activity, both intervention and control groups completed questionnaires examining their ability to achieve SOD during the activity and their levels and reaction and learning. Results using two-tailed t tests indicated the intervention revealed an enhanced level of presence during the participation. The improved presence revealed a positive, engaging experience applicable to future nursing roles and enhanced knowledge, skills, and confidence. Conclusions were drawn that applying co-created storytelling to a simulated patient’s clinical profile improves presence, suggesting an enhanced ability to achieve SOD during the activity. Recommendations for future research projects include studying storytelling in clinical simulation with a larger sample size and having participants create an entire clinical profile, analyzing the influence of emotional position toward simulation on SOD, and maintaining usage of intervention once learned

Exploring a Culture of Learning with Technology: An Ethnographic Content Analysis of the Activity of Learning with Educational iPad Apps

This study explored the culture of learning with educational iPad apps using activity theory as a guiding framework. First, the top nine educational apps were tracked in the Top Charts section of Apple’s App Store for a duration of four months. The nine sampled apps, selected based on their frequency of appearance, included Toca Hair Salon 2, Stack the States, Endless Alphabet, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Wildlife Count Along, Wild Kratts Creature Power World Adventure, Wallykazam! Letter and Word Magic, Starfall Learn to Read, Dr. Panda’s Restaurant 2, and Bug Art. The descriptions, version updates, app content, and customer reviews for each app were digitized, coded, and analyzed in Dedoose using the Activity Checklist. Additionally instructional analysis diagrams were developed to provide insight into the user interface and actions. Results of the study were presented in the form of nine portraits. The overview and relevant instructional characteristics were detailed for each app. The final chapter examined the broader implications of the app experience. The technology, the instruction, the adult guide, and the App Store were identified as mediating factors that contributed to the dynamic app culture