The use of virtual environments as an extended classroom – A case study with adult learners in tertiary education

This study was conducted in immersive 3D virtual environment Second Life®, with the support of web 2.0 tools as a complement to physical classroom - extended classroom. It was assumed that socialization is a key factor for collaborative learning and knowledge construction. The study aims to identify the variables that may influence knowledge sharing in learning contexts using virtual environments; with the aim of contributing to the improvement of learning situations using the online tools. This research is exploratory in nature and falls within the field of phenomenological studies. The study was implemented in a tertiary education institution involving regular and adult learners. We conclude that in virtual environments learners tend to feel more confident, open, participatory, creative, understanding and seem to participate in training sessions because they are indeed interested in learning. On the other hand, the possibility of providing online tutorial session allows reaching a larger number of learners. These online sessions can be established in a time and place (virtual) free of constraints and can be tailored, allowing a more effective participation from learners.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Designing the Organizational Metaverse for Effective Socialization

The metaverse is a virtual world that merges physical, virtual, and augmented reality, enabling collaboration between online users and offering limitless opportunities for connectivity and integration. While the metaverse has gained significant attention in organizations, it presents social challenges as organizations have unprecedented insight and influence over individuals\u27 thoughts and beliefs. Our review is based on a theoretical framework and examines the impact of the environment, collaboration, avatars, and individual behavior on organizational socialization. We develop a conceptual model for the socialization process in the metaverse, contributing to a deep understanding of this emerging field and providing a research agenda for future work

A Digital Game Maturity Model

Game development is an interdisciplinary concept that embraces artistic, software engineering, management, and business disciplines. Game development is considered as one of the most complex tasks in software engineering. Hence, for successful development of good-quality games, the game developers must consider and explore all related dimensions as well as discussing them with the stakeholders involved. This research facilitates a better understanding of important dimensions of digital game development methodology. The increased popularity of digital games, the challenges faced by game development organizations in developing quality games, and severe competition in the digital game industry demand a game development process maturity assessment. Consequently, this study presents a Digital Game Maturity Model to evaluate the current development methodology in an organization. The objective is first to identify key factors in the game development process, then to classify these factors into target groups, and eventually to use this grouping as a theoretical basis for proposing a maturity model for digital game development. In doing so, the research focuses on three major stakeholders in game development: developers, consumers, and business management. The framework of the proposed model consists of assessment questionnaires made up of key identified factors from three empirical studies, a performance scale, and a rating method. The main goal of the questionnaires is to collect information about current processes and practices. This research contributes towards formulating a comprehensive and unified strategy for game development process maturity assessment. The proposed model was evaluated with two case studies from the digital game industry

Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) art in care of ageing society: focus on dementia

open access articleBackground: Art enhances both physical and mental health wellbeing. The health benefits include reduction in blood pressure, heart rate, pain perception and briefer inpatient stays, as well as improvement of communication skills and self-esteem. In addition to these, people living with dementia benefit from reduction of their noncognitive, behavioural changes, enhancement of their cognitive capacities and being socially active. Methods: The current study represents a narrative general literature review on available studies and knowledge about contribution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in creative arts. Results: We review AI visual arts technologies, and their potential for use among people with dementia and care, drawing on similar experiences to date from traditional art in dementia care. Conclusion: The virtual reality, installations and the psychedelic properties of the AI created art provide a new venue for more detailed research about its therapeutic use in dementia

Personalization in cultural heritage: the road travelled and the one ahead

Over the last 20 years, cultural heritage has been a favored domain for personalization research. For years, researchers have experimented with the cutting edge technology of the day; now, with the convergence of internet and wireless technology, and the increasing adoption of the Web as a platform for the publication of information, the visitor is able to exploit cultural heritage material before, during and after the visit, having different goals and requirements in each phase. However, cultural heritage sites have a huge amount of information to present, which must be filtered and personalized in order to enable the individual user to easily access it. Personalization of cultural heritage information requires a system that is able to model the user (e.g., interest, knowledge and other personal characteristics), as well as contextual aspects, select the most appropriate content, and deliver it in the most suitable way. It should be noted that achieving this result is extremely challenging in the case of first-time users, such as tourists who visit a cultural heritage site for the first time (and maybe the only time in their life). In addition, as tourism is a social activity, adapting to the individual is not enough because groups and communities have to be modeled and supported as well, taking into account their mutual interests, previous mutual experience, and requirements. How to model and represent the user(s) and the context of the visit and how to reason with regard to the information that is available are the challenges faced by researchers in personalization of cultural heritage. Notwithstanding the effort invested so far, a definite solution is far from being reached, mainly because new technology and new aspects of personalization are constantly being introduced. This article surveys the research in this area. Starting from the earlier systems, which presented cultural heritage information in kiosks, it summarizes the evolution of personalization techniques in museum web sites, virtual collections and mobile guides, until recent extension of cultural heritage toward the semantic and social web. The paper concludes with current challenges and points out areas where future research is needed

Virtual MET Institution : assessing the potentials and challenges of applying multi-user virtual environment in maritime education and training

The dissertation is a study to assess the potentials and challenges in the use of Multi-User Virtual Environment (MUVE) in Maritime Education and Training (MET) context. Virtual technology is growing at fast pace. The applications of MUVE are being utilized by numerous institutions across many educational professions. However, the area of utilizing MUVE in MET is still very limited. At the time being, it is indicated that there is possibility to take advantages of MUVE to create: (1) an enhance learning environment, (2) collaboration tools to support the distributed knowledge community, and (3) new modes of distance learning. METs are facing with several contemporary issues. There are necessities to foster the learning experience of future seafarers, to promote expertise exchange, and to continuously support its community of practice from distance. The investigation of MUVE’s characteristics and its applications suggests chances to tackle the such issues. Obviously, assessing the potentials and challenges of applying MUVE in MET become critical. The assessment tasks are conducted by examining the potentials that an institution can benefit as well as challenges that it would face. Then it is repositioned into MET contexts by taking into account the reality of MET’s culture and practices. The outcomes of the assessments indicate the affordance of MUVE for educational activities in MET institutions. Being aware of the limitations of the research itself, a number of recommendations are made concerning the need for further investigation in the subject

A Gamification Engine Architecture for Enhancing Behavioral Change Support Systems

This paper presents a gamified framework designed to offer behavioural change support and treatment adherence services to people living with Dementia (PLWD), their caregivers and medical/social professionals

Can You Hear Us Now? Investigating the Effects of a Wireless Grid Social Radio Station on Collaboration and Communication in Fragile Populations

The ability to interact with peers and coworkers in online digital networks is essential in learning and business environments. Our digital participatory culture is based on communication in response to purposeful activity and is facilitated by information and communication technologies (ICT). Students with emotional, behavioral, and learning disabilities are often disengaged and excluded from this knowledge-building conversation. This disengagement results in a cycle of failure exhibited through diminished self-efficacy and inadequate academic and emotional self-regulation. A critical goal of those who work with these students is to bolster their resilience, persistence, participatory, and communicative skills--to invite them back into the conversation. This research study investigated the potential for wireless grids technologies to serve as a viable infrastructure for students in a therapeutic high school setting to participate in digital social networks. Using social cognitive theory as a theoretical framework and activity theory as a conceptual framework, this study specifically investigated how a wireless grids implementation of the WeJay Social Radio Edgeware Gridlet was used to positively impact perceived self-efficacy and academic and emotional self-regulation associated with written and oral communication. This study also investigated how a digital networked environment could extend and enhance current methods used by school staff and programs to address cognitive, emotional, and behavioral issues affecting student socialization and learning in a therapeutic high school setting. The supports, resources, and opportunities for collaboration and socialization in the networked environment of the research space proved motivating for students and staff, and fostered academic, emotional, and behavioral self-regulation and positive self-efficacy for written and oral communications as evidenced by the artifacts and radio shows produced by students. Furthermore, students and staff participants expressed their interest in continuing to use WeJay. The outcomes of this research study suggest that informal, interest-based learning should take place in school. For some students, school is the only place they will have access to the technology and supports required to engage in powerful informal learning experiences. For fragile populations, these experiences may provide opportunities for success that have eluded students in formal, teacher-directed, curriculum-driven educational settings

Sotsiaalmeedia hariduses: sotsiaalmeediaga õpetamise kontekstualiseerimine keskhariduse tasemel

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsiooneSotsiaalmeediast on saanud võimas internetivõrgustike loomise, suhtlemise ja teabe levitamise vahend. Need lubavused (sh kasutusmugavus) teevad võimalikuks sotsiaalmeedia rakendamise erinevates kontekstides – asjaolu, mis äratab erinevates valdkondades üha suuremat huvi. Huvi sotsiaalmeedia kasutamise vastu õppetöös on küll kasvav, kuid selle kasutamise efekt on uuringute lõikes ebaselge ega kajasta sotsiaalmeedia tunnustatud lubavusi Näiteks on sotsiaalmeedia kasutamine õppetöös potentsiaalselt õpilasekeskne ja konstruktivistlik, ent see potentsiaal ei ole praktikas veel selgelt realiseerunud. Siinse doktoritöö eesmärk on ühelt poolt aidata õpetajatel mõista ja hinnata sotsiaalmeedia regulaarse kasutamise vajadust, et saavutada kontroll selle kasutamise üle ja tajuda ka selle pedagoogiliselt väärtuslikke lubavusi. Teisalt võimaldab doktoritöö õpetajatel nende vahendite kasutust enda jaoks sõnastada, kontekstualiseerides need lubavused oma õpetamistegevustes. Doktoritöö seisukoht on, et tehnoloogia tõhusaks kasutamiseks tuleb õpetajatel liikuda operatsiooniliselt kasutuselt sisulisele kasutusele, mis tähendab sotsiaalmeedias õpetamisvõimaluste nägemist. Doktoritöö raames intervjueerisime keskkooliõpetajaid. Ühelt poolt selleks, et koguda nende mõtteid, arusaamu ja probleeme sotsiaalmeediaga õpetamisel, teisalt soovisime lasta õpetajatel näidata, kuidas nad sotsiaalmeediaga õpetavad ja õppevara ette valmistavad. Leidsime, et pedagoogilisi lubavusi kirjeldatakse läbi avatuse määra, mis tähendab, et erinevalt operatsioonilisest kasutusest ei saa sisulist kasutust eelnevalt kindlaks määrata, vaid see ilmneb õpetaja ja sotsiaalmeedia vahelises suhtes. Järelikult on väga vajalik viia uuenduslikul viisil kokku operatsioonilised oskused ja kogemused, mis pärinevad sellistest regulaarsetest suhetest. Mõistete operatsioonilised lubavused (ingl operational affordances) ja sisulised lubavused (ingl contextual affordances) kasutuselevõtt on seega samm tehnoloogia tõhusa kasutamise nüansside mõistmise suunas. Samuti näitab meie välja pakutud raamistik praktiliselt, kuidas neid mõisteid operatsionaliseerida.Social media (SM) has become a powerful tool for online networking, communication, socializing, and information dissemination. These affordances (including ease of use) give SM usage leverage in different contexts, thus attracting growing interest in diverse disciplines. While interest in the educational use of SM is growing, the outcomes and benefits are unclear across studies and do not reflect its acclaimed affordances. For example, SM use in the classroom is potentially student-centered and constructivist-driven; however, such potential has not yet clearly materialized in practice. On the one hand, this doctoral research seeks to help teachers understand and appreciate the need for regular relationships with SM tools to both gain control of its operations and perceive its pedagogical affordances. On the other hand, the research aims at enabling teachers to articulate the use of SM by contextualizing its affordances in their teaching activities. For teachers to effectively use technology, the present work states that it is important to move from operational use to contextual use, which means seeing teaching options through the lens of SM. We conducted interviews with high school teachers: firstly, to collect their thoughts, insights and problems regarding teaching with SM, and secondly, to let teachers demonstrate how they prepare and teach with SM. We found that pedagogical affordances are characterized by a degree of openness, which means that, unlike operational use, contextual use cannot be determined beforehand but emerges in a regular relationship between the teacher and SM. Consequently, it is imperative to innovatively combine operational skills with the experience that comes from such regular relationships. So, our introduction of the terms operational and contextual affordances is a step towards understanding the nuances in effectively using technology. Also, our proposed framework practically demonstrates how to operationalize these conceptshttps://www.ester.ee/record=b549313