Background: Most policy doctrines promote the use of scientific inquiry in the K-12 classroom, but good inquiry is hard to implement, particularly for schools with fiscal and safety constraints and for teachers struggling with understanding how to do so. Purpose: In this paper, we present the design of a multi-user virtual environment (MUVE)…

Background: Many of the potential benefits of using virtual worlds for teaching and learning are difficult to define and often become overly focused on the functionality of the technology or on its ability to support informal or "social" forms of learning. Purpose: The aim of the paper is to highlight the experiential nature of virtual…

This paper presents a study that used narrative inquiry to explore staff experiences of learning and teaching in immersive worlds. The findings introduced issues relating to identity play, the relationship between pedagogy and play and the ways in which learning, play and fun were managed (or not). At the same time there was a sense of imposed or…

This article describes three connected projects in physics: (1) a very successful course at the university level; (2) a collection of several thousand multimedia materials, its status and evaluation, and its dissemination; and (3) Web experiments--experiments that can be operated remotely from a distance via the Internet. (Contains 4 tables and 10…

Conducted to design software partitioning techniques for use by the Air Force to partition a large flight simulator program for optimal execution on alternative configurations, this study resulted in a mathematical model which defines characteristics for an optimal partition, and a manually demonstrated partitioning algorithm design which…

OPEN AND CLOSED LOOP SIMULATION IS DISCUSSED FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN TRAINING TECHNIQUES. AREAS DISCUSSED INCLUDE--(1) OPEN-LOOP ENVIRONMENTAL SIMULATION, (2) SIMULATION NOT INVOLVING PEOPLE, (3) ANALYSIS OF OCCUPATIONS, (4) SIMULATION FOR TRAINING, (5) REAL-SIZE SYSTEM SIMULATION, (6) TECHNIQUES OF MINIATURIZATION, AND…

A short, preliminary discussion of simulation and gaming outlines the various instructional and research techniques which come under the more general heading and lists the properties of each. Six sections of annotated, bibliographic entries serve as a guide to the literature on simulation and gaming. Documents are grouped under the following…

This is one of a series which focuses on innovations in the training and supervision of counselors. It discusses simulation gaming by providing: (1) a definition of the procedure; (2) a description of models of practice; (3) a discussion of the effects of using simulation gaming; (4) suggestions for possible applications of the procedure; and (5)…

As part of an overall education and training program to instruct Air Force Base Civil Engineering personnel in the concepts and use of the Base Engineer Automated Management System (BEAMS), a simulation of the system was developed, covering a period of one week at a hypothetical Air Force Base. The simulation, which gives students experience in…

Discusses four difficulties in teaching business communication: lack of shared organizational vision; lack of reality; class duration; and lack of direction in textbooks. Presents advantages and disadvantages of using a simulated organization to address these problems and to improve students' communication competence in various situations.…

Educators who are prepared to make use of CSCL can find themselves restricted in their space for maneuvering regarding educational innovation. As a supportive context can be very important for them, the study presented here describes and analyzes a related case of a Community of Practice (CoP) among tutors contributing to the development and…

Conversational technologies such as email, chat rooms, and blogs have made the transition from novel communication technologies to powerful tools for learning. Currently virtual worlds are undergoing the same transition. We argue that the next wave of innovation is at the level of the computer interface, and that mixed-reality environments offer…

Many educators in facilitative roles have approached the subject of visual disabilities by constructing activities designed to simulate blindness, using a blindfold or similar device. Participants are subsequently encouraged to perform rudimentary tasks such as eating a meal or moving about with a sighted companion as a guide. Frequently,…

The purpose of this paper is to describe a simulation activity that has been effective in teaching community college students about work satisfaction. A simulated factory instigates job dissatisfaction which is then discussed in terms of cause and effect. The work is then redesigned to enhance job satisfaction and productive efficiency. (Author)