This article explores the potential learning benefits of three-dimensional (3-D) virtual learning environments (VLEs). Drawing on published research spanning two decades, it identifies a set of unique characteristics of 3-D VLEs, which includes aspects of their representational fidelity and aspects of the learner-computer interactivity they…

Published materials that have proven useful in the design of the Institute For The Future's first urban simulation model are listed. References include publications dealing with (1) simulations and games, (2) urban and regional models, (3) educational gaming, (4) research and planning applications, (5) methodological perspectives, and (6)…

Discusses the role of management games in management education. Topics discussed include role playing; computer simulation; computer games; elements of management game effectiveness; Bloom's taxonomy of learning objectives; models of the learning process; group interaction; experiential learning; and research studies on the effectiveness of…

Schools have much to learn from video games and the gaming community. By providing compelling activities for motivating otherwise indifferent learners, video games can potentially help teachers improve the design of learning environments. However, there are considerable rhetorical and practical barriers between the schooling and gaming communities…

The author builds on arguments he has made elsewhere that good commercial video games foster deep learning and problem solving and that such games in fact promote mastery as a form of play. Here he maintains that some good video games engage players with an important type of play, namely of play as discovery, of play as surmising new possibilities…

The objectives of this study were (a) to examine students' motivational experiences arising from their participation in games lessons based on autonomy-supportive strategies; and (b) to examine the interaction between boys' and girls' motivational experiences across different categories of games. A total of 759 students (380 F, 379 M) from 37…

The purpose of this study was to explore the reasons why six Malaysian students from upper secondary school are playing video games, types of games and the features preferred. A qualitative method was being used in the study. Purposive sampling was conducted in selecting the students. The findings indicated that students played video games for a…

The work reported here takes place in the educational domain. The authors propose a learning environment based on a graphical representation of a course. The emergence of online multiplayer games led the authors to apply the following metaphor to the digital work environments: The method of acquiring knowledge during a learning session is similar…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of game-like activities on adult learning during a computer-based simulation. This research also studied the use of visual metaphors as graphic organizers to help make the underlying science principles explicit without interfering with the interactive nature of the simulation. A total of…

Using the popular puzzle Sudoku to teach logical reasoning skills to young students offers a concrete way to incorporate an interactive bulletin board into grade 2 and 3 classrooms. The author also suggests ways to differentiate the activity. (Contains 2 figures.)

This article discusses how teachers can organize and use mathemagic tricks in their curriculum and classroom to enhance conceptual understanding. Four mathemagic tricks are presented and analyzed. (Contains 3 figures and 5 online resources.)

In this note, we will focus on several applications on the Dirichlet's box principle in Discrete Mathematics lesson and number theory lesson. In addition, the main result is an innovative game on a triangular board developed by the authors. The game has been used in teaching and learning mathematics in Discrete Mathematics and some high schools in…

In today's rapidly changing world, people must continually come up with creative solutions to unexpected problems. Success is based not only on what one knows or how much one knows, but on one's ability to think and act creatively. In short, people are now living in the Creative Society. Unfortunately, few of today's classrooms focus on helping…

This article reports the findings of a research project that saw researchers from interaction design and drama education come together with a group of eleven and twelve year olds to investigate the current and future complementarity of computers and live classroom drama. The project was part of a pilot feasibility study commissioned by the…

Plant ecology is an important subject that often receives little attention in middle school, as more time during science classes is devoted to plant biology. Therefore, the authors have developed a series of activities, including a card game--Designing the Perfect Plant--to introduce student's to plant ecology and the ecological trade offs…