Exploring the Correlation between Online Teacher Dispositions and Practices in Virtual Classrooms and Student Participation and Satisfaction

2011 ◽  
pp. 75-85
Author(s):  
Carol M. Shepherd ◽  
Madelon Alpert
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Online Instruction ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Student Participation ◽  
Discussion Board ◽  
Teacher Dispositions ◽  
Community Of Learners ◽  
Active Involvement ◽  
Virtual Office ◽  
The Creation

Greater teacher efficacy in online teaching and teaching in a virtual world appears to be positively correlated with certain exhibited dispositions and practices. Inferential measures of dispositions such as friendliness, enthusiasm, active involvement, patience, and tolerance, among others, exhibited by professors in online instruction lead to greater student participation and satisfaction. By analyzing four professors teaching in the virtual world environment, two with positive student reviews and two with negative or mediocre student reviews, certain teacher dispositions and practices emerged. Three areas were studied: instructor participation with students, the tone of communication with students, and the creation of a community of learners in a virtual world. Instructor participation with students was measured by the interaction and guidance in discussion board questions, comments on graded student work, the amount of measured user time of the instructor while teaching online, and student evaluations. The tone of communication with students was measured by professor communications with students in the discussion boards, virtual office responses to student questions, and whole class as well as individual emails. The creation of a community of learners in a virtual environment helps to foster a sense of belonging, and was measured by activities such as informal course announcements, media, emails, and student and professor biographies, indicating that the instructor is interested in each student. There are two perspectives to online instruction: that of the student as well as that of the instructor. In order to provide a valid base for analysis, it is important to consider both. A search of the literature revealed almost no information in the areas of focus of this study. Further research is needed to identify positive behaviors by instructors leading to greater online instructor efficacy when teaching in virtual worlds.

Functionalization and the Real Virtual

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Ulrich Gehmann ◽  
Martin Reiche
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Real World ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
The Real ◽  
Ongoing Process ◽  
Step Model ◽  
The Creation

In this article the authors are going to explore a tendency in virtual world design towards the creation of non-functionalized virtual worlds, i.e. worlds which only exist to exist without resembling any function in their design. They are going to show how this tendency is grounded in the ongoing process of formatization in the real world by introducing a 4-step model of de-functionalization and show which chances exist for these non-functional virtual worlds to affect the real world through the mental world conception of the user.

Structures of Agency in Virtual Worlds

2011 ◽  
pp. 192-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thiago Falcão
Keyword(s):  
Popular Culture ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Role Playing ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Role Playing Game ◽  
Conceptual Core

In this chapter we inquire about the role that the narrative acquires in the production of meaning resulting from the contact between players and environment, in the Massive Multiplayer Online Role-playing Game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft1. We posit that through the process of agency, the authorial narrative, structurally positioned at the conceptual core of the virtual world, may contribute to the diversity of variables involved in the creation of a framing (Goffman, 1974) in which the users will engage in interaction among themselves. According to Dramaturgical Sociology, the resulting meaning from an interaction strongly depends on the context in which it is situated; such notion is precisely the reason why, by observing an environment so intensely imbued by symbols from popular culture, European folklore and medieval fantasy, we may also examine how such signs may assist in the creation of behavioral scripts – and how these are played by the players interacting in the virtual world.

Knowledge Creation and Student Engagement Within 3D Virtual Worlds

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-59
Author(s):  
Brian G. Burton ◽  
Barbara Martin
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Community Of Learners ◽  
Complete Knowledge ◽  
3D Virtual Worlds ◽  
Knowledge Spiral

Examined in this 3D Virtual World case study was undergraduate student engagement on a learning task and student creation of knowledge. After creating a 3D didactic constructivist virtual world, student conversations were recorded for analysis using Hara, Bonk, and Angeli's (2000) engagement framework and Nonaka and Takeuchi's (1995) knowledge creation theory. The five forms of student engagement augmented the learning process and a complete knowledge spiral was documented, emphasizing the use of the four modes of knowledge conversion. Though limited in time and scope, results further suggest that a highly engaged community of learners was created.

Presence, Environment, and Sound and the Role of Imagination

2019 ◽  
pp. 667-681
Author(s):  
Mark Grimshaw-Aagaard
Keyword(s):  
Computer Games ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Actual World ◽  
Sensory Input ◽  
The World ◽  
Visual Dimension ◽  
The Creation ◽  
First Person Shooter ◽  
Selection Of

Mark Grimshaw-Aagaard addresses the role of sound in the creation of presence in virtual and actual worlds. He argues that imagination is a central part of the generation and selection of perceptual hypotheses—models of the world in which we can act—that emerge from what Grimshaw-Aagaard calls the “exo-environment” (the sensory input) and the “endo-environment” (the cognitive input). Grimshaw-Aagaard further divides the exo-environment into a primarily auditory and a primarily visual dimension and he deals with the actual world of his own apartment and the virtual world of first-person-shooter computer games in order to exemplify how we perceptually construct an environment that allows for the creation of presence.

Facilitating 3D Virtual World Learning Environments Creation by Non-Technical End Users through Template-Based Virtual World Instantiation

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang Liu ◽  
Ying Zhong ◽  
Sertac Ozercan ◽  
Qing Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
End Users ◽  
Preliminary Evaluation ◽  
3D Design ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Functional Learning ◽  
Preliminary Experimental Data

This paper presents a template-based solution to overcome technical barriers non-technical computer end users face when developing functional learning environments in three-dimensional virtual worlds (3DVW). iVirtualWorld, a prototype of a platform-independent 3DVW creation tool that implements the proposed solution, facilitates 3DVW learning environment creation through semantics-based abstract 3DVW representation and template-based 3DVW instantiation. iVirtualWorld provides a wizard to guide the 3DVW creation process, and hide low-level programming and 3D design details through higher-level abstracts supported by pre-defined templates. Preliminary evaluation of the effectiveness of iVirtualWorld showed positive results. The contribution of this study is threefold: 1) It provides a paradigm for investigating and developing 3DVW building tools from end users’ perspective; 2) It develops a prototype of a 3DVW building tool, which gives educators a framework to easily create educational virtual worlds using domain-specific concepts; 3) It conducts empirical research and collected preliminary experimental data for evaluation.

Virtual Reality (VR) in Pediatrics: Innovative Perspectives With Special Reference To Clinical Applications and Pediatric Rehabilitation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Bittmann
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Mixed Reality ◽  
Clinical Applications ◽  
Virtual Space ◽  
Data Glove ◽  
Input Devices ◽  
Head Mounted Displays

Virtual reality (VR) is the term used to describe representation and perception in a computer-generated, virtual environment. The term was coined by author Damien Broderick in his 1982 novel “The Judas Mandala". The term "Mixed Reality" describes the mixing of virtual reality with pure reality. The term "hyper-reality" is also used. Immersion plays a major role here. Immersion describes the embedding of the user in the virtual world. A virtual world is considered plausible if the interaction is logical in itself. This interactivity creates the illusion that what seems to be happening is actually happening. A common problem with VR is "motion sickness." To create a sense of immersion, special output devices are needed to display virtual worlds. Here, "head-mounted displays", CAVE and shutter glasses are mainly used. Input devices are needed for interaction: 3D mouse, data glove, flystick as well as the omnidirectional treadmill, with which walking in virtual space is controlled by real walking movements, play a role here.

Believable and Effective AI Agents in Virtual Worlds

2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 37-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iskander Umarov ◽  
Maxim Mozgovoy
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Video Games ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Virtual Agents ◽  
High Ability ◽  
Topic Area ◽  
Human Likeness ◽  
New Challenges ◽  
The Creation

The rapid development of complex virtual worlds (most notably, in 3D computer and video games) introduces new challenges for the creation of virtual agents, controlled by artificial intelligence (AI) systems. Two important subproblems in this topic area which need to be addressed are (a) believability and (b) effectiveness of agents’ behavior, i.e., human-likeness of the characters and high ability to achieving their own goals. In this paper, the authors study current approaches to believability and effectiveness of AI behavior in virtual worlds. They examine the concepts of believability and effectiveness, and analyze several successful attempts to address these challenges.

scholarly journals Development of an online learning environment for geography and geology using Minecraft

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
Junko Iwahashi ◽  
Yoshiharu Nishioka ◽  
Daisaku Kawabata ◽  
Akinobu Ando ◽  
Hiroshi Une
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Junior High School ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Junior High ◽  
Computer Game ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Real Field ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Understanding Of Science

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> The purpose of this research is to give children a geographical viewpoint, and to encourage an interest in, and awareness of, landforms and geology. We created a system based on an exploration type computer game and verified the educational effects. Moreover, we aim to reach not only the virtual aspect but we also have a goal of creating interest in the actual field. As a secondary effect, by using a computer game that attracts children’s interest, we aim to make the experience of solving issues subjective and active even if the player is a passive child, a child with little inquiry, or a child who is not adept at self-assertion. With this new approach, we also hope to interact with young generations who usually do not interact with researchers.</p><p>Many thematic maps of geography and geology are already published on the Web. They are popular among those who need to collect and view the information for some reason or with those who are interested in observing topographic maps and are interested in geology. However, in particular, the approach to children who do not have such motivation needs one more step: a mechanism to induce an inquiring mind, and a mechanism that leads to finding the information and having interest in the real field.</p><p>The platform of this research is Minecraft Education Edition (Mojang/Microsoft). Minecraft is very popular game software which has exceeded one hundred million users worldwide in recent years, and in Japan there are many elementary and junior high school student enthusiasts of Minecraft. In the game a user explores a virtual world made of cubic blocks. The blocks imitate vegetation, rock formations, and other items, and can create various puzzles. In recent years, the release of the Education Edition assumes use in classrooms.</p><p>In this research, we have constructed a virtual world tailored to a specific junior high school which teaches science classes to first grade students. First, we re-created the actual school buildings and also included the underground geologic strata based on data from boring. In addition, we created a mechanism to expand children’s imagination and knowledge about past environments which can be understood from the geological strata. We also provided checkpoints and gave challenges regarding knowledge about the formation of the land. Together with this modern world, we created ancient virtual worlds so users may understand the geological history around the school’s location.</p><p>Through the experience of this research, we were able to confirm the mechanisms for promoting motivation in children and aiding their understanding of science. It can be applied to systems other than Minecraft, and it can contribute to educational support in a wide variety of fields.</p>

scholarly journals Virtual Worlds Round Table

2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Yee ◽  
Liz Losh ◽  
Sarah Robbins-Bell
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Round Table ◽  
State University ◽  
Online Journal ◽  
Ball State University

By being an online journal, the JVWR allows for the inclusion of some pieces that might not otherwise fit a standard journal. This was the thought behind bringing together a group of virtual world scholars to discuss a series of questions and share their thoughts. Meeting in Second Life, Nick Yee (PARC), Liz Losh (UC Irvine), and Sarah Robbins-Bell (Ball State University) were gracious enough to share their thoughts on the study of virtual worlds culture.

scholarly journals Shakespeare in Digital Games and Virtual Worlds

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (33) ◽  
pp. 129-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleni Timplalexi
Keyword(s):  
Visual Arts ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Digital Games ◽  
Fundamental Aspect ◽  
Digital Gaming ◽  
Digital Performance ◽  
History Of ◽  
Immense Potential ◽  
First Time

Shakespeare’s plays have long flirted with using various artistic and medial forms other than theatre, such as cinema, music, visual arts, television, comics, animation and, lately, digital games and virtual worlds. Especially in the 20th and 21st century, a fascination with Shakespeare both as a historical and theatrical figure and as a playwright has become evident in screen based media (cinema, television and video), ranging from “faithful,” almost documented performances of his plays to free style adaptations or vague film references. Digital games and virtual worlds carry on this tradition of the transmedial journey of Shakespeare’s plays to screen based media but top it up with new forms of interaction and performativity. For the first time in the history of mankind everyone can enjoy firsthand from his armchair and for free the experience of taking part in a play by the Bard by entering a virtual world as if it was a stage and by assuming roles through avatars. The article attempts first to introduce the reader to the deeper needs that gave rise to animation, a fundamental aspect of digital gaming and virtual worlds. It then tries to illuminate the various facets of digital performance and gaming, especially in relation to Shakespeare-themed and inspired digital games and virtual worlds, by putting forward some axes of classification. Finally, it both suggests some ideas that may be of use in rendering the Shakespeare gaming experience more “complete” and “theatrical” and ends by acknowledging the immense potential for the exploration of theatricality and performativity in digital games and virtual worlds.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document