With the relatively recent technological advances, Multi-User Virtual Environments (MUVEs) have become a promising venue for education; however, little is known about their effective implementation in the classroom. This paper addresses this gap by investigating the creation, implementation, product and evaluation of an instructional design using…

Direct instruction (PowerPoint presentations, lectures) often imposes hierarchical classroom structures where the teachers are considered experts, imparting knowledge to passive learners. However, the emergence of tools like Multi-User Virtual Environments (MUVEs) encourages the creation of democratic learning environments. We hypothesize that…

Video/digital games have grown into a mainstream language-mediated activity that attracts millions of foreign language (FL) learners worldwide. While empirical studies have demonstrated that digital game-based interactions offer valuable opportunities for FL practice and learning (e.g., Sundqvist & Wikström, 2015), little is known about the…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a mixed-reality teaching environment, called TeachME™ Lab (TML), on early childhood education majors' science teaching self-efficacy beliefs. Sixty-two preservice early childhood teachers participated in the study. Analysis of the quantitative (STEBI-b) and qualitative (journal entries)…

With an increase in social work courses being offered in online and hybrid formats, it is imperative that social work programs understand the new teaching tenets and engagement mediums employed to meet the new Council on Social Work Education's Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. This meta-analysis explores best-practices pedagogy for…

The purpose of the study was to review the efficacy of online chemistry simulations in a high school chemistry class and provide discussion of the factors that may affect student learning. The sample consisted of 351 high school students exposed to online simulations. Researchers administered a pretest, intermediate test and posttest to measure…

This article investigates the motivations of African American and Latino girls ("N" = 41) who navigate urban Southwest school districts during the day, but voluntarily attend a 2-year, culturally responsive multimedia program after school and into the summer. Understanding that girls from economically disadvantaged settings are indeed…

Experiential learning allows students to connect previous experiences with new ideas. Second Life (SL) is a virtual world that allows students to simulate real-world experiences. SL was utilized as an educational tool in an agricultural risk and crisis communications course. Weekly journal entries pertaining to the SL simulation were analyzed to…

Capstone courses can create a space for students and educators to act as co-producers of desired learning outcomes which are directly relevant to the world of work. This study uses an auto-ethnographic case study approach to demonstrate how a mixed model learning approach evolved in a capstone marketing strategy unit in a marketing major at an…

Higher education and in particular Colleges of Education are viewed as falling behind in the use of technology for teaching and learning (Lederman & Niess, 2000). With today's student population identified as digital natives and the evening news discussing the potential of virtual worlds as new learning environments, an examination of the…

In this paper we report upon the Virtual Economy (VE), an Internet simulation which operated for the first time in Spring 2000 involving students at Indiana University, USA and at Napier University, Edinburgh, UK. During 2001, the VE was extended to include participants from other institutions. The main thrust of the project was to encourage…

Contends that an important goal in history instruction is helping students understand the complexity of events. Describes the use of "Escalation," a commercially available computer simulation, in a high school U.S. history class. Includes excerpts from student journals kept during the activity. (CFR)

Describes ways that students with special needs are being included in regular classrooms through technology. Highlights include school-to-work programs; student electronic journals; adaptive technology; science activities using computer simulations; a reverse inclusion model; mainstreaming; and programs with senior citizens. (LRW)