In this paper, we describe a teaching scenario using a virtual environment (known also in the context of the 'metaverse'). This is motivated by the challenges that arise during the pandemic. More and more teaching scenarios are transferred to online learning settings, which allow learning at any time and at any time. One of the possibilities are…

For the everyday education of students in schools, objects are made available to teachers that illustrate subject matter and make it comprehensible. These objects are created to make something visible, so that it can be presented, worked on, and understood. This article starts from the assumption that didactic objects are not neutral media: In the…

Professors teaching cyber security classes often face challenges when developing workshops for their students: How does one quickly and efficiently configure and deploy an operating system for a temporary learning/testing environment? Faculty teaching these classes spend countless hours installing, configuring and deploying multiple system…

This paper presents a tool, LABEL, oriented to the teaching of parallel robotics. The application, organized as a set of tools developed using Easy Java Simulations, enables the study of the kinematics of parallel robotics. A set of classical parallel structures was implemented such that LABEL can solve the inverse and direct kinematic problem of…

Virtual reality is by no means a new technology, yet it is increasingly being used, to different degrees, in education, training, rehabilitation, therapy, and home entertainment. Although the exact reasons for this shift are not the subject of this short opinion piece, it is possible to speculate that decreased costs, and increased performance, of…

This article examines the use of simSchool as a training tool for educators working with students with special needs in rural districts. SimSchool is a game that emulates a classroom utilizing a virtual environment. The theory supporting simSchool is explored and current research associated with simSchool is reviewed. The issues surrounding…

Higher education is deploying a range of innovative strategies in response to rising costs and financial challenges. This report presents findings from a NASPA [National Association of Student Personnel Administrators] study on cost-saving initiatives at three institutions. Each institution aimed to creatively address different areas affecting…

Virtual reality is an emerging technology that has resulted in rapid expansion in the development of virtual immersive environments for use as educational simulations in schools, colleges and universities. This article presents an overview of virtual reality, describes a number of applications currently being used by special educators for…

An analysis is presented of the experience and lessons learned of running a MOOC in introductory physical chemistry. The course was unique in allowing students to conduct experimental measurements using a virtual laboratory constructed using video and simulations. A breakdown of the student background and motivation for taking the course is…

Social work programs increasingly are engaged in deploying distance education models, yet questions remain about how to teach direct practice skills within this context. As field agency changes have limited practice opportunities for social work students, methods for helping interns develop direct practice skills in diverse field practicum…

The demonstration of patient-based cases using automated technology [virtual patients (VPs)] has been available to health science educators for a number of decades. Despite the promise of VPs as an easily accessible and moldable platform, their widespread acceptance and integration into medical curricula have been slow. Here, the authors review…

Virtual worlds have become an invaluable space for online learning and the exploration of digital cultures. Communication departments can benefit from using these spaces to educate their students in the logistics of virtual worlds and as a way to better understand how the process of interpersonal and global communication functions in both online…

Background: By 2009, 99% of U.S. classrooms had access to computers, with an average ratio of 1.7 students per computer, and 40% of teachers report using computers often in their classrooms. However, while K-12 schools are investing more heavily in digital technologies, only a small fraction of this investment is going to instructional software…

Experimental teaching in general, and simulation in particular, have primarily been used in lecture rooms but in the future must also be adapted to e-learning. The integration of web simulators into virtual learning environments, coupled with specific supporting video documentation and the use of videoconference tools, results in robust…

This paper reports on a state-of-the-art remote laboratory project called Virtual Instrument Systems in Reality (VISIR). VISIR allows wiring and measuring of electronic circuits remotely on a virtual workbench that replicates physical circuit breadboards. The wiring mechanism is developed by means of a relay switching matrix connected to a PCI…