Conflicts occur when learners interact with pedagogical agents and virtual characters. Such conflicts--arising from technological limitations, psychosocial perceptions, and pedagogical inadequacies--hinder communication and interaction between virtual characters and learners, and impede successful engagement with learning tasks and experiences. To…

The number of games, simulations, and multi-user virtual environments designed to promote learning, engagement with subject matter, or intended to contextualize learning has been steadily increasing over the past decade. While the use of these digital designs in educational settings has begun to show promise for improving learning, motivation, and…

Reviews research on uses of computer sound and suggests how sound might be used effectively by instructional and interface designers. Topics include principles of interface design; the perception of sound; earcons, both symbolic and iconic; sound in data analysis; sound in virtual environments; and guidelines for using sound. (70 references) (LRW)

Surveys current state-of-the-art in courseware development for microcomputers; discusses guidelines for overall program and screen display design; describes three major approaches to developing courseware--programing language, authoring system, or authoring language use; and reviews two current research areas--automated instructional development…

Describes a qualitative analysis of 18 college students using different types of scaffolding (instructional supports) while working on a World Wide Web project. Examines four support mechanisms: Web resources, procedural guidelines, student-student interaction, and instructor-student interaction. Considers the utility of scaffolds, learner's…