Describes two computer-assisted instructional programs (I-View Skills and Goal-Focused Interviewing) and two interactive videodisk (IVD) programs (Crisis Counseling and Group Treatment) designed to teach social work practice skills in introductory interpersonal practice course. Presents programs to encourage other social work faculty and agency…

Describes Design Builder, interactive multimedia software that was developed to enable undergraduate engineers to experience working in a concurrent environment without direct and specialized teaching-staff support, and to provide an interactive and intelligent simulation environment from which users may develop a culture that introduces…

Discusses computer simulation and analyzes evidence concerning the effectiveness of simulation by examining the relationship between two forms of simulations, pure and hybrid; and two modes of instruction, presentation and practice. Presents results of a meta-analysis of 19 studies on simulation effects, including effect size for academic…

Examines the concept of meaningful learning in light of new information technology. Highlights include learning processes; types of learning; the computational theory of mind; the value of animations and simulations; and the importance of well-designed and well-written instructional materials. (LRW)

Students taught leadership and ethics using asynchronous computer simulation (n=83) were compared with 113 taught conventionally. The treatment group performed better on questions written at the knowledge, comprehension, and analysis levels of Bloom's Taxonomy, regardless of learning mode preferences. (Contains 26 references.) (SK)

Students with high intrinsic motivation often out-perform students with low intrinsic motivation. However, little is known about the processes that lead to these differences. In education based on simulations or authentic electronic learning environments, this lack of insight is even more clear. The present study investigated what students…

The Virtual Patient, an interactive multimedia learning resource using a critical care clinical scenario for postgraduate nursing students, was developed to enhance flexible access to learning experiences and improve learning outcomes in the management of critically ill patients. Using real-time physiological animations, authentic content design…

Teaching and learning are highly social activities. Seminal psychologists such as Vygotsky, Piaget, and Bandura have theorized that social interaction is a key mechanism in the process of learning and development. In particular, the benefits of peer interaction for learning and motivation in classrooms have been broadly demonstrated through…

This snapshot introduces a computer-based representation and activity that enables students to simultaneously "see" the combinatorial space of a stochastic device (e.g., dice, spinner, coins) and its outcome distribution. The author argues that the "ambiguous" representation fosters student insight into probability. [Snapshots are subject to peer…

One of the simulation engines of an open-source program called the Molecular Workbench, which can simulate thermodynamics of chemical reactions, is described. This type of real-time, interactive simulation and visualization of chemical reactions at the atomic scale could help students understand the connections between chemical reaction equations…

The turbulent business environment requires business expertise from ever-larger personnel groups. The required business know-how is a combination of knowledge and several different skills, and it should provide the learners with an overall view of the functioning of a business organization as a whole. Moreover, while work is increasingly becoming…

Background: Most policy doctrines promote the use of scientific inquiry in the K-12 classroom, but good inquiry is hard to implement, particularly for schools with fiscal and safety constraints and for teachers struggling with understanding how to do so. Purpose: In this paper, we present the design of a multi-user virtual environment (MUVE)…

This paper presents a study that used narrative inquiry to explore staff experiences of learning and teaching in immersive worlds. The findings introduced issues relating to identity play, the relationship between pedagogy and play and the ways in which learning, play and fun were managed (or not). At the same time there was a sense of imposed or…

Main trends in media research in Western Europe are identified, with emphasis on three successive stages since 1960: tools technology, systems technology, and reflective technology. Previously, the third stage has not been well elaborated, a statement supported by an analysis of the content and context of European media. A critical appraisal of…

Fiscal and monetary policies taught in macroeconomic principles courses are concepts that might require both lecture and simulation methods. The simulation models, which apply the principles gleened from comparative statistics to a dynamic world, may give students an appreciation for the problems facing policy makers. This paper is a report of a…