Despite recognition of the high value placed on interpersonal skills (IPS) by education, business and government stakeholders, this area of skills development only has a limited place within MBA programs. This paper introduces and tests the effectiveness of a mock-business simulation named 'Practice Aspects of Management' incorporated into an…

Using OpenSimulator, we constructed a 3D virtual playground that affords competition-themed social gaming, role-play gaming and design-themed architectural gaming among high-functioning autistic (HFA) children. A mixed-method, multi-case study was conducted to examine the association between the game task and setting features, learners'…

This case study describes the verbal and nonverbal social interaction of 11 youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders in a 3D Collaborative Virtual Learning Environment-iSocial. The youth were developing social competence through participation in a social competence intervention curriculum implemented online so as to provide access to high quality…

This article explores emotional expression and awareness in the context of a virtual environment specific to young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and how emotional awareness and expression can support postsecondary outcomes. A qualitative study was conducted with five young adults with ASD who actively played a massively multiplayer…

The purpose of this research study was to explore the efficacy of role-playing and coaching in mixed-reality environments for the acquisition and generalization of social skills leading to successful job interview performance. Using a multiple baseline across participants design, five young adults with intellectual disability practiced…

The Maxwell International Development Simulation (MIDSIM) was designed to provide continuity and a realistic laboratory for a series of month-long seminars conducted by Syracuse University for Midcareer officials from the Agency for International Development. The seminars were designed to provide learning in three broad areas: Policy and Issues,…

This paper describes a multi-user role-playing environment, referred to as "e-drama", which enables groups of people to converse online, in scenario driven virtual environments. The starting point of this research, is an existing application known as "edrama", a 2D graphical environment in which users are represented by static…

Negotiation skills are essential in everyday life, whether in a professional or personal context. Negotiation enables two parties to address misunderstandings and avoid conflicts through an exchange that depends as much on the interpersonal skills of the negotiators as the tactics employed. Acquiring these skills requires not only sound conceptual…

A continuation of a 3-year elementary school study investigated the effectiveness of the various schedules of a simulated environments technique on emotionally handicapped junior high school adolescents. The 58 subjects, whose original evaluation had shown no evidence of neurophysiological dysfunction or subnormal intelligence, were randomly…

While much of the skill building revolves around the essential skills of reading and writing, additional skills needed to succeed in the workplace are not emphasized sufficiently in the traditional classroom format. Employers are looking for employees with good interpersonal as well as academic skills. Employees who can work as team members on…