Describes the development and current status of virtual reality (VR) and VR research. Market potentials for VR are discussed, including the entertainment industry, health care and medical training, flight and other simulators, and educational possibilities. A glossary of VR-related terms is included. (LRW)

Statistical identification of employees with unusual sick leave patterns can result in false-positive identifications. A computer simulation model was used to evaluate alternate methods of unusual sick leave detection for the New York State Department of Health. Results were used to refine identification parameters and modify supervisory…

A law school professor analyzed data on pass/fail grading and conventional grading in his legal negotiation class over 11 years to determine statistically significant differences in performance of the two groups of students. Grades for both negotiation simulation exercises and written papers were analyzed. Results showed differences between the…

Addresses teaching about the Vietnam War. Focuses on selecting literature and how to implement the "mines and booby traps simulation," which demonstrates the experience of an infantry soldier. Describes follow-up activities to the simulation, the connections students made between the simulation and literature, and the importance of simulation…

Discusses the four learning styles (concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation) and the importance of matching teaching and learning styles. Outlines activities for a humanities course that coordinates appropriate teaching and learning styles. Provides appendices. (CMK)

Compares the academic performance of students exposed to either "wet" practical classes or "simulated" practicals. Assessed practical write-ups from pharmacology students using a simulation showed a mark significantly better than those doing the "wet" practical. Simulations can provide an aid to learning which is as effective as "wet" practicals,…

Describes a simulation exercise called "The Summit of the Americas" that enables students to apply economic concepts. Discusses the four segments of the simulation: (1) pre-negotiation phase; (2) negotiation phase; (3) the debriefing phase; and (4) an economic impact report. Addresses the issues involved when incorporating the simulation into a…

Discusses how a better understanding of economics can lead to increased understanding of moral decisions. Addresses what values are not inherent in economics and the positive values inherent in economics. Considers how economics can be used as a tool for character education. (CMK)

The task was to survey an area of a planet's surface to identify the presence of various geological features such as a trench, ridge, or basin. Students who received prior pictorial representations of features performed more accurately than students who did not, but there was no significant effect for including verbal statements about strategies…

Describes and discusses how simulation activities can be used in teacher education to augment the traditional field-experience approach, focusing on artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and intelligent tutoring systems. Includes an overview of simulation as a teaching and learning strategy and specific examples of high-technology simulations…

Analyzes computer-based simulations of workplaces to determine potential problems that might impede their use in school-to-work programs. Simulations were classified according to type and critiqued regarding common usage problems. Concludes that simulations can play an important role in school-to-work transition programs, even if not specifically…

Presents a classroom simulation that employs active learning to introduce students to congressional politics using the national issues of the Gilded Age. Explains that the students are divided into groups in order to simulate the U.S. Senate and then discuss, amend, and vote on legislation. Provides four detailed simulation options. (CMK)

Describes the planning, implementation, and results of an experiment at Brooklyn Law School (New York) to teach legal writing skills by a simulation activity which integrates client interviewing skills with the process of composing the client-advice letter. Experience with this approach over three years is recounted. (DB)

Describes a review of research that addresses the effectiveness of simulations in promoting scientific discovery learning and the problems that learners may encounter when using discovery learning. (WRM)

Provides a classification, review, and critical analysis of instructional systems available on the Web that can be used by students to learn programming. Reviews drill and practice systems, tutorial systems, and simulation systems and analyzes them according to established standards for instructional design. (Author/LRW)