Military organizations have a long history of using simulations, role-play, and games for training. This also encompasses good practices concerning how instructors utilize games and gaming behavior. Unfortunately, the work of instructors is rarely described explicitly in research relating to serious gaming. Decision makers also tend to have…

Cognitive theory is concerned with understanding how human mental processes work. Cognitive theory attempts to analyze how individuals retrieve, process, and receive information from memory (Wang, 2003). According to Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968), when information is received by humans it has to pass through various steps until it is stored…

This paper discusses the theoretical underpinning and main aspects of the development and application of the web-orientation agent (WOA) and presents preliminary results concerning its use in university studies. The web-orientation agent (WOA) is a software based tool which produces an interactive learning environment offering support and guidance…

As an emerging technology for learning, virtual reality (VR) dates back four decades, to early work by Ivan Sutherland in the late 1960s. At long last, interactive media are emerging that offer the promise of VR in everyday settings. Quasi-VR already is commonplace in 2-1/2-D virtual environments like Second Life and in massively multiplayer…

Constructivism has recently gained popularity, although it is not a completely new learning paradigm. Much of the work within e-learning, for example, uses constructivism as a reference "discipline" (explicitly or implicitly). However, some of the work done within the simulation gaming (SG) community discusses what the basic assumptions and…

This article presents a design brief for a pinball game. The design brief helps students get a better grasp on the operation and uses of simple machines. It also gives them an opportunity to develop their problem-solving skills and use design skills to complete an interesting, fun product. (Contains 2 tables and 3 photos.)

A warm-up exercise for the purpose of fostering creativity, imagination and interest is suggested for use in the introductory Management of Information Systems course. Specifically, a series of word scrambles are proposed the solution of which comprises a surprise answer based on a concept in the information systems course textbook. In the first…

Mathematics is an area of study that particularly lacks student enthusiasm. Nevertheless, with the help of educational games, any phobias concerning mathematics can be considerably decreased and mathematics can become more appealing. In this study, an educational game addressing mathematics was designed, developed and evaluated by a sample of 33…

Creativity is a talent that undergirds invention and innovation, making it an important skill in today's society. Although students are often told to "be creative," they many times do not know how and have little practice in this skill. This document presents an analysis of 33 creative products made by adult participants at a state conference for…

Breakthrough, a global human rights organization, produced "America 2049," an alternate-reality game set in a dystopian future in which the United States is on the verge of breaking apart because of an inability to tolerate diversity and promote human rights. During the 12-week game launch, players uncovered artifacts related to the…

The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of narrative design in a game-based learning environment. Specifically, this investigation focuses the narrative design in an adventure-styled, game-based learning environment for fostering argumentation writing by looking at how the game narrative impacted player/learner (1) intrinsic…

Videogames have become a cultural and commercial phenomenon across the globe. Researchers and educators have been working to understand how to leverage these tools in education. However, there are few training opportunities that focus on the positive attributes of games in education for preservice teachers. This paper describes the preliminary…

Researchers question how and what students learn from commercial digital games. Using a concurrent mixed-methods approach, this study examined 30 students' construction of knowledge and skills while playing a commercial off-the-shelf game for 7 weeks. Quantitative data included students' background survey and pre- and post-assessments for…

This paper presents the findings of a study on the current knowledge and attitudes of pre-service teachers on the use of scenario-based multi-user virtual environments in science education. The 28 participants involved in the study were introduced to "Virtual Singapura," a multi-user virtual environment, and completed an open-ended questionnaire.…

Today, more than ever before, college educators are being asked to address diversity issues and to teach in ways that foster self-reflexivity and social consciousness. As the world becomes increasingly diverse at the intersections of age, gender, sexual orientation, class, region, religion, race, ethnicity, ability, and nationality, students need…