Guy Hokanson

From Dungeons to Classrooms: The Evolution of MUDs as Learning Environments

The history of MUDs (multiuser domains or dungeons) goes back to the 1970s. Primarily this is a history of role-playing games and textbased virtual realities. As the decades have passed, MUDs increasingly have been developed and deployed for a wide range of applications in education and the Science of Learning. As opposed to an historical recounting of the development of MUDs, this chapter describes the evolution of MUDs as they have influenced education and learning, from simple meeting and discussion places, to simulated learning spaces, to the current state of the art, which is Immersive Virtual Environments (IVEs) for Education.

Using the System Usability Scale in a Classification Learning Environment

The System Usability Scale (SUS) has become an industry standard where survey participants are asked to rate ten predefined questions on the scale range of strongly agree to strongly disagree. CIRCLE (Classification, Identification, Retrieval-based Collaborative Learning Environment) is software which lets students learn and gain real time knowledge about classifying objects like plants and animals or rocks and minerals. This paper compares the results obtained by SUS surveys done on CIRCLE in its early and later versions.

Learning by Doing History with Smart Historical Gaming

History teaching reform asks that students learn to identify, analyze, respond morally, and display their knowledge about the past. However, most historical games focus on a single individual viewpoint or quiz students on disjointed facts. Blackwood offers an immersive multi-user simulation which provides the means and motivation for players to learn world history while playing a retailing game set in the historical “Old West” of the USA. The system is being developed as a learning laboratory to test the hypothesis that having a role-based experience where history is presented as current events is an effective means for learning history. Future studies will focus on the effects of group learning and peer-mentoring on understanding history.

THE DESIGN OF MULTIPLAYER SIMULATIONS FOR ONLINE GAME-BASED LEARNING

A software architecture that facilitates interactive multiplayer simulations, intelligent software tutors, and immersive virtual environments is presented. The implementation employs a hybrid selection of techniques mainly related to a “restful” server strategy. The paper concludes with an implementation of the software architecture: Virtual Cell, a three-dimensional environment for teaching the processes and structures of Cellular Biology.

An Approach to Designing and Implementing Intelligent Tutors in Immersive Virtual Environments

This paper discusses the issues in designing intelligent tutors, and presents an intelligent tutoring system developed for an educational bioscience game, called Virtual Cell, which is an immersive 3-dimensional environment that helps students learn Cellular Biology. A comprehensive and adaptable goal system capable of meeting the requirements of students with different knowledge levels is proposed. Our solution is characterized by: (1) supporting multi-user collaborations and competitive play; (2) leveraging novel data mining techniques specifically tailored to meet our needs; and (3) incorporating mini-games as complementary tutoring resources. The overarching aim is to make informed tutoring decisions, and improve student learning and efficiency, as they work through each module in the game.

Software tutors for scaffolding on Planet Oit

Planet Oit is a multiuser virtual environment used to teach geologic concepts and the scientific method. It is built on a structured system of modules and goals arranged so that students have freedom, but have direction as well. Intelligent software tutors explain geologic concepts, guide the players in achieving their goals, and assist them in understanding the environment. Planet Oit and its system of goals, tutors, and scaffolding are described.