Lilly Lu

Testing the Reluctant Professor’s Hypothesis: Evaluating a Blended-Learning Approach to Distance Education

Abstract As MPA programs search for teaching options that meet students’ needs and maintain program quality, many are exploring various distance learning formats. This paper evaluates whether students with synchronous learning and asynchronous learning experiences received a different quality of instruction in an course that blended distance and face-to-face learning. The authors review the literature on blended learning distance education as an alternative to online-only distance education, discuss the model of blended learning distance education used in the course described in this analysis, and then review their hypotheses, research methodology, and statistical analysis. The authors conclude with a brief discussion of the implications of this experiment for other MPA programs that might explore a blended learning distance education component in their curriculum.

3D Virtual Worlds as Art Media and Exhibition Arenas: Students' Responses and Challenges in Contemporary Art Education.

3D virtual worlds (3D VWs) are considered one of the emerging learning spaces of the 21st century; however, few empirical studies have investigated educational applications and student learning aspects in art education. This study focused on students’ responses to and challenges with 3D VWs in both aspects. The findings show that most participants had positive learning experiences and attitudes toward 3D VWs as an art medium and an exhibition arena after overcoming a steep learning curve. They recognized that creating virtual art as well as viewing and critiquing it during art exhibits in a global virtual setting were great advantages for concept learning and art education. They also raised a concern about actual implementation in K-12 classrooms. The data shed light on how art educators and teachers can take advantage of the affordances of 3D VWs for teaching contemporary art in a digital age. Recommendations for future studies are provided.

Art Education Avatars in Action

Emerging 3D Virtual World (VW) technology offers great opportunities for 21st century art education. Such virtual worlds are visualized and built by their residents. In these 3D visual communities, multiple users at different locations can communicate, collaborate, and share with one another through a character representation –an avatar – in real time. Depending on its purposes, a VW could be a virtual environment for gaming, social networking, learning, business, commercials, recruiting, and entertaining, or the VW can also feature an integration of a combination of purposes. Among current 3D VWs, Second Life (SL) is the most popular and highly recommended as one of the best 3D virtual learning environments (VLEs) for teaching and learning (Chodos, Stroulia, & Naeimi, 2009; Herold, 2009) due to its hyper-real 3D visual images, unique immersive power, and intensive interaction (Lu, 2008), as well as its potential for collaborating, networking, and learning (Thompson & Garetty, 2009).