ERIC Number: EJ779019
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 30
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1059-7069
EISSN: N/A
Investigating Student Attitudes toward a Synchronous, Online Graduate Course in a Multi-User Virtual Learning Environment
Annetta, Leonard; Murray, Marshall; Gull Laird, Shelby; Bohr, Stephanie; Park, John
Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, v16 n1 p5-34 2008
This article describes a graduate distance education course at North Carolina State University, which combined science content and pedagogy with video game design. The course was conducted entirely in a synchronous, online, Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) through the ActiveWorlds[TM] platform. Inservice teachers enrolled as graduate students in science education learned to construct video games as a supplement to their science instruction. The ultimate objective of this course was to advance student achievement and interest in science by providing teachers with a viable source for integrating video game technology into the curriculum. A case study design suggested positive student attitudes toward course satisfaction. The implications of these results suggest a positive avenue for technology integration in teacher education that meets the growing demand for engaging students in all content areas. (Contains 2 figures, 1 table and 1 note.) [This project was funded by the North Carolina State Distance Education and Learning Technologies Alliance.]
Descriptors: Graduate Students, Student Attitudes, Video Games, Distance Education, Science Interests, Technology Integration, Educational Technology, Science Instruction, Inservice Teacher Education, Educational Games, Instructional Design, Hypermedia, Game Theory, Virtual Classrooms
Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. P.O. Box 1545, Chesapeake, VA 23327-1545. Tel: 757-366-5606; Fax: 703-997-8760; e-mail: info@aace.org; Web site: http://www.aace.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: North Carolina
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A