Research

Introduction

The article “Leveling up: Are non-gamers and women disadvantaged in a virtual world classroom?” examines if a student’s gaming experience and gender can put them at a disadvantage when using virtual/augmented reality in the classroom.  The study was developed because virtual and augmented reality are being used more and more as educational tools. The article examines the results of a Taiwanese study, that involved 348 undergraduates took part in an exercise inside a business negotiation skills virtual world classroom.

Statement of the Problem

More and more colleges and universities are using virtual/augmented reality as part of the their online and traditional classrooms. According to the article, “Assuming college students are comfortable and experienced with virtual worlds may be dangerous. Less than half of Americans report three or more hours of computer game play a week. This means there is clearly a population of young people engaging in hobbies other than computer gaming with little to no opportunity for, or interest in, PC gaming or console use.”

Significance of the Problem

According to Allen and Seaman, surveys taken in 2010 and 2011 show an increase from 30% to 31% of college students who participated in at least one online course.  A major part of virtual reality is the user’s ability to feel a presence within the virtual world.  Meaning, they don’t just feel like they are playing a game, but in fact they feel like they are immersed in the virtual world.  This information could imply a student’s lack gaming skills or gender could plays a negative role in the experience and prohibit them from becoming fully immersed in the virtual world.

Conceptual Framework

 The framework of this study was based on the following three hypotheses:

H1 – “In a virtual-world classroom setting, male students will experience higher levels of presence than female students.”

H2 – “In a virtual-world classroom setting, students who have purchased more software experience higher levels of presence than students who have purchased less software.”

H3 – “Students with lower experience levels of computer gaming exhibit lower levels of presence in a virtual world classroom setting.”

Research questions

The study hoped to answer the following questions:

1.     Can a student’s gender negatively impact their feelings of presence when immersed in a virtual reality environment?

2.     Does owning more gaming equipment and games positively impact a student’s experience in a virtual reality environment?

3.     Does a student’s computer gaming experience impact their experience in a virtual reality environment?

Methodological approach

An initial survey conducted before the online classes began collected “data concerning gender, gaming experience, gamer and software ownership.

The 348 students who responded to the study were “introduced to the virtual component of the class during the first class meeting, with physical classroom-based lectures following, including instructions/examples of software use, headset/microphone setup, and troubleshooting.”

During the 18-week course, the students spent approximate 1/3 of the class in the virtual world setting, another 1/3 of the class was delivered by online video lectures and online assignments, and the final 1/3 of the class was in the traditional classroom setting with demonstrations of the technology. At the end of the class, the students had to pass a test that demonstrated their ability to use the virtual world.

After the 5^th virtual world class sessions, students were given a presence survey.  The survey measured the student’s “feelings of presence” and used a “7-item telepresence scale from Klein (2003), often used to measure feelings of presence in virtual settings (Kim & Biocca, 1997; Nelson, Yaros, & Keum, 2006; Persky et al., 2009).”

Findings

Despite male participants having more gaming experience than females, the results of the survey did not show a significant difference in feelings of presence between the genders.

The study also showed that students who owned more gaming software did not give them an advantage for feelings of presence. Finally, actual gaming experience did show some impact on feelings of presence, which does partially support the hypothesis.  

Conclusions and Implications

The researchers conclude that the results of their study help alleviate educators concerns that there is a risk of putting some students at a disadvantage when adopting teaching methods like virtual and augmented reality. They go on to say that any potential disadvantages can be overcome with a “specific training time or short exercise to help such students learn the common interface conventions.”  They also state that as innovations in virtual and augmented reality continue to become mainstream trends, students will begin to question university distance learning programs if they are not using the technology.  

Warden, C., Stanworth, J., & Chang, C. (2016). Leveling up: Are non-gamers and women disadvantaged in a virtual world classroom?. Computers In Human Behavior, 65, 210-219.

Gamification

In the report Gamification and the Future of Education gasification is defined as, "the introduction or application of elements of games into non-game contexts." In the classroom setting, Engagement Alliance says the gamification process uses game mechanics and game thinking are used to engage students and help them solve problems.

Gamification in the Classroom

• One simple way gamification is being used in the classroom is in a Michigan Special Education class.  The teacher is using video game elements to help teach math.  In Math Land (Gamification and the Future of Education, 10), the assignments are broken up into twenty levels and each level has a mastery test that must be passed to move onto the next level.  The tests can be taken at anytime and they can be taken as many times as needed to move on to the next level.  The students are assigned an avatar on a board in the classroom and they get to move up the board with every mastered level. The Avatars, Badges, Freedom to Fail and Freedom to Effort are all elements taken from games that help "to maintain entertainment and novelty."
• BeeUp (Gamification and the Future of Education, 21)is an online platform where students work to solve business case studies. BeeUp utilizes a progression system, collective responsibilities, and a leaderboard to help gauge students progress. BeeUp uses two points based systems, one for solving problems and a second for cooperation and collaboration.  Both sets of scores are tallied to create an experience score.  As the students' scores increase they can unlock new levels and work on more complexed problems.

As I mentioned in the Math Land example, students can experience the Freedom to Fail.  This is a benefit, because in a games "assume that mistakes will be made, and present little to no consequences for mistakes, failure becomes a smaller concern and students are not constrained by worry Gamification and the Future of Education, 30).

Another benefit is Automated Teaching. Gamification "automates many of the tasks that would otherwise be performed by the teacher. Instead of a teacher having to give quizzes and test that take time to be graded, "a gamified course can automatically evaluate questions that have definite answers" (Gamification and the Future of Education, 32).

While there are several great benefits, there are also drawbacks.  One of those drawbacks can be Distracting Attention. Gamification could redirect a students attention and if the game is poorly designed, the student may be able to complete the games objective without actually learning the necessary material (Gamification and the Future of Education, 34).

Another drawback that poses the greatest possible risks is the prioritization of extrinsic rewards over intrinsic rewards. Meaning, "By making learning into a search for points, badges, or levels, gamification may de-emphasise the innate rewards of learning a new skill" (Gamification and the Future of Education, 35).

  

 Gamification Best Practices (Gamification and the Future of Education, 36)

• Immersive experiences are useful when information is primarily visual or experiential.  These include role-playing games and simulations.  They are most effective textbooks are too cumbersome. Immersive experiences give instant feedback and a freedom to experiment.
• Reduce distractions to establish flow. A good example of this is when game makers hide a mobile devices clock function, allowing student to work without time limits when teachers can set aside large blocks of time to complete an activity.

 Gamification Elements

• Mechanical - Instant Feedback - Games need to be responsive.  Meaning students need to be aware of the consequences and they need to be relayed them to the student immediately.
• Personal - This element can be attained through the use of an avatar.  This is a visual representation of the user within the game.
• Emotional -  A key principle of game is that they need to create a flow and allow the students to have total focus on the task that needs to be completed.

Gamification Hindering Factors (Gamification and the Future of Education, 28)

• Feasibility - gasification is only possible when students have access to the equipment and internet connections that may be necessary to complete the required lessons. "In the United States, 85% of adults use the internet, but this is highly dependent on income level and educational attainment" 
• Misaligned objectives - gamification is best used when there is a quantifiable skill or set of knowledge, like with sciences and mathematics.  It does not work well with writing essays

Minecraft Education Edition

The education version of this popular online game promotes creativity, collaboration, and problem solving in an immersive environment. Student can review what they've learned by taking screenshots of their work and document their progress.  Teachers can create virtual classroom in the game to encourage collaboration.

Computational Thinking

Trinket: Turtle Challenge



My Code Studio Block Coding Puzzle

Leaders in education and industry worked with ISTE and CSTA to develop a definition of Computational Thinking.  They came up with this:

"CT (Computational Thinking) is a problem-solving process that includes (but is not limited to) the following characteristics:

• Formulating problems in a way that enables us to use a computer and other tools to help solve them
• Logically organizing and analyzing data
• Representing data through abstractions such as models and simulations
• Automating solutions through algorithmic thinking (a series of ordered steps)
• Identifying, analyzing, and implementing possible solutions with the goal of achieving the most efficient and effective combination of steps and resources
• Generalizing and transferring this problem-solving process to a wide variety of problems"

According to the Computational Thinking Teacher Resources Second Edition there are several skills that are used in computational thinking.  Below is a list of five of those skills and how they are used in CT.

• Abstraction is the reduction of complex ideas to help define a main idea.
• Automation is using a computer of some other machine to do repetitive or tedious tasks.
• Data Analysis is making sense of data, finding patterns and drawing conclusions. 
• Problem Decomposition is used to break down complex problems into smaller manageable parts.
• Simulation is using a representation or model of a process. Models are also used to help run experiments.

Examples of Activities using CT Skills

Abstraction - Students would examine the past presidential election and break it down into the essential characteristics.  Then they could use those characteristics to determine what past election cycles most closely resemble what happened during the most recent election.

Automation - Long division comes to mind when thinking about automation.  While it is important to have students understand how to perform long division problems, once they have this understanding, allow them to use calculators to perform repetitive problems.

Data Analysis - Students could be given data collected regarding temperatures and weather patterns in a defined area.  Then they would use the data to look for patterns and determine if climate change is occurring in the defined area.

Problem Decomposition - When looking at my field of study, I might as my students to consider what it takes to be television anchor.  I would have them break down all of the variables (education, experience, etc.). Then they can examine which of the variables they have control over and which variables are affected by outside influences.  By doing this, they can begin setting a course that they will take to achieve their goals and how to deal with each variable as they arise.

Simulation - Again looking at my field of study, we use simulation regularly.  Students are placed in real life situations when learning how to report the news.  They are given stories to report initially that are written for them.  They are recorded reporting the stories and critiqued.  Eventually they write their own stories and report them.  At each level they can repeat the simulations and improve their writing and reporting skills in an environment that is educational and safe, before actually reporting in a live television setting.  

I think it is important to integrate computational thinking into the classroom whenever possible.

By doing this you introduce a systemic way to logically work through problems.  In today's society we've become accustomed to using computers in every aspect of our lives. By teaching computational thinking we can help our students understand the step by step process computers use to generate answers and data and in turn they can use the skills of CT to find their answers in the most efficient way possible. 

Trinket Holiday Tree Challenge

Block coding and Python coding are two easy ways to begin your understanding of computer programming.  Although, each code may look different, in reality they both utilize simple codes to execute a program.  The main difference is the user interface to do the actual programing.  Block code uses a simple drag and drop interface to move the lines of code into position in the program.  Python, on the other hand, relies on the programmer to type in each line of code.

The main issue I ran into using Code Studio was remember what order the lines of code need to be dragged and dropped to make sure the program executed correctly.

Trinket was a little bit more tricky. I only say this because there is a lot more room for human error when typing in each individual line of code.  I also had to go back into the lessons several times to make sure I was typing in the code correctly.

Overall both types of code are excellent ways for the beginning programmer to learn how to create code for computer programs.  If you can click, drag and drop you can easily use Block coding in Code Studio.  And if you can learn several short code lines, you can quickly get up to speed with Python coding in Trinket.

Augmented Reality

kevinokorn (Aurasma Username)

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Augmented Reality as,

"an enhanced version of reality created by the use of technology to overlay digital information on an image of something being viewed through a device."

Unlike virtual reality, which creates a totally immersive experience, augmented reality uses the real world and enhances it for the user. Also, unlike traditional book learning, augmented reality is interactive. These two aspects of AR help make the user active part of the learning experience.

The Augment article, 5 reasons to use Augmented Reality in Education, shows how augmented reality can be used to help promote learning.  I'll take a look at three of these reasons.

1. Interactive Lesson - When a student can interact during the course of a lesson, they will feel like they are part of the learning process.  Even the augmented reality may be virtual, by making the lesson interactive can help the students have a hands-on experience during the lessons.
2. Higher Retention - the article sites using a three dimensional rendering of the eiffel tower.  Students can get a deeper understanding of the subject because they can view it from all angles.  Also, augmented reality can include links to other sights where all it takes is a touch to take the student to a different site with additional information on the subject.  Having these extras can help lead the student to deeper learning and ultimately help increase retention and even encourage mastery of a subject.
3. Foster Intellectual Curiosity - Using myself as the student and once again the example of the Eiffel Tower, I've always wondered what it would be like to stand at the base of the tower, walk around it, and go up to the top to see the view.  Augmented reality can help place the tower right in the room with me and can explore and satisfy my curiosity from the screen of my smartphone or tablet.

Companies are finding new ways to incorporate Augmented Reality into the educational setting. Aaron Burch's article, 12 Companies Working on AR Technology for Kids. shows how this is being accomplished.

1. Curiscope is incorporating AR in to collaborative learning with their Virtual-Tee. One student wears their special t-shirt and other students can use their smartphones to explore the human body in a once of kind experience.
2. Popar is an augmented reality app that helps bring their toys, books and charts to life. Readers can use their smartphones and tablets to access the Popar app and when they look at their books and charts through the application they come to life. The often mundane act of studying then becomes an interactive lesson and encourages the uses to explore further to satisfy their curiosity.
3. Blippar takes the users world around them and turns it into a classroom. the article used pizza as an example.  Using the Blippar App the student  would take a picture, "of a pizza it would bring up things related to pizza like Italian food, and it would also bring up something you could click on that would show you pizza places near you."  Again applications like this help satisfy a persons natural curiosity and allows them to explore any number of things around them to gain a better understand and deeper knowledge.

I've describe the benefits Augmented reality can have in the education environment, but ultimately there will be criticism of the technology.  One shortcoming that immediately came to mind is information overload.  I looked at how I use my computer when researching information.  I often find myself diving deep into the rabbit hole and getting far away from what I initially began searching for.  Augmented reality can be that gateway to the rabbit hole.  The lure of interactive technology may encourage deeper research but it can also open the flood gates of information and make it difficult to narrow down what information is important.  It can also lead the user in the wrong direction and away from what they were originally searching for.

Rocket Hall TV Studio Aurasma Aura Project

Aurasma is another exciting augmented reality application.  I can see it being very useful in my educational setting.  Students could the Auras to learning about the different equipment in the studio and how to use it.  Also they could scan over the different production people and learn what is expected in those roles.  If I were to further develop this I would make my trigger image a 360 degree photo of the studio and add a geotag to the picture. This would allow students to walk into the studio and pan and tilt around the studio with the Aurasma app.  Throughout the picture I would add overlays on each piece of equipment and production positions that would have introductory or how to videos for them to view.  This would allow the user to get a better understanding about what happens in the studio during a live television production.

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality in the most simple terms can be defined as, "experiencing things through our computers that don't really exist" (Woodford, C., 2016).  However it's not quite as simple as that.  Chris Woodford in his article Virtual Reality further defines virtual reality as, "A believable, interactive 3D computer-created world that you can explore so you feel you really are there, both mentally and physically." 

To meet this definition Woodford states virtual reality must be: believable, interactive, computer-generated, explorable, and immersive.  Believable means the user feels like they are in an alternate work.  The user must be able to interact with the world around them.  It may be obvious, but these worlds need to be computer-generated.  As Woodford states, only high powered computers are capable of creating the worlds of virtual reality. Explorable differs from interactive, meaning the world around the user changes as the user moves. Finally the virtual reality world needs to be immersive. Woodford uses the comparison between a flight simulator computer game versus a real flight simulator. Woodford says, although the scenery changes while playing the computer game, it doesn't give the user the same immersive experience or actual sights, sounds, and feelings of a real flight simulator. 

Virtual Reality continues to get better, but it still is limited by the speed of the computer running the VR program. Also in the school setting there is the barrier of cost.  Budgets always seem to tight so the extra expense to purchase equipment or headsets could make it restrictive. Woodford also sites a concern with virtual reality.  He says much like the internet, television and radio there is the concern that people will be "seduced by alternative realities to the point of neglecting their real-world lives" (Woodford, C., 2016).

Despite the concerns about virtual reality, the opportunity for use in the classroom will continue to grow.  Some of the uses I can see being used include:  taking students on virtual tours of the worlds historic sites, setting up virtual classrooms where students can meet with other students anywhere in the world, and in a more complex setting immersive VR can help medical students learn how to perform complex procedures repeatedly and without risk of harming patients.

Non-Immersive VR

Non-immersive VR gives the user a engaging 3D world but they don't need to be completely engaged with the program. The video above is a great example.  It is a three dimensional world but all the viewer needs to do is sit back and relax and go on a virtual tour of the home.

360 VR Videos

360 VR videos immerse the user further than non-immersive VR.  The viewer can change the perspective of the virtual world just by moving their head.  In video above the view is taken on roller coaster ride and not only can they experience all the dips and flips of the ride, they can look anywhere and turn 360 degrees to see everything that is happening around them.

Collaborative VR

Collaborative VR allows multiple users to exist and work in the same virtual environment.  In the video above users work together using math skills to fire a cannon.  The graphics may not be as great as some other more immersive VR environment, but users linked into the program can work together side by side regardless of where they are in the world.

References

Corneel19. (2010, August 10). My PC Flight Simulator setup Demo Flight 1 Part 1 - Boeing 737 
     [HD 720p]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/p16jyQIeIyY

Skims. (2016, June 22). Guns of Mosede - a collaborative VR math game. Retrieved from 
     https://youtu.be/3KudUzb26mU

Stancurtin. (2010, June 24). Virtual Reality Flight Simulator Navy Demo. Retrieved from 
     https://youtu.be/KvzkgEpbyec

Theme Park Review. (2016, September 07). Hydra Roller Coaster 360 Degree POV Dorney Park 
     Allentown PA - Filmed w/ Giroptic 360. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/u3DSqiPBQiE

Value Build Homes. (2014, January 30). 3D Virtual Tour of Pamlico House Plan. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/RIdmh1Nf-Xs

Woodford, C. (2016, December 25). Virtual Reality. Retrieved from         

     http://www.explainthatstuff.com/virtualreality.html