Hyperstories and social interaction in 2D and 3D edutainment spaces for children
Proceedings of the seventeenth conference on Hypertext and hypermedia
Collaborative learning in a 3D virtual environment: design factors and evaluation results
ICLS '06 Proceedings of the 7th international conference on Learning sciences
Development and evaluation of a virtual campus on Second Life: The case of SecondDMI
Computers & Education
Interacting through avatars: Virtual worlds as a context for online education
Computers & Education
Fostering collaborative learning in Second Life: Metaphors and affordances
Computers & Education
Education and Information Technologies
Hi-index | 0.00 |
This study examines the effect of using an online 3D virtual environment in teaching Mathematics in Primary Education. In particular, it explores the extent to which student engagement - behavioral, affective and cognitive - is fostered by such tools in order to enhance collaborative learning. For the study we used a purpose-created 3D virtual environment and a macro-script incorporating learning tasks related to basic fractions. The study itself took place during four teaching sessions in a primary school classroom. The data collected and analyzed included chat logs, classroom observation notes and the results of pre- and post-tests. The findings indicate that the 3D virtual environment actively engages the students' interest and leads to richer interaction between them. This in turn results in a higher level of student engagement in the collaborative learning process. We believe that 3D virtual environments provide novel learning opportunities. However careful design is necessary in order to use their full potential.