Virtual Environments in the Classroom for the Long Haul:
Virtual environments are engaging, but how do we get them to work well… for many people… over an extended period of time? [Event flyer]

Presented By: Stephanie August, Ph.D., Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Integration of 3D virtual world environments, game-based learning, and digital story telling into a STEM curriculum creates engaging content and provides students with simulated hands-on experiences and contextualized learning. We all agree that these activities can attract and retain students who would otherwise leave STEM majors or never even consider a career in a STEM field. But how do we get the environments to work well… for many people… over an extended period of time? Principle investigators attending the Virtual Environments in the Classroom workshop at the 2013 NSF TUES PI Conference identified a set of common concerns ranging from the ability to share content and the technical infrastructure required for content delivery through MOOCs and assessment to the need for interdisciplinary teams. This talk reviews examples of these interactive experiences and presents the proposed curriculum for an NSF PI Forum that grew out of the workshop and aims to develop a community to address these concerns.

This talk is part of the STEM Education Research Seminar series. The goal of the series is to provide a forum for faculty working on research related to STEM education to present and discuss their work. All interested welcome. The STEM Education Research Seminar is organized by Anna Bargagliotti, Ph.D., Mathematics, and Jeff Phillips, Ph.D., Physics. Please contact them directly or via teachers@lmu.edu for details.

Please RSVP to teachers@lmu.edu or x85866.

This program will be video and audio taped and may be podcast. By your willing participation in the program, you expressly and irrevocably consent to be photographed, videotaped and/or audio taped and quoted/cited. The films, tapes, and other digital recordings will become the property of the Center of Teaching Excellence, LMU.