arvelsigNewsletterApplied Research in Virtual Environments for Learning arvelsig.com

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Spring 2010

Volume 2, Issue 1

AERA Annual Meeting Edition

Message from the Chair: by Jonathon Richter

Dear ARVEL SIG members and friends, In a few days we're meeting in Denver to continue our progress as a community advancing educational research in virtual environments. In addition to another fantastic annual program of germane, cutting edge paper presentations we look to approve our SIG Bylaws and welcome newly elected officers Brian Nelson and Lisa Dawley as Secretary/Treasurer and Chair-elect, respectively. We will also welcome Scott Warren to the ARVEL Executive Committee as the appointed Associate Program Chair to work alongside fellow University of North Texas colleague Greg Jones - who will take the place of Program Chair for 2011. The renewal of the lifeblood of ARVEL is in direct proportion and dependent on the constitution of the SIG's Executive Committee - so this roster bodes good tidings, indeed. Please join me in welcoming them to their new ARVEL leadership position at the Business Meeting on Monday, May 3, 6:15 8:15 PM in the Sheraton Denver, Governor Square 12. ‐During this year's Business Meeting we are proud to award the first two of our official AERA-sanctioned SIG awards: first, the "Emerging Virtual Scholar Award" will be presented to Utah State University graduate students Lee Mason, Tae Jeon, Peter Blair, & Assistant Professor Nancy Glomb for their paper titled, "Virtual Tutor Training: Learning to Teach in a Multi-User Virtual Environment.” Our "Best Paper Award" goes to Greg Jones for his paper, "Issues and Concerns of K-12 Educators on 3D Multi-User Virtual Environments in Formal

Classroom Settings.” Please be sure to congratulate each of these scholars on their ARVEL SIG achievements. The

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ARVEL SIG is an American Education Research Association Special Interest Group for educators, scholars, and practitioners researching computer-mediated 3D communities.

ARVEL seeks to steward a robust community of educators, scholars, and practitioners dedicated toward research in and on virtual 3D environments. Using a variety of research methods, we support a diverse approach to understanding the optimal use of virtual worlds and environments for educational purposes. We're interested in developing a comprehensive research agenda intended to encompass the breadth and scope of learning potentialities, affordances, challenges, and shortcomings of immersive virtual learning environments.

Welcome to the ARVEL SIG Newsletter

The ARVEL newsletter will appear 3 times a year, complementing the wiki’s bi-monthly themes. This second issue gets you ready for the AERA 2010 Annual Meeting.

See you all see in Denver!

ArvelSigWiki ThemesJan/Feb: Preparing for the Annual AERA ConferenceMarch/April: The Annual AERA Conference EditionMay/June: New DirectionsJuly/Aug: Challenges to research in the fieldSept/Oct: Focus on MethodsNov/Dec: Diversity of virtual worlds research

arvelsigNewsletter, Applied Research in Virtual Environments for Learning.

April 2010, Volume 2, Issue 1 “AERA Annual Meeting Edition.” http://www.arvelsig.com

Messages from Officers

I See What You Mean by Lawrence ArgentPhoto courtesy of the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs.

continued high quality of our SIG is dependent upon such well crafted research and its submission through our SIG. Thank you very, very much. For the coming year, Chair-elect Dawley and I look to continue building capacity for our membership to work through the SIG in ways that will add value to educational research in virtual worlds and you, our members. We continue to add outposts and tours of virtual worlds and gaming environments, publish this quarterly newsletter, and in Denver are launching a research wiki for the SIG membership to collaboratively develop useful frames and terms for educational inquiry and scholarship in virtual worlds. Finally, continuing with last year's opportunity for top ranked papers submitted through the SIG to be compiled and published in a relevant peer-reviewed journal, we will again invite ARVEL paper presenters to submit their work for publication in a special issue of The International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations. 2009 - 2010 was a great year for ARVEL SIG. 2010 - 2011 is expected to be better. Please join us!~ Jonathon, ARVEL Chair

Message from the Program Chair: by Lisa Dawley

Get ready! ARVEL SIG @AERA is just around the corner, and after a year of planning, this year's program of slated events is our best yet. We're thrilled to be hosting opportunities for over 70 researchers to present their work. Our program events run Sunday, May 1 through Tuesday, May 4. We're continuing our tradition of top-notch sessions, roundtable papers, and a killer business meeting with keynote speaker, Eric Klopfer from MIT--not to mention delicious munchies to keep up our energy through the night.

This year we're also adding our first poster sessions for work still in development, and a hands-on workshop! Drop by during the lunch hour on Monday, and participate in our meet-n-greet with over 15 researchers who will coach you in the "how to's" of educational research in immersive simulation environments. Spend time chatting with ARVEL SIG officers, and learn more about ARVEL SIG in virtual worlds, as well. Workshop and business meeting refreshments are provided by our most-appreciated sponsors: Boise State University, ISTE, Univ. of North Texas and Texas A&M--thank you! A huge thank you, as well, to this year's chair-elect, Greg Jones. We couldn't have done it without you.

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ARVEL Sponsors

Click on [abstract] to read the information provided by presenters. > Use Guest User if you don’t have an AERA IDClick on presenter’s name to access this person’s other presentations at AERA. > Be sure to check these links as these presenters offer topics of interest under other units than the ARVEL SIG.

Saturday, May 18:15 Moving Forward by Looking Back: Lessons Learned about the Design of

Immersive Virtual Worlds. (Chair: Jody E. Clarke, Harvard U.; Discussant : G. Jones, U. of North Texas)

Designing Immersive Virtual Environments for Assessing Inquiry (J. E. Clarke, C. J. Dede, M. C. Mayrath; Harvard U.)[abstract]

Past/Present: Successful new design approaches for game-based social-history education at the middle school level (B. Snow; MuzzyLane Software) [abstract]

EcoMUVE: Design of Virtual Environments to Address Science Learning Goals. (S. Metcalf, C. J. Dede, T. A. Grotzer, A. Kamarainen; Harvard U.)[abstract]

Sheraton Plaza D

10:35 The Intersect of Virtual and Real World Learning. (Chair: Greg Jones) -Roundtable

Design Principles for Embodied Learning in Computer-Mediated Environments (D. Birchfield, M. Johnson-Glenberg, P. Savvides, M. C. Megowan-Romanowicz, S. Uysal; Arizona State U.) [abstract]

SheratonGrand Ballroom 2

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ARVEL at AERA: Program

Blended Inquiry with Hands-on and Virtual Laboratories: The Role of Perceptual Features during Knowledge Construction. (E. Toth, West Virginia U.; L. Ludvico, B. Morrow; Duquesne U., Bayer School of Natural Sciences; D. Keener; Duquesne U.) [abstract]

The Results of Formatively Evaluating an Augmented Reality Curriculum Based on Modified Design Principles (P. OShea, M. Cherian, C. Dede; Harvard U.) [abstract]

12:25 Using Virtual Worlds and Games in K12. (Chair: C. Dede) -Roundtable

K12 Teachers Encounter Digital Games: A qualitative investigation of teachers’ perceptions of digital games for K12 education (M. Dickey; Miami U.) [abstract]

Issues and Concerns of K-12 Educators on 3D Multi-User Virtual Environments in Formal Classroom Settings (G. Jones; U. of North Texas) [abstract]

Player Participation in Community Management in a Tween Virtual World: Opportunities and Challenges for Learning (Y. Kafai, K. Searle; U. of Pennsylvania) [abstract]

SheratonGrand Ballroom 2

2:15 ARVEL: Posters on Virtual Environments.

Using virtual worlds to engage youth in social initiatives: A case study (S. Turkay, D. Tirthali; Teachers College, Columbia U.) [abstract]

Mixed-reality simulations for education: Teaching and learning through virtual character interactions (J. DiPietro, R. Ferdig, L.Cao, E. Blackwelder, S. Halan, B.Lok; U. of Florida) [abstract]

Serious play: Exploring virtual leadership practices in the MMO World of Warcraft (M. Wolfenstein; U. of Wisconsin – Madison) [abstract]

Sailing in Schome Park: Humour and Learning in a Virtual World Project with Teenagers (J. Gillen, Lancaster U.; R. Ferguson, A. Peachey, P. Twining; The Open U.) [abstract]

Conv. CenterKorbel Ballroom 3

Sunday, May 212:25 Redesigning Leadership Preparation and Research Through Virtual

Experiential Simulations. (Symposium)

C. Brunner , U. of Minnesota; Chair

S. Lynn Shollen, Hobart & William Smith Colleges

E. Rusch, U. of Nevada - Las Vegas

SheratonGovernor’s Square 9

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K. Hammel, U. of Minnesota

M. de Leon-Denton, U. of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Monday, May 38:15 Transformative Play: Games as 21st Century Curriculum. (Chair: S. Barab;

Indiana U.; Discussants: James Gee, Arizona State U.; James Greeno, U. of Pittsburgh)

Taiga Fishkill: Example 1 of Transformational Play (S. A. Barab, A. Ingram-Goble; Indiana U.) [abstract]

Modern Prometheus: Example 2 of Transformational Play (P. Pettyjohn, M. Solomou; Indiana U.) [abstract]

Ander City: Example 3 of Transformational Play (M.Sommefeld Gresalfi; Indiana U.) [abstract]

Virtual Mesa Verde: Example 4 of Transformational Play (A. Arici, C. Volk, S. Barab; Indiana U.) [abstract]

SheratonPlaza D

10:35 Developing Community & Collaboration in Virtual Worlds. (Chair: Jonathon Richter) –Roundtable

Being Polite in Second Life: Discourse Strategies When Learning Collaboratively in a Virtual World (Yueh-hui Chiang, D. Schallert; U. of Texas – Austin) [abstract]

Understanding and Fostering Online Communities For Game Design (S. Duncan, U. of Wisconsin – Madison; I. Caperton, World Wide Workshop Foundation) [abstract]

A Statewide University System Goes Virtual: Building Learning Communities in Second Life (L. Jarmon; U. of Texas at Austin) [abstract]

SheratonGrand Ballroom 2

12:25 to 1:55

Workshop: Conducting Educational Research in Virtual Worlds (Chair: L. Dawley) Invited presenters set up around room to discuss and demo aspects of their projects and/or products to support research in virtual worlds (see p. for details).

SheratonPlaza A

6:15 Business Meeting (open to all)

Keynote: Eric Klopfer, MITARVEL Officers:Chair: Jonathon Richter, University of OregonHonorary Chair & Nominations: Chris Dede, Harvard UniversityProgram Chair: Lisa Dawley, Boise State UniversityCo-Program Chair: Greg Jones, University of North TexasSecretary/Treasurer: Diane Jass Ketelhut, Temple University

SheratonGovernor’s Square 12

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Membership: Brian Nelson, Arizona State UniversityCommunications: Sabine Reljic, San Diego State U.-U. of San Diego

9:00 Informal ARVEL SIG SocialRock Bottom Brewery, 1001 16th St.

Tuesday, May 48:15 Teaching & Learning in Virtual Environments (Chair: Brian Nelson) –

Roundtable

War Stories: Using a Virtual Contextual Environment to Support Student Writing for Students with Learning Disabilities (E. Simpson, M. Buchanan; U. of Wyoming) [abstract]

Virtual Tutor Training: Building Effective Teaching Behaviors in Second Life (P. Blair, L. Mason, N. Glomb; Utah State U.) [abstract]

Digital Dome Versus Desktop Computer in a Learning Game for Religious Architecture (J. Jacobson; PublicVR) [abstract]

Conv. CenterKorbell Ballroom 2

12:25 Learner Attitudes & Identities in Virtual Worlds and Games Environments (Chair: Diane Jass Ketelhut)-Roundtable

Effects of modern educational game play on attitudes towards mathematics, mathematics self-efficacy, and mathematics achievement (A. Ritzhaupt, H. Higgins, S. Allred; U. of North Carolina Wilmington) [abstract]

Virtual Orientation Environment: A Pilot Study of Participant Attitudes and Experiences (C. Bigenho, A. Najmi, M. Alajmi; U. of North Texas) [abstract]

Dance Dance Education — Revolution and Rites of Passage, identity construction and sustaining engagement (B. Dubbels; U. of Minnesota) [abstract]

The Effects of Avatar Representations and Social Interactions on Perseverance in an Online 3D Virtual World (U. Acholonu; Stanford U.) [abstract]

Conv. CenterKorbell Ballroom 2

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These abstracts are brief summaries of the abstracts posted on the AERA’s website (search schedule).

SATURDAY, MAY 1

Designing Immersive Virtual Environments for Assessing Inquiry (Clarke, Dede, Mayrath)This paper discusses preliminary findings from a recently funded project that to develop virtual performance assessments of scientific inquiry skills. Building off prior research on Immersive Virtual Environments (IVEs), we believe that virtual performance assessments could mitigate limitations associated with both physical performance assessments and paper and pencil item-based tests

Past/Present: Successful new design approaches for game-based social-history education at the middle school level (Snow)The Past/Present project is an effort to research and develop these kinds of environments using immersive virtual-world games. We designed and developed a prototype social-history game, and conducted tests in a series of middle school classrooms.

EcoMUVE: Design of Virtual Environments to Address Science Learning Goals (Metcalf, Dede, Grotzer, Kamarainen)EcoMUVE targets middle school ecosystems education to support student understanding of complex causality (Grotzer, 2009; Grotzer & Basca, 2003). Perspectives MUVEs allow students to explore the world in new ways – EcoMUVE doesn’t replace students going out into nature, but provides new ways of accessing the relationships in an ecosystem.

Design Principles for Embodied Learning in Computer-Mediated Environments (Birchfield, Johnson-Glenberg, Savvides, Megowan-Romanowicz, S. Uysal)A growing body of evidence supports the theory that cognition itself is embodied. As researchers and designers, we need to better understand the scope and role of embodiment in these emerging learning environments. To address this need we have conducted a series of experiments that ground a set of proposed design principles for embodied learning in computer-mediated environments.

Blended Inquiry with Hands-on and Virtual Laboratories: The Role of Perceptual Features during Knowledge Construction. (Toth, Ludvico, Morrow, Keener)This study examined two learning environments (a virtual laboratory or VRL and a hands-on laboratory or HOL) for their potential to assist knowledge construction during inquiry into DNA science. The results document the benefit of using VRLs to examine key conceptual features of the task environment before hands-on investigation.

The Results of Formatively Evaluating an Augmented Reality Curriculum Based on Modified Design Principles (OShea, Cherian, Dede)This paper describes the results of a formative analysis of a redesigned Augmented Reality (AR) curriculum. The curriculum, Gray Anatomy, was designed based on lessons learned from the design and implementation process of a previous AR curriculum, Alien Contact!.

K12 Teachers Encounter Digital Games: A qualitative investigation of teachers’ perceptions of digital games for K12 education (Dickey)The purpose this study is to address the types of barriers and enablers impacting the integration of digital games for K-12 education. Specifically this qualitative investigation focuses on reflective dialogued gathered from a group of K-12 educators about their perceptions and experiences of using digital games for teaching and learning.

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ARVEL Summary of Abstracts

Issues and Concerns of K-12 Educators on 3D Multi-User Virtual Environments in Formal Classroom Settings (Jones)This study, a naturalistic inquiry conducted between 2007 and 2009, presents emergent themes from interviews of fourteen K-12 educators and administrators regarding their issues and concerns about implementing 3D multi-user virtual environments into K-12 formal classroom settings. The major issues and concerns emerged from interviews included effectiveness, security, bandwidth, and technology.

Player Participation in Community Management in a Tween Virtual World: Opportunities and Challenges for Learning (Kafai, Searle)This paper investigates self-governance in online communities from the perspective of players in Whyville.net, a virtual world with over 3.4 million registered players between the ages of 8 and 16. Drawing on video tape, field note, and logfile data collected during an after school gaming club, we analyze an instance where tweens, supported by a supervising adult, dealt with problematic behavior and thus participated in community management.

Using virtual worlds to engage youth in social initiatives: A case study (Turkay, Tirthali)This paper presents evaluation of an effort to promote youth change-making by using 3D virtual worlds as informal learning environments to experiment with social initiatives.

Mixed-reality simulations for education: Teaching and learning through virtual character interactions (DiPietro, Ferdig, Cao, Blackwelder, Halan, Lok)This inquiry describes the initial stage of a project investigating the possible benefits and overall viability of an interactive, mixed-reality educational simulation; mixed-reality simply refers to a first-world human being interacting with a 3D digital avatar/virtual character.

Serious play: Exploring virtual leadership practices in the MMO World of Warcraft (Wolfenstein)This paper offers early findings from an ongoing study on the practices of virtual leaders in the massively multiplayer online game World of Warcraft.

Sailing in Schome Park: Humour and Learning in a Virtual World Project with Teenagers (Gillen, Ferguson, Peachey, Twining)Over a thirteen-month period the Schome Park project operated the first 'closed' (ie protected) Teen Second Life project in Europe. In this paper we focus on the use of humour during two regattas, in which participants attempted to sail boats around the virtual island.

MONDAY, May 3

Taiga Fishkill: Example 1 of Transformational Play (Barab, Ingram-Goble)The Taiga Fishkill unit is an interactive narrative set within an aquatic habitat (Taiga National Park) where a serious ecological problem has resulted in many fish dying. Students are hired as environmental scientists whose job is to investigate the fish population decline, and propose solutions for the problem.

Modern Prometheus: Example 2 of Transformational Play (Pettyjohn, Solomou)Modern Prometheus is a relatively new addition to the Quest Atlantis project. Modern Prometheus was developed with the goal of better understanding the potential of converting a classic piece of literature, like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, into a transformational play space.

Ander City: Example 3 of Transformational Play (Gresalfi )Ander City is a unit that creates an opportunity for students to use statistical tools to make decisions regarding

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dilemmas that the city is facing. Students are hired to help with a problem: the current mayor is up for re-election, and he is running under a campaign of innovation.

Virtual Mesa Verde: Example 4 of Transformational Play (Arici, Volk, Barab)The Mesa Verde Unit provides students with an opportunity to travel back in time to learn more about the Ancestral Puebloan people who inhabited an area in the American southwest over 1400 years ago.

Being Polite in Second Life: Discourse Strategies When Learning Collaboratively in a Virtual World (Chiang, Schallert)This study focused on the process involved as graduate students engaged in collaborative learning projects in Second Life with particular interest in their discourse strategies, and even more specifically, in issues of politeness as students interacted.

Understanding and Fostering Online Communities For Game Design (Duncan, Caperton) We present results from ongoing analyses of two environments for the learning of Adobe Flash game design, Globaloria and Kongregate.

A Statewide University System Goes Virtual: Building Learning Communities in Second Life ( Jarmon)As part of its Transforming Undergraduate Education Program, the University of Texas SYSTEM has initiated a statewide virtual learning community of students, faculty, researchers and administrators, that offers a creative approach to undergraduate instruction through the innovative use of a 21st century low-cost online virtual world technology.

Workshop: Conducting Educational Research in Virtual Worlds Invited presenters set up around room to discuss and demo aspects of their projects and/or products to support research in virtual worlds.

TUESDAY, May 4

War Stories: Using a Virtual Contextual Environment to Support Student Writing for Students with Learning Disabilities (Simpson, Buchanan)The purpose of this research project was to explore the effectiveness of situating a group of five high school seniors with learning disabilities in a virtual learning context to motivate and scaffold their expository writing.

Virtual Tutor Training: Building Effective Teaching Behaviors in Second Life (Blair, Mason, Glomb)This study investigates the extent to which (a) a multi-user virtual environment can be used to teach literacy instruction, and (b) teaching behaviors acquired in a virtual learning environment are associated with improvements in literacy instruction delivered face-to-face.

Digital Dome Versus Desktop Computer in a Learning Game for Religious Architecture (Jacobson)An immersive visual display can help the student when concepts are anchored or embodied in an information-rich space and when an egocentric viewpoint is revealing.

Effects of modern educational game play on attitudes towards mathematics, mathematics self-efficacy, and mathematics achievement (Ritzhaupt, Higgins, Allred)This study investigated the effects of modern educational game playing on middle school students’ attitudes towards mathematics, mathematics self-efficacy, and mathematics achievement.

Virtual Orientation Environment: A Pilot Study of Participant Attitudes and Experiences ( Bigenho, Najmi, Alajmi)This paper explores the use of a virtual orientation environment to teach potential students about a department’s programs, faculty and offerings.

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Dance Dance Education — Revolution and Rites of Passage, identity construction and sustaining engagement (Dubbels) Identity construction may be the key to sustaining engagement; digital media such as video games structure activities reminiscent of rites of passage.

The Effects of Avatar Representations and Social Interactions on Perseverance in an Online 3D Virtual World (Acholonu)To further understand the relationship between identity, social presence, and perseverance, a 2x2 study was conducted using the online virtual engine Second Life.

ARVEL Officers for 2010-2011

Chair: Jonathan Richter

Chair Elect: Lisa Dawley

Program Chair: Greg Jones

Secretary/Treasurer: Brian Nelson

Membership Officer: Dennis Beck

Communication Officer: Sabine Lawless-Reljic

LOGO: ARVEL wants to recognize Ann Randall for the simplified logo for use on the web, 3D VWs and paper.

WEBSITEBookmark this page as your main gate to all ARVEL SIG information.

ARVEL SIG Website: http://www.arvelsig.com/

NINGJoin the ARVELSIG Ning to stay informed with ARVEL events in real life and inworlds. The Ning is open to all. Add your events, create your group, share your projects with blog, picture and video posts.

ARVEL SIG Ning: http://arvelsig.ning.com/

WIKIJoin the ARVELSIG Wiki community to help develop terminologies, research methodologies and teaching best practices in virtual environments. ARVELSIG Wiki is open to registered SIG members. Join ARVELSIG.

Arvelsig Wiki: http://sites.google.com/site/arvelsigaera/

INWORLD EVENTS

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ARVEL News

ARVEL Inworlds has hosted several discussions in Second Life since it opened its CAVE headquarters. Our last forum took us to the 3rd Rock Grid to discuss virtual worlds choice(s) to teach and research. We were welcomed by Ann Randall (Aviana Pacem in 3RG). In May, we are meeting in World of Warcraft and in the River City Project.

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ARVEL Stats:

ARVEL SIG: 89 membersARVEL ning: 198 members

AERA_ARVE_SIG173-Forum: 156 Subscribers

ARVEL Contacts

JOIN ARVEL SIG

http://arvelsig.ning.com/

http://twitter.com/ARVELSIG

ARVEL locations in VWs:

ARVEL in 3rdRock Grid (Tierra Paz 125,80,25)

ARVEL in ReactionGrid (Ontos2 50,82,46)

ARVEL in Second Life (CAVE 12,241,42)

ARVEL in SmallWorlds

Do you own some space in a VW? Contact us to establish an ARVEL headquarter in your VW.

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Applied Research in Virtual Environments for Learning