Teaching an Aerospace Engineering Design Course via Virtual Worlds: A Comparative Assessment of Learning Outcomes

Autor/inn/en	Okutsu, Masataka; DeLaurentis, Daniel; Brophy, Sean; Lambert, Jason
Titel	Teaching an Aerospace Engineering Design Course via Virtual Worlds: A Comparative Assessment of Learning Outcomes
Quelle	In: Computers & Education, 60 (2013) 1, S.288-298 (11 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0360-1315
DOI	10.1016/j.compedu.2012.07.012
Schlagwörter	Engineering; Engineering Education; Aerospace Education; Design; Outcomes of Education; Comparative Analysis; Virtual Classrooms; College Credits; Higher Education; Control Groups; Scores; Intervals; Distance Education; Computer Software + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Maschinenbau; Ingenieurausbildung; Lernleistung; Schulerfolg; College; Colleges; Achievement; Performance; Anrechnung; Hochschule; Fachhochschule; Leistung; Hochschulbildung; Hochschulsystem; Hochschulwesen; Distance study; Distance learning; Fernunterricht
Abstract	To test the concept of multiuser 3D virtual environments as media to teach semester-long courses, we developed a software prototype called Aeroquest. An aerospace design course--offered to 135 second-year students for university credits in Fall 2009--was divided into two groups: the real-world group attending lectures, physically, in a campus hall and the virtual-world group attending lectures, remotely, in Aeroquest. To date, numerous studies on the educational use of multiuser virtual environments have been reported in the literature. However, among studies on virtual-world-based courses, our investigation was one of the firsts to employ learning outcomes (rather than affective states) that were objectively measured (rather than subjectively reported) against a control group. We found that the virtual-world group achieved the performance benchmark, defined by the exam score of the real-world group, within a 95% confidence interval, suggesting the virtual worlds' untapped potential as a teaching platform in early engineering courses--especially for distance education. (Contains 2 tables and 4 figures.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10