The NDSU GAMES Project
GAMES are Graphically Advanced Multi-player Educational Simulations. The GAMES idea is to create multiplayer, educational, simulated worlds (sometimes called synthetic or virtual worlds); then to populate those worlds with authentic simulated artifacts (objects, devices, agents, and so forth); and then to open that world to learners for exploration, discovery, problem solving, and learning.
ROLE-based learning is learning-by-doing, but not the mere goal oriented "doing" of a task. ROLE-based learning is learning-by-doing within the structure and context of playing a role. Rather than simply teaching goal-based behavior and task-oriented skills, ROLE-based learning teaches a way of practice - where you do not just learn the law, but how to "think like a lawyer".
The Big Picture
Virtual Environments for Education at NDSU- the student learns about that world
- the student learns their role in it
- the student learns about the domain.
- a) Predictable
- because it make sense in terms of the real world -- in other words, the simulation is "sufficiently authentic"
- b) Compelling and Engaging
- because a comic-like graphical interface (the MOOPort) presents the virtual world.
- c) Reactive
- because the game is built on an existing architecture for realtime multiplayer games (MUDs), using the most flexible implementation (Pavel Curtis's LambdaMOO, from Xerox PARC).
- d) Sensitive
- because there is a Proactive Tutor in the simulated world, watching the players' actions and informing them when they do something questionable.
Related Links
Published Papers:
- Complete List
- Slator, Brian M. and Harold "Cliff" Chaput. Learning by Learning Roles: a virtual role-playing environment for tutoring (1996) Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS'96). Montreal: Springer-Verlag, June 12-14, pp. 668-676. (Lecture Notes in Computer Science, edited by C. Frasson, G. Gauthier, A. Lesgold) (400 KByte Postscript file).
- Hooker, Robert and Brian M. Slator (1996). A Model of Consumer Decision Making for a Mud Based Game. Proceedings of the Simulation-Based Learning Technology Workshop at the Third International Conference on Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS'96). Montreal, June 11, pp. 49-58. (545 KByte Postscript file); also in MicroSoft Word format, as a 198 KByte Macbinary file, and a 199 KByte Doc file, and a 270 KByte BinHex file.