Structured evaluation of virtual environments for special-needs education

Neale, HR, Brown, DJ ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1677-7485, Cobb, SVG and Wilson, JR, 1999. Structured evaluation of virtual environments for special-needs education. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 8 (3), pp. 264-282. ISSN 1054-7460

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Abstract

This paper describes the development of a structured approach to evaluate experiential and communication virtual learning environments (VLEs) designed specifically for use in the education of children with severe learning difficulties at the Shepherd special needs school in Nottingham, UK. Constructivist learning theory was used as a basis for the production of an evaluation framework, used to evaluate the design of three VLEs and how they were used by students with respect to this learning theory. From an observational field study of student-teacher pairs using the VLEs, 18 behaviour categories were identified as relevant to five of the seven constructivist principles defined by Jonassen (1994). Analysis of student-teacher behaviour was used to provide support for, or against, the constructivist principles. The results show that the three VLEs meet the constructivist principles in very different ways and recommendations for design modifications are put forward.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments
Creators:	Neale, H.R., Brown, D.J., Cobb, S.V.G. and Wilson, J.R.
Publisher:	The MIT Press (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Date:	1999
Volume:	8
Number:	3
ISSN:	1054-7460
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1162/105474699566224 DOI
Rights:	© 1999 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Divisions:	Schools > School of Science and Technology
Record created by:	EPrints Services
Date Added:	09 Oct 2015 10:43
Last Modified:	09 Jun 2017 13:37
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/17061

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