Assessing collaborative learning in virtual spaces

Because there were three phases of my project, I had to create three different ways of assessing my work.

• Phase 1: Outside looking in - Assessing older adults' learning about VR
• Phase 2: Inside looking out - Assessing users' interest in academic discourse
• Phase 3: Assessing the possibility of a multi-modal classroom

Phase 1 - Assessing older adults' learning about VR

To assess Phase 1 I decided to use tried and true techniques rather than creating something new. First I used a standard formative assessment. At the beginning of the course, I handed out 3x5 index cards and asked the students to answer two questions.

• Do you have any difficulty learning about computers?
• What computer games do you enjoy playing?

The results of this were quite surprising. Of course nearly every student could detail some specific issue that they struggled with. The top answers fell into three categories:

1. Difficulty understanding the "language" of technology
2. Difficulty with obscure error messages
3. Can't remember where things are or how to do them

The most surprising result of all was that more than half of the students reported enjoying one or more computer games and several of them were happy to show me what they were (Solitare, Freecell, etc.) and how to play them. Not a single student had to struggle to find the game or play it. Despite whatever difficulties they had learning technology, when the learning was in the context of playing a game they remembered without difficulty. This both affirmed my idea of leveraging computer gaming technology to create a virtual learning space and revealed that even the least knowledgeable audience could understand and use technology that was "fun."

Phase 2 - Assess users' interest in academic discourse

In Phase 2 I was interested in understanding if power users' of existing virtual environments would take interest in discussing education in their native environment. To test this idea, some LDT colleagues of mine and I decided to stage an interaction to see if anybody would notice with the fantasy environment of World of Warcraft. We were summarily impressed by the level of interest we received and the commentary from those who decided to participate. In one specific case, a random user who we had never met before (pictured on right) decided to share with us his experience and opinions on how math was taught in Australia (his home country).

"Math should be made into a practical resource...so that its not a daunting concept! almost taught like something eles [else] like sport so you dont even realiss [realize] u are doing it... but still get a concious understanding"

This experience was formative in my conception of this project. I affirmed that real users do, indeed, have an interest in not only participating in academic discourse but they have a strong desire to share their opinions and change the way education is delivered in a traditional setting.

Phase 3 - Assessing the possibility of a multi-modal classroom

Phase 3 was the least developed part of the project and therefore has the least assessment associated with it. Despite the fact that I was only able to prototype several versions of a multi-modal environment I had several opportunities to gather feedback and assess my work. One of the most pointed assessment opportunities I had was during the LDT Exposition in July. The first major opportunity during Expo was the presentation session. I presented my work to several Stanford faculty and industry experts. Universally, they were both surprised and intrigued by my work. The feedback was overall very positive and multiple individuals expressed interest in learning more about what I had done and how I planned to continue my work. In addition to the feedback during the presentation session, there was the Expo open "poster session" afterward. This is where I received some of the most interesting feedback. I had an extended discussion with a Professor from the University of Idaho Polya Math Lab which at first seemed like it was not going so well. The look on his face as I explained my project seemed pensive and possibly even critical. However, after a few moments he exclaimed in an enthusiastic voice, "I could really see this sort of thing being used to teach physics and math!!" He quickly described to me his version of one possible environment that was based directly on the material I was showing at the time. He explained to me that students have difficulty understanding material that was not visible to them and that my work seemed one excellent way to achieve the visibility the students needed yet still maintaining a traditional classroom environment. I was very pleased to hear this and I feel greatly encouraged by his enthusiasm.