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A multi-user desktop virtual environment for teaching shop-keeping to children

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Abstract

Virtual role-playing environments can be a powerful mechanism of instruction, provided they are constructed such that learning how to play and win the game contributes to a player’s understanding of real-world concepts and procedures. North Dakota State University (NDSU) provides students with environments to enhance their understanding of geology (Planet Oit), cellular biology (Virtual Cell), programming languages (ProgrammingLand), retailing (Dollar Bay), and history (Blackwood). These systems present a number of opportunities and an equal number of challenges. Players are afforded a role-based, multi-user, ‘learn-by-doing’ experience, with software agents acting as both environmental effects and tutors and the possibilities of multi-user cooperation and collaboration. However, technical issues and one important cultural issue present a range of difficulties. The Dollar Bay environment, its particular challenges, and the solutions to these are presented.

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Acknowledgments

Some portion of this NDSU Worldwide Web Instructional Committee (WWWIC) research was supported by funding from the National Science Foundation under grant EIA-0086142

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Computer Science Department, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, 58102, USA

    Brian M. Slator, Robert Cosmano, Ben Dischinger, Christopher Imdieke & Bradley Vender

  2. Computer Science Department, The University of Texas at Austin, University Station, Austin, TX, 78712, USA

    Harold Chaput

Authors
  1. Brian M. Slator
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  2. Harold Chaput
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  3. Robert Cosmano
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  4. Ben Dischinger
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  5. Christopher Imdieke
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  6. Bradley Vender
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Correspondence to Brian M. Slator.

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Slator, B.M., Chaput, H., Cosmano, R. et al. A multi-user desktop virtual environment for teaching shop-keeping to children. Virtual Reality 9, 49–56 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-005-0003-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-005-0003-5

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