Virtual worlds: Not the final frontier for games-based nursing education
- Authors: Meredith, Grant , Achterbosch, Leigh , Turville, Kylie , Venkatraman, Sitalakshmi
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: ascilite 2012: Future challenges, sustainable futures p. 1-5
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Virtual worlds present frontiers of promise for the ever evolving venture of pedagogical development, trial and embracement. Of late there have been large pushes into these worlds in terms of health-based education for students and early practitioners. Virtual worlds seem to be the next logical jump into nursing education and can offer a range of simulation benefits. But these worlds do not appeal to all students, can be complex and expensive to develop and interact within. Other game-like avenues exist though and have not been explored thoroughly enough to date. Such genres like puzzles games, management style games and surprisingly first person shooters already have titles and game mechanics which have been somewhat adapted to nursing education but could easily be more thought out and developed to suit. This paper outlines the two major gaming audience types to be considered and then explores a range of options for nursing education beyond virtual worlds.
Taming the devil: a game based approach to teaching immunology
- Authors: Nankervis, Scott , Meredith, Grant , Vamplew, Peter , Fotinatos, Nina
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: ascilite 2012: Future challenges, sustainable futures
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Immunology is a complex field requiring rapid memorisation of numerous components. An indepth understanding of cellular and molecular biology is required before even moderately advanced concepts can be taught. We sought methods that actively engage students and help develop new knowledge and consolidate existing concepts to support lectures. We created an interactive and entertaining prototype immunology computer game as a tool for learning and revision, with the ability to interactively cover course content outside of class that modern learners expect. Our prototype appears to be a successful study aid when used additionally to attendance at lectures. We seek to continue the development of the game in a higher education context, but also produce a modified version for a secondary school context, in an effort to raise the profile of this key health area and promote learning for the future through the study of the sciences prior to students entering higher education.
Understanding novice programmers: their perceptions and motivations
- Authors: Turville, Kylie , Meredith, Grant , Smith, Philip
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Ascilite 2012 Future Challenges: Sustainable futures p. 652-656
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper presents the initial findings of an ongoing research program eliciting a basic understanding of students undertaking a first year programming course at the University of Ballarat, with a particular focus on their motivations and aspirations. This paper also provides a brief history of the course within its institutional setting including the different strategies that have been implemented over the last decade, an overview of the overarching study that is currently being undertaken, a discussion of some of the initial results, as well as a short discussion further research that is currently being undertaken. Results from the initial study indicate that students are positive coming into our courses but can become disillusioned as the course progresses. The research path forward will also be presented along with the discussion of these initial findings.
Learning with technology: Theoretical foundations underpinning simulations in higher education
- Authors: Lyons, Judith
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Annual conference of the Australian Society for Computers in Tertiary Education
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Embracing learning for the future through learning technologies requires a clearer understanding of the pedagogies that inform the simulated teaching and learning strategies used to facilitate student learning. Higher Education e-learning literature often groups educational games with simulation. However, educational simulation attributes are different from games or simulated games with very different aims and objectives within the learning context, which have implications for technology-based learning designs. In order to optimize the use of technologybased simulation this paper presents the theoretical foundations of educational simulation in a disciplinary context. Understanding the simulation pedagogy will assist academics to create technology-based simulated learning environments that highlight the inherent simulation attributes to enable and facilitate learning.