Examine Research

Three articles that I found interesting were Using Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games for Online Learning by Marcus D. Childress and Ray Braswell, Games and Simulations by Nathan Balasubramanian and Brent G. Wilson and Cracking the Walnut: Using A Computer Game to Impact Cognition, Emotion and Behavior of Highly Aggressive Fifth Grade Students b L. Jon Hobbs and Zheng Yan.

Each article discusses new ways in which improvements can be made to online courses. The first article by Childress and Braswell focuses on the issues that coincide with taking online courses and provide ways in which these problems could be changed for the better. Its main focus is on using massively multiplayer online role-playing games, better known as MMORPG. These systems provide the opportunities to communicate and interact with other students and the instructor in online courses. The article explores the history of this technology and massively multiplayer online games of MMOGs. The explain how these MMOGs and MMORPGs are being used today to help students to become more involved in their online courses. The article also provides examples and situations in which the MMOGs and MMORPGs have been used and they briefly expand on the future uses of these programs in online courses.

The next article by Balasubramanian and Wilson, analyzes the positives and negatives that are associated with gaming and simulation in a learning environment.  They provided the results from a study that was conducted using different types of educational gaming systems that were developed and released by the Nobel Foundation. The study was based around different junior high school students. The results showed that there were a number of positive gains that were received after participating in these gaming interactions. They also provided five guidelines they deem necessary for the gaming simulations to be successful. They are as follows: “1) the design of games and simulations should be sophisticated and challenging enough for students to be cognitively engaged with the game, 2) the content of games and simulations should be aligned with the standards and viable curriculum in schools, 3) the logistics and usability of the games should reflect classroom realities and time constraints in schools, 4) the feedback and assessments embedded in the games should embody measurable learning outcomes, 5) the teacher guides accompanying the games should provide sufficient ideas, activities and resources to enhance students learning” (Balasubramanian & Wilson, 2004).

Finally, the article Hobbs and Yan, used three different fifth grade students that they believed to exhibit “highly aggressive behaviors” in their study. Their main focus was on analyzing the potential effects of games that were deemed aggressive. They used what they refer to as a single subject multiple baseline research design. They analyzed three different domains for varying effects. Those domains included cognitive, affective and behavioral. Through their results they found that there are some systematic differences in the children. They believe that the game had a sudden effect on peer behavior for all of those that participated in the study. The other domains saw little effects that were measurable or desirable.

Although these articles are all different, they all provide new ways to improve the ever-changing world of education. In today’s society, more and more classes are being taught online instead of in an actual classroom. These articles provide research that has been done on the effectiveness of new technologies and ways that these technologies could also be improved. Although relatively new, I believe that MMOGs and MMORPGs will become more and more popular in online courses across the country. Due to the fact students can connect most with them as well as the ability of teachers being able to challenge the students through this multimedia world.

Instructors who are currently teaching online courses or hope to in the future could definitely utilizes the MMOGs and MMORPs if they are accessible to them. They provide new ways to learn and reach out to those who are sometimes lost and unfamiliar with the new age of online courses. There are many times when teachers or instructors are hard to get into contact with and I feel as though these new models will provide more direct instruction for online courses. It will also provide more opportunities for students to have their questions answered promptly in the online setting.

With the evolution of technology is important for those in the field of education to stay up to date with what is changing around them in order to provide the most adequate learning opportunity for those they are instructing. I believe that these are all examples of how we are taking a big step in the right direction in order to provide the best learning experiences. As well as provide the best materials in order for the student to completely indulge in their learning experience. In this day and age this generation of students is most connected to technology and its continual growth and use in the academic setting.

REFERENCES

Balasubramnaian, N., & Wilson, B. G. (2004). Games and Simulations. Games and Simulations, 1, 1-8.

Childress, M. D., & Braswell, R. (2006). Using Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games for Online Learning. Distance Education, 27, 187-196.

Hobbs, L. J., & Yan, Z. (2007). Cracking the Walnut: using a computer game to impact cognition, emotion and behavior of highly aggressive fifth grade students . Department of Educational Counseling Pyschology, 11. Retrieved March 22, 2013, from http://homepages.utoledo.edu/jlamber4/5