Friday, August 01, 2003

Penn State: Simulations boost online student performance, by Cara Branigan, eSchool News. Online learning environments have been plagued with student motivational problems, leading to high drop-out rates, said Brian Cameron, instructor at Penn State's School of Information Sciences and Technology (IST), whose findings suggest simulations may counter the low student satisfaction and motivation rates prevalent in online education. . . . On every measure that used the simulation, they scored better on the exam; they expressed more positive feedback on the course; they spent more time on assignments, Cameron said. Cameron's study data came from two sections of a web-based introductory networking and telecommunications course he taught to 85 freshmen and sophomores. One section used a commercial network simulation package; the other, a popular network-diagramming software tool that depends on instructor evaluation for feedback on the design feasibility. 1:40:31 PM    comment []

Greece warned over gaming 'mess', by Munir Kotadia, ZDNet, UK. The Greek government has been warned by the European Commission over a law it passed last year that seemed to ban all computer games. The law stirred up anger and disbelief after it resulted in several arrests and the closure of Internet cafes. Although Greece later clarified that the law only prohibits gambling-related games, the EC was "unsatisfied" with the response and has sent a formal notice requesting more information. The commission said it is also concerned that it was not notified about the law while the law was still in its draft stages, which in this case was a requirement. 9:39:54 AM    comment []

China's Web Surfers Keep Growing (BBC News). 68 million users -- second in population only to the United States -- now spending thirteen hours a week online (up from 3.2 in the previous study). 3:38:54 AM    comment []