Zahn, Carmen
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Beyond words: investigating non-verbal indicators of collaborative engagement in a virtual synchronous CSCL environment
In the future of higher education, student learning will become more virtual and group-oriented, and this new reality of academic learning comes with challenges. Positive social interactions in virtual synchronous student learning groups are not self-evident but need extra support. To successfully support positive social interactions, the underlying group processes, such as collaborative group engagement, need to be understood in detail, and the important question arises: How can collaborative group engagement be assessed in virtual group learning settings? A promising methodological approach is the observation of students’ non-verbal behavior, for example, in videoconferences. In an exploratory field study, we observed the non-verbal behavior of psychology students in small virtual synchronous learning groups solving a complex problem via videoconferencing. The groups were videorecorded to analyze possible relations between their non-verbal behaviors and to rate the quality of collaborative group engagement
Aesthetic design of app interfaces and their impact on secondary students’ interest and learning
Interest in science topics is an important prerequisite for science learning and achievement. Here, as part of a field experiment, we studied whether teenagers’ interest and learning of physics topics would be influenced by the aesthetics of a multimedia learning app. More specifically, we investigated with the example of learning about energy (types of power plants) how different interface designs of a multimedia learning app would influence aesthetic experience, interest, and learning outcome. In our study Swiss high school students (N = 108) were assigned to one of two conditions (i.e., game-style vs. industrial-style) differing in various aesthetic features. Results indicate that high-quality interfaces support learning and expressive aesthetic design features additionally foster interest in order to engage with the topic. Moreover, our findings on aesthetic experience suggest that deep perceptual processes, such as emotion and cognitive stimulation induced by interfaces, further impact interest and learning. Thus, our study gives implications for the design of interest-generating and learning-supporting science apps for teenagers and emphasizes the significance to consider aesthetic experience in future research.
Do you see us? Applied visual analytics for the investigation of group coordination
Group coordination is a relevant prerequisite for understanding the effectiveness of groups. But, contrary to the large number of empirical studies, only a few studies concentrate on the development of analysis methods of coordination in groups. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to give a summary of the opportunities and limitations of common methods for capturing group coordination in applied field settings and to outline how visual analytics approaches might add to the common methods. Based on two illustrated visual analytics implementation examples—1) coordination and movements of soccer players, and 2) spatio-temporal event data—the potential of visual analytics approaches is identified for studying a greater variety of types of group coordination, and to consider the multifaceted nature of group processes in order to go beyond traditional coding processes.
Effects of Game Mode in Multiplayer Video Games on Intergenerational Social Interaction: Randomized Field Study
Maintaining social relationships is a basic human need and particularly essential in old age, including when living in a retirement home. Multiplayer video games can promote positive social interactions among players from different generations while playing. Yet, such facilitation of positive social interactions depends on specific game design. To systematically investigate the effects of game design on social interaction between seniors and their coplayers, the game Myosotis FoodPlanet was developed in this study, and the impacts of 3 different game modes on social interaction were compared in a controlled field trial. This study aims to compare the effects of 3 different game modes (competitive, cooperative, and creative) on social interactions (verbal and nonverbal communication) between seniors and their younger coplayers. The results show that game mode can be an important factor for shaping the social interactions of players playing together. Compared with other modes, creative game modes can increase verbal communication. In contrast, competitive modes may stimulate more laughing together. This has important implications for game design and the use of computer games to promote social interaction between seniors and their coplayers in practice.
Future Skills – Zukunftsorientierte Hochschullehre
ZusammenfassungIn diesem Theoriebeitrag der Zeitschrift für Psychodrama und Soziometrie wird ein wissenschaftliches Erklärungsmodell für die Wirksamkeit psychodramatischer Methoden in der Hochschullehre entwickelt. Eine zukunftsfähige Hochschullehre, die bei Studierenden neben dem Erlernen komplexer Wissens- und Handlungszusammenhänge auch mit fundierten Methoden die Kreativität, Innovationsfreude und „Future skills“ fördert, ist wichtiger denn je.
“Grandma! Grandpa! Let`s play together!” – Effects of game mode in multiplayer video games on intergenerational social interaction: A randomized field study
Maintaining social relationships is a basic human need and particularly essential in old age, including when living in a retirement home. Multiplayer video games can promote the establishment and maintenance of social relationships, due to facilitating positive social interactions between players, even from different generations. Such facilitation of positive social interactions depends, however, on specific game design. The present study investigates the impacts of three different game modes on social interaction in a controlled field trial. Results reveal significant differences. Important implications on game design and the use of computer games for seniors in practice are discussed.