Title: Evaluating cultural learning in an online virtual environment

Authors: Erik Champion

Addresses: Information Environments Program, School of ITEE, University of Queensland, QLD 4072, Australia

Abstract: How can we develop and evaluate contextual cultural learning through exploration and participation in a virtual heritage environment? This article discusses one way of evaluating cultural learning, through measuring the cultural understanding of participants who learn about the same environments but via different methods of interaction (observation, social instruction, and activity-based exploration). Task performance, understanding of local cultural practices, memory of what was written and memory of events and objects, were recorded. Issues arising from the chosen internet-based technology, and how these issues could have been avoided, will also be discussed.

Keywords: intercultural dialogue; meaningful interaction; virtual heritage; evaluation; web-based learning; online learning; e-learning; contextual cultural learning; observation; social instruction; activity-based exploration; rich internet applications.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCEELL.2006.009197

International Journal of Continuing Engineering Education and Life-Long Learning, 2006 Vol.16 No.3/4, pp.173 - 182

Published online: 09 Mar 2006 *

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