Learner perceptions of realism and magic in computer simulations |
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| Authors: | Sara Hennessy Tim O'Shea |
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| Institution: | Sara Hennessy is Research Fellow in the School of Education at the Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA. Tim O'Shea is Professor of Information Technology and Education in the Institute of Educational Technology at the Open University. |
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| Abstract: | The authors discuss a key issue affecting the educational potential of interactive computer simulations—their possible lack of credibility. They explore the circumstances under which students are able to separate'magical'features from those which map easily and directly onto the real world, and the relationship between their perceptions of events on and off the computer. They put forward some means of overcoming disbelief through manipulating the degree of reality inherent in simulations and offer suggestions for how future research might address these issues. |
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