IVE: Not just another video game
For someone not familiar with the immersive virtual environment (IVE), I found this article very informative. In the SAVE (Situated Assessment Using Virtual Environments) Science game, the s... See More
For someone not familiar with the immersive virtual environment (IVE), I found this article very informative. In the SAVE (Situated Assessment Using Virtual Environments) Science game, the student is an avatar and interacts with artifacts and non-player characters as he/she observes the environment. The game is free and has 4 different modules. The article discusses the weather module, while the other three modules cover adaptation, gas laws, and force and motion. The virtual village, Scientopolis, is fascinating in itself. Farmer Brown is the first character the student meets as he/she navigates the virtual environment and interacts with NPCs (non-player characters). The game collects assessment data that teachers can access via a dashboard; teachers can monitor their students’ engagement in the modules and their answers to the module questions. Teachers can also download students’ responses via Excel files. A sample lesson is included that shows how the game can be used in the instructional phases of a lesson (from the 5 E instructional model) too. You will find URLs to access the SAVE Science game under the resources.