Researching and developing the impacts of virtual identity on computational learning environments
Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2018.
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | eng |
| Published: |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2018
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/115631 |
| _version_ | 1826189629855891456 |
|---|---|
| author | Kao, Dominic |
| author2 | D. Fox Harrell. |
| author_facet | D. Fox Harrell. Kao, Dominic |
| author_sort | Kao, Dominic |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2018. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T08:18:39Z |
| format | Thesis |
| id | mit-1721.1/115631 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T08:18:39Z |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publisher | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1156312019-04-09T17:53:12Z Researching and developing the impacts of virtual identity on computational learning environments Kao, Dominic D. Fox Harrell. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2018. This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (pages [245]-319). With the current proliferation of educational games, MOOCs, and with the pervasive use of virtual identities such as avatars in systems ranging from online forums to virtual reality simulations, it is increasingly important to understand the impacts of avatars. Over two years, I led an initiative in MIT's Imagination, Computation, and Expression (ICE) Laboratory conducting experiments involving > 10,000 participants to understand the impacts of virtual identities on users in virtual environments. Using a computer science learning platform and game of our own creation as an experimental setting, we have been studying the impacts of avatar use on users' performance and engagement in computer science learning environments. This is a topic of increasing importance in human-computer interaction [69, 130, 132, 310, 452, 549]. While a great deal of work focuses on procedural thinking and problem solving, we argue that attending to learners' identities and their engagement to be equally important. We systematically explored the impacts of different avatar types on users, beginning with distinctions between anthropomorphic vs. non-anthropomorphic avatars, user likeness vs. non-likeness avatars, and other conditions informed by insights from the learning sciences and sociology. Our studies have revealed that avatars can support, or harm, performance and engagement. Several notable trends are: 1) simple abstract avatars (such as geometric shapes) are especially effective when the player is experiencing failure, e.g., while debugging, 2) likeness avatars (avatars in a user's likeness) are not always effective, 3) role model avatars (in particular scientist avatars) are often effective, and 4) successful likeness avatars that are a user's likeness when doing well and otherwise abstract are effective. We describe our studies leading to these findings and end with a follow-up study. by Dominic Kao. Ph. D. 2018-05-23T15:05:33Z 2018-05-23T15:05:33Z 2018 2018 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/115631 1036987393 eng MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 319 pages application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| spellingShingle | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Kao, Dominic Researching and developing the impacts of virtual identity on computational learning environments |
| title | Researching and developing the impacts of virtual identity on computational learning environments |
| title_full | Researching and developing the impacts of virtual identity on computational learning environments |
| title_fullStr | Researching and developing the impacts of virtual identity on computational learning environments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Researching and developing the impacts of virtual identity on computational learning environments |
| title_short | Researching and developing the impacts of virtual identity on computational learning environments |
| title_sort | researching and developing the impacts of virtual identity on computational learning environments |
| topic | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/115631 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kaodominic researchinganddevelopingtheimpactsofvirtualidentityoncomputationallearningenvironments |