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Credibility of a simulation-based virtual laboratory: An exploratory study of learner judgments of verisimilitude
Article

, LICEF / Universite de Montreal, Canada ; , Tele-universite, Canada

Journal of Interactive Learning Research Volume 14, Number 4, ISSN 1093-023X Publisher: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE), Waynesville, NC

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Abstract

Several studies have examined realism and instructional effectiveness of physical simulations. However, very few have touched on the question of their credibility or verisimilitude, from the user's point of view. This article presents an empirical exploratory study which investigated the perceptions of potential users of a simulation-based virtual physics laboratory (the VPLab). In the VPLab, students conduct virtual physics experiments designed to promote both acquisition of general experimental skills and conceptual learning. The objectives of the study were to uncover (1) users' preoccupations and representations related to the VPLab's verisimilitude, (2) the cues enabling users to make judgments of verisimilitude about the VPLab, and (3) the roles played by these cues in the expression of user judgments. Following a qualitative and descriptive approach, the study included in-depth interviews with thirteen first-year university science students. As part of the results, the complex and idiosyncratic nature of user verisimilitude judgments was highlighted. Furthermore, connections were established between these judgments and individual traits of users, such as prior use of certain computer applications. The influence of various aspects of the environment on its verisimilitude was also considered. These aspects included features expected to favor the VPLab's credibility, such as video sequences of actual experiments.

Citation

Francis, A. & Couture, M. (2003). Credibility of a simulation-based virtual laboratory: An exploratory study of learner judgments of verisimilitude. Journal of Interactive Learning Research, 14(4), 439-464. Norfolk, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved August 8, 2024 from .

© 2003 Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE)

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References

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Cited By

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  • Virtual Interactive Laboratories and e-Learning

    Gerald Meisner & Harol Hoffman, LAAPlatform Group / UNCGreensboro, United States

    E-Learn: World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2005 (October 2005) pp. 120–127

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