Teaching through Multi-User Virtual Environments: Applying Dynamic Elements to the Modern Classroom

In the last few years, educators have become familiar with the concept of online education through the use of tools such as “Blackboard,” “WebCT,” and other online course delivery systems. Teaching through Multi-User Virtual Environments: Applying Dynamic Elements to the Modern Classroom highlights the work of educators daring enough to teach in these new frontiers of education. This timely publication is a must-read for all educators and practitioners, of any subject and at any level, who wish to incorporate a dynamic online element to their classroom. It is also meant for researchers of education, computer science, and instructional technologies. Teaching through Multi-User Virtual Environments: Applying Dynamic Elements to the Modern Classroom is a one-stop resource for practices, as well as research activities, within the domain on Multi-User Virtual Environments.

Giovanni Vincenti received his Doctorate of Science in Applied Information Technology from Towson University in 2007 after an academic career that focused on Bioinformatics through a B.A. in Biology and an M.S. in Computer Science. He is in charge of Research and Development at Gruppo Vincenti, a small but dynamic company with interests across several fields. His main areas of research include Fuzzy Mediation, Technology-Based Education and Emotionally-Aware Agency. He is also a Lecturer with the Department of Computer and Information Sciences at Towson University. He published his findings at several regional, national and international conferences. His interest in education and technology-based instruction comes from years of direct interaction with students in the classroom and empirical experiences that formed him as a teacher.

James Braman is a Lecturer in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences at Towson University. He holds a Master's Degree in Computer Science and is currently pursuing a Doctoral Degree in Information Technology. James also serves as a joint editor-in-chief of the (ICST) Transactions on E-Education and E-Learning. He is also part of the Towson University Second Life Initiative, the Towson Innovation Lab, promoting virtual environments for higher education learning. In collaboration with Giovanni Vincenti, has co-authored several publications, recently including the Handbook of Research on Computational Arts and Creative Informatics. His current research focus includes art and technology, intelligent agents, affective computing and education in virtual and immersive environments.