Teaching Development Grants
Completed TDG Projects

IT in the curriculum and e-learning

Designing and Implementing a Course “Active Learning through Computer Simulation (ALCS)”


Abstract

In this project, I created and ran a computer simulation for learners of Japanese in which the Internet was utilized as an educational tool with full potential. Three campus teams participated in the trial-run, representing the University of Hong Kong, the University of Melbourne, and Beijing University of Foreign Studies, and were virtually connected in four conferences. I chose an audiovisual support system “LiveOn” that enables simultaneous interactions among viewers. Twenty-five participants exchanged their views and opinions on issues such as population, immigration, migration, environment, energy resources, and food resources. The participants acted as representatives of fictitious nations and engaged themselves in tasks designed for learning Japanese. After the simulation cycle, an on-line questionnaire was used to obtain feedback from the participants and the team leaders (teachers in Melbourne and Beijing). The feedback shows that

  1. Student participants enjoyed the interactions with other campus teams,
  2. The computer simulation motivated them to learn the language,
  3. The computer simulation motivated them to learn and discuss international/ social issues, and
  4. Technical aspects need improvements in order to avoid disruptions in electronic interactions.

Principal Investigator

Dr. M. Yorozu, School of Modern Languages and Cultures, Faculty of ArtsContact

Project level

University-level project

Project Completion

June 2008

Deliverables

  1. ALCS website and manual (http://www3.hku.hk/alcs/) (in Japanese)
  2. ALCS On-line questionnaire
  3. “ALCS Trial-run–Internet Simulation Linking Campus Teams around the World.” A paper published in the Proceedings of the Eight International Symposium on Japanese Language Education and Japanese Studies. Hong Kong: Himawari. 2009.
  4. “ALCS Trial-run–Internet Simulation Linking Campus Teams around the World.” A paper presented in the Eight International Symposium on Japanese Language Education and Japanese Studies held at the University of Hong Kong, 2008.