Teaching C++ in a multi-user virtual environment

Abstract

The Internet has opened tremendous possibilities for distance education, where teachers and students can be distributed worldwide. However, much of today's Internet-based teaching is limited to student access of Web-based multimedia documents. In this paper we describe new dimensions in distributed education that are possible in synchronous sessions where the students interact with the teacher in real time. We review and elaborate on the nature of the MUVE, a spatially oriented, network-accessed software environment that uses persistent object technology to promote student creativity and allow continuity between online sessions. We describe our experiences in using a MUVE to enable distributed education at the college level in graduate and undergraduate courses, and its use with high school students in the DARPA Computer-Assisted Education and Training Initiative (CAETI).