Scott J Warren | University of North Texas (original) (raw)

Papers by Scott J Warren

As higher education institutions seek to improve undergraduate education, initiatives are underwa... more As higher education institutions seek to improve undergraduate education, initiatives are underway to target instructional methods, reexamine curricula, and apply innovative technologies to better engage students with content. This proposal discusses the findings of an exploratory study focused on a course redesign that embedded game elements, problem-based learning methods, and 3-D communications tools in an introductory computing course. Some of these findings included an appreciation for how the technology skills gained in the course applied to the world of work, an understanding of the significant role that interpersonal communications play in learning and in career success, a sense of empowerment fostered by access to resources, and an increased willingness to play, explore, and experiment with tools, content, and design processes.

Utilizing Virtual and Personal Learning Environments for Optimal Learning

Digital games have been used to support learning since the 1980s. However, the last decade has se... more Digital games have been used to support learning since the 1980s. However, the last decade has seen games, simulations and virtual world use take firm hold of the academic imagination. There also has been a rapid expansion of sponsored, formal research, informal inquiry, and a growing body of theory supporting the use of learning games. As a result, several challenges to their use have been identified such as flaws in the games themselves, inadequate methods of assessment due to complex, confounding variables, and the perceptions of students and teachers. This piece describes a research method called Critical CinéEthnography meant to address this lack. It stems from a discursive, systems-oriented view of learning that explores of the arguments and truth claims made by learners and teachers. The method employs video capture of out-of-game discussion, artifacts, and body language that should allow researchers to build a complex picture of participant experiences that can be easily sha...

Online Learning, 2017

The purpose of this study was to identify emergent themes regarding higher education instructors’... more The purpose of this study was to identify emergent themes regarding higher education instructors’ perceptions concerning the provision of collaborative learning activities and opportunities in their online classroom. Through semi-structured interviews, instructors voiced their teaching experiences and reported specifically about the online collaborative opportunities offered in their online classrooms. A multi-phase coding process was used to analyze the information, including the constant comparative coding method for theme and category development. The three main themes that emerged from this study are: online communication approaches matter, challenges and supports for online collaborative learning, and care is at the core of online learner support. In the online classroom there are additional considerations included in developing successful online collaborative learning beyond group work, including additional time and nurturing, scaffolding, instructional design, and understandi...

The Rural Educator, 2018

The requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) have presented special challenges... more The requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) have presented special challenges and opportunities for rural schools (Reeves, 2003). Researchers have suggested that one way rural schools may be able to overcome these challenges is through an increase in the level of technology integration in their school (Collins & Dewees, 2001). This case study reports on one school’s attempt to use grant resources funded through NCLB to integrate specific instructional technologies to facilitate increased student achievement. Through interviews and observations, the roles, attitudes, and difficulties of teachers and administrators in implementing a technology initiative in a rural middle school were observed, examined and discussed. Emerging themes included issues related to teacher ownership of the technology, teacher feelings of power and participation, differing goals of teachers and administrators, technical difficulties, school wide support, and changes in school culture.

Emotions, Technology, and Social Media, 2016

Abstract The use of Facebook as a formal classroom tool continues to increase as educators innova... more Abstract The use of Facebook as a formal classroom tool continues to increase as educators innovate and experiment with its implementation. Most research studies describe Facebook incorporation in the higher education classrooms where it has been used as a learning management system or a discussion board. But what are student perceptions of using Facebook in formal learning, and what emotions and meaning arise as students think through such an experience? We asked 60 students to share their perceptions through a reflective process concerning the use of Facebook as a learning tool in coursework. Looking through the philosophical lens of phenomenology, the researchers made meaning of the social media reflections and arrived at the essence of students’ emotional experiences. At the core is the fear of giving up individual human rights of choice within one’s personal life.

Learning Through Artificial Teaching Environments

This chapter discusses Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) as simulated experiences, and presents the ... more This chapter discusses Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) as simulated experiences, and presents the conceptual framework that informed the design and development of an institutional capstone course aimed at fostering global thinking and real-world problem-solving skills. The course engages community college sophomores in a capstone experience in which learners design and develop an alternate reality game (ARG) based on the theme of global sustainability and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

Emotions, Technology, and Learning, 2016

Instructors at a southwestern U.S. university sought to foster critical student discourses in sec... more Instructors at a southwestern U.S. university sought to foster critical student discourses in sections of a hybrid/online course. Narrative-seeking activities challenged students to crisscross various online platforms in transmedia navigation—a form of seeking and sharing information and media over multiple platforms. One assignment asked learners to explore global problems related to the United Nations Millennial Development goals of HIV/AIDS and environmental sustainability. Students sought solutions to these multifaceted problems through peer discourse tied to current real-world events as shared through posted relevant news articles. Initially, students expressed only surface-level reflections with little emotional ties to the content; however, throughout the semester, deeper thinking and affective connections became evident, along with a nascent, liberating critique and understanding of the systems responsible for the ill-structured problems to which they were exposed.

2021 7th International Conference of the Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN), 2021

The interdisciplinary field of immersive learning research is scattered. Combining efforts for be... more The interdisciplinary field of immersive learning research is scattered. Combining efforts for better exploration of this field from the different disciplines requires researchers to communicate and coordinate effectively. We call upon the community of immersive learning researchers for planting the Knowledge Tree of Immersive Learning Research, a proposal for a systematization effort for this field, combining both scholarly and practical knowledge, cultivating a robust and ever-growing knowledge base and methodological toolbox for immersive learning. This endeavor aims at promoting evidence-informed practice and guiding future research in the field. This paper contributes with the rationale for three objectives: 1) Developing common scientific terminology amidst the community of researchers; 2) Cultivating a common understanding of methodology, and 3) Advancing common use of theoretical approaches, frameworks, and models.

Handbook of Research on Effective Electronic Gaming in Education

This chapter discusses two games that were designed to target learning as well as implications fo... more This chapter discusses two games that were designed to target learning as well as implications for the design of future games intended for this purpose. It illustrates how the ADDIE model of instructional design can be leveraged to produce digital game spaces as well as the limitations that designers face based on the goals of the project, the chosen technology, and the audience chosen for the digital intervention. The goal of this chapter is to use real-world examples of learning game design processes in order to prepare instructional designers for the complexity of using game and instructional design principles as a means of improving student motivation, learning, and other psychological factors that prepare them for engaging meaningfully in the educational experience.

There is little room in today’s educational climate for technologies that do not either accelerat... more There is little room in today’s educational climate for technologies that do not either accelerate or greatly increase learning (Roblyer, 2005). While 3-D environments, like their game cousins, are motivating and engaging to students (Jenkins, Squire, & Tan, 2003; Tuzun, 2004), there are other educationally sound mechanisms that

Game-based Learning Across the Disciplines, 2021

Various business education programs use games to train students in the practices they will be exp... more Various business education programs use games to train students in the practices they will be expected to apply in the real world. Historically, educators employed simulation games with high fidelity to create low threat, repeatable opportunities to learn. The purpose of this chapter is to explore some of the theoretical business concepts and models underpinning the use of educational games in business disciplines and explore how those are embedded in three business simulations as illuminative practice examples. These examples can help the reader better understand how the learning affordances of simulation games are used to support educational goals using their core rule sets, conflicts, and win/loss scenarios to provide learners with performance feedback in low-threat environments.

iConference 2016 Proceedings

This study reviews the potential implications associated with message design, timing, and deliver... more This study reviews the potential implications associated with message design, timing, and delivery on students in an Accelerated Online Program. Attention to participant verbal and physical reactions will be analyzed utilizing a nonpositivistic Think Aloud Protocol on a select sample. The aspects of the study will enable researchers to obtain data related to individual reflections.

In the paper, we present a system designed for detecting keywords in telephone speech. We focus n... more In the paper, we present a system designed for detecting keywords in telephone speech. We focus not only on achieving high accuracy but also on very short processing time. The keyword spotting system can run in three modes: a) an off-line mode requiring less than 0.1xRT, b) an on-line mode with minimum (2 s) latency, and c) a repeated spotting mode, in which pre-computed values allow for additional acceleration. Its performance is evaluated on recordings of Czech spontaneous telephone speech using rather large and complex keyword lists.