9616499 Walters, Jim Bobrow, Daniel Maricopa Technical Community College CISE/EHR/ENG/MPS: Collaborative Research on Learning Technologies: Community-Based Learning Systems: Exploring Models in Use. Maricopa Technical Community College has been awarded $298,698 for a 1 year planning project that will use the motivational and social learning potential of Multiple User Design environments (MUDs or MUSEs) in conjunction with computational modeling to help students develop conceptual understanding of scientific concepts. The social characteristics of MUDs, which students construct themselves, bring students into environments where they interact with adult mentors, including teachers, who expand student's horizons. While engaging in their current state, MUDs can be transformed into powerful pedagogical spaces. This planning project will develop the technological aspects of MUDs to integrate computational modeling, and define specific pedagogical goals, building on the work of MariMuse with Longview Elementary School, a Title K-6 school, serving a culturally diverse population of students. The project is a collaboration of Longview Elementary, Phoenix College (part of Maricopa Community College District, and Xerox Parc Alto Research Center.
