Abstract
An experiment undertaken with engineering undergraduate students at the University of Nottingham involved 26 groups of three being filmed during a study using a virtual-reality-based problem-solving exercise. After the exercise, each individual filled in a questionnaire relating to the exercise which allowed them to score themselves and their peers for contribution and overall grade. The comparing of video evidence with perceived contributions made it possible to observe patterns of behaviour based on temperament dominance. This ‘dominance’ was based on two simple parameters extracted from an electronic version of the Myers-Briggs test: first, the time taken to complete the study, called ‘decisiveness’, and secondly, the degree of Extroversion/Introversion. The more decisive subjects received higher marks from their peers, despite the absence of any video evidence that they had actually contributed more than their peers. The most dominant extroverts appear to ‘do more’ with respect to the physical operation of the mouse/keyboard and interaction with the visual simulation during the virtual-reality exercise. However, there was no link with these simple temperament measures with the degree of enjoyment of the tasks, which appeared to be highly consistent. The authors do not argue that visual-media tools, such as the virtual-reality environment described in this article, might offer solutions to problems associated with group work in engineering, but rather that information regarding the character traits of the participants may help to create more effective teams and to help understand the inter-personal dynamics within teams undertaking such tasks.
Highlights
E-learning is increasing across all sectors of higher education, including engineering, where implementation can augment and enhance a range of student learning experiences (Rosenberg, 2000; Littlejohn, 2004; Bates, 2005; Felder & Spurlin, 2005)
The authors have previously published papers detailing a number of application areas and uses of virtual environments in chemical-engineering education (Schofield et al, 2005; Lester et al, 2006)
This paper describes a group based, e-learning experiment involving a set of virtual-reality tasks that are completed with self and peer assessment
Summary
E-learning is increasing across all sectors of higher education, including engineering, where implementation can augment and enhance a range of student learning experiences (Rosenberg, 2000; Littlejohn, 2004; Bates, 2005; Felder & Spurlin, 2005). This paper describes a group based, e-learning experiment involving a set of virtual-reality tasks that are completed with self and peer assessment. This experiment was carried out to identify how students perceive themselves and the other members of their group with respect to contribution and whether any simple character traits have a specific bearing on the way they allot these marks. The covert, or hidden, nature of many of the cognitive operations performed during the experiment precludes unequivocal attribution of superior task performance to the application of external stimuli As such, this makes it difficult to prove whether there is evidence to support Gray’s theory that extraverts are differentiated from introverts by their response to positive and negative stimuli – namely, successes and failures during the exercise (Gray 1970). Gray's theory that extraverts are differentiated from introverts by a reversal in the balance between behavioural activation and behavioural inhibition systems, the covert nature of the cognitive operations precludes unequivocal attribution of superior task performance in negatively reinforced introverts to the accentuated excitation of the Behavioural Inhibition System (BIS)
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