Maximizing learning in multi-user/multi-sensory virtual environments: An instructional design model for enhancing simulated worlds

Educators are aware that learning is multifaceted and that individuals learn differently. As a result, a singular method of instruction is not necessarily best for all students. Just as teachers must individualize their lessons so that their students can succeed, should not the technological resources that teachers employ also be individualized?; Wonderfully innovative technologies for students are just on the horizon. One such learning technology, the Multi-user Virtual Environment Experiential Simulator (MUVEES) is an intriguing technology being developed in order to find an engaging way to teach science by drawing on curiosity and play.; I proposed to evaluate the Multi-user Virtual Environment Experiential Simulator (MUVEES). The research focused on the extent to which the simulation's group instruction provided instructional accommodations to the individualized learning styles of its users.; The purpose of this qualitative study was to develop instructional design strategies that enhance student learning through multi-user virtual environments. The model identified components necessary for inclusion in a virtual environment to provide for the success of its users.; The results of this study suggest that students do not always respond as instructional designers might expect in learning situations. Students are individuals with individual needs even amongst learning styles. Variety in design and choice in components that offer wider opportunities for matching needs of students is required.; The study suggests that striving to understand students' likes and dislikes and their reactions to various educational tools will allow instructional designers to build better-suited technologies and allow educators to select the best learning tools for individual learning styles.; Much more research needs to be done concerning learning style issues and the designing of productive educational technologies. The results of the MUVEES study varied across learning styles thus, making instructional designers, educators and researchers even more aware of the differences in students' ways of knowing and leaves us asking even more questions.