CILAT: Projects

	Active Projects
		Conquest of the Coastlands Conquest of the Coastlands (CoC) is an educational role-playing game (RPG) with a science fiction/fantasy setting. Pursuing larger strategic objectives, the player character is challenged with a variety of problem solving “quests,” which form the main plotlines of the interactive narrative and provide the immediate motivations for player-character activities in the game. Each quest is designed to achieve specific learning goals. Learn More.
		Explosion on Mars As the first of five virtual environments for learning (VELs) funded by NSF, this module places the student in the role of a geologist on the first research base on Mars. In the opening scenario, an explosion occurs, causing major damage to the research base. The chief engineer, climatologist, and biochemist were all killed or severely injured by the explosion. The students learn that a space craft will arrive in two weeks to provide assistance. Their task is to survive for two weeks by finding ways to conserve energy used by the research base and bring online other energy generation sources (e.g. wind turbines, bio diesel, solar power).
		Educational Robotics Educational robotics activities are gaining in popularity. Though some research data suggest that educational robotics can be an effective approach in teaching mathematics, science, and engineering, research is needed to generate the best practices and strategies for designing these learning environments. Our team explores how robotics can be used to teach content and inquiry in classroom settings.
		Pedagogical Lab The pedagogical laboratory provides education majors an opportunity to work like scientists who experiment with the latest findings in learning and instructional theories by trying them out with K-12 students recruited from local schools, observing student learning, and reflecting on the educational outcomes. Current activities include robotics challenges for grades K-8 designed to develop skills in scientific inquiry, problem solving, and mathematics.
		Alien Rescue Alien Rescue is an interactive research prototype developed by the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. This prototype has been used by about 6000+ children to learn middle school science in approximately twenty schools. Alien Rescue received First Place in the 2001 Learning Software Design Competition sponsored by the University of Minnesota and an honorable mention for ingenuity in the Best Educational Application category of Macromedia eLearning Innovation Award Program (2001).
	Past Projects
		PASS-PORT PASS-PORT is a web-based system that provides college of education candidates, university faculty and administrative staff a tool to gather, demonstrate and evaluate the performance data on pre-service teachers and professional teachers during the first three years of service after graduation. PASS-PORT has been licensed to a private company, Innovative Learning Assessment Technologies.