|
Professor
receives grant for software
By
Heather Mangan
Online
Forty-Niner
A
Cal State Long Beach State professor received
a $60,000 grant to explore a new form of
visual education. Assistant Professor of
Education Technology, Ali Rezaei, in collaboration
with USteach Inc. and consultants at UCLA
and UC Berkley is developing a new way of
teaching the Persian language through virtual
reality.
According
to Alfredo Quinteros, of USteach Inc., the
grant from the Department of Education is
given out to fund small business research
and innovation. The particular grant they
received has two phases.
Rezaei
confirmed that they have already completed
the first phase and have submitted their
findings. If the government likes what they
see then receive the second part of the
grant. They are currently waiting to hear
back on whether or not they will receive
it. Rezaei is confident they will indeed
be given the second part because the work
they are doing is unique.
The
software has been in development for the
past six months. The software was tested
on students last month and according to
Rezaei the feedback was positive. The program
presents a new way to learn language and
the first model was in Spanish. Since the
original plan was to have the program done
in Farsi, Rezaei was a little hesitant at
first. But after doing the program in Spanish,
Rezaei realized that this was more beneficial.
By running through the program in Spanish,
Rezaei, who speaks no Spanish, was able
to see the program how the average person
would.
This
enabled him to see where the program had
problems. The program is just like a video
or computer game-when users start the program
they enter a virtual Tehran airport. They
hear words and directions in Farsi and read
the translation in English on the screen.
They must then direct their character around
the screen following directions.
The
goal of the program is to make it available
to the general public. Rezaei said that,
"this program is definitely quicker
than learning in a classroom."
Users
are allowed to go at their own pace and
can repeat things as many times as they
want. This program provides individual and
personal control that a teacher is not able
to provide every student in their classroom.
CSULB
Spanish major Kimberly Kuntz thinks the
program is a great idea. "A way to
get better at speaking and understanding
a language using a video game, what could
be better?"
|
