610
Copyright © 2013, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited.
Chapter 32
INTRODUCTION
Students in conventional Higher Education are
educated in a particular place, time and knowl-
edge topic. The Information and Communica-
tions Technologies (ICT) enrich and develop
the educational process. Thus, ICT change the
production and dissemination of knowledge in
Higher Education Institutes which enrich and
complement their courses with services of Dis-
tance Education (Bates, 2000). European Com-
Eleni Rossiou
University of Macedonia, Greece
Integration of Educational
Games in Synchronous
Virtual Classroom:
A Case Study
ABSTRACT
Higher Education could be seen as an ideal feld for the development and wide use of modern tech-
nologies and pedagogical methods of cooperative and Web-based education. Many students today are
digital natives and thus game-based learning is becoming increasingly popular and highly motivating
because of their ability to use computers effectively. The aim of this chapter is to describe the integra-
tion of an educational multiplayer game in the context of a synchronous virtual classroom. In particular,
what follows is the proposed design and implementation of an instructive intervention whereby many
different technological tools are combined simultaneously (LMS, synchronous virtual classroom, and
a Web-based Educational Game) in order to support the educational process of the course “Algorithm
with C” in the Department of Applied Informatics of University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Furthermore, there is a presentation of the pedagogical and technological framework of the educa-
tional proposal that combines methods and techniques of network supported learning and places great
emphasis on learning by playing.
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-1852-7.ch032