The evaluation of an intercultural collaborative virtual social-process simulation

The author designed a computer-mediated social process simulation that allowed participants to explore potentially threatening dynamics in a safe, player-controlled communication-rich environment and then evaluated its effects. Evaluation methodologies employed include design ethnography, task analyses, usability studies, prototyping, and quantitative evaluation. A quantitative comparison study of intercultural simulations measured perceptions of threatening topics in both face-to-face and computer-mediated settings. It was concluded that the intercultural problem-solving simulation (DomeCityMOO) designed for multi-user learning in a virtual environment may make it easier to learn the essence of cultural identity awareness and intercultural relation skills expressed through one's communication. To date, intercultural real time simulations are only designed for face-to-face. The DomeCityMOO is the first computer-mediated intercultural, multi-user, real time simulation designed specifically to address issues of power and identity. The design principles employed in the DomeCityMOO challenge the popular belief that aspects of tacit culture, and intercultural awareness can only be taught successfully face-to-face.