Profile
- Master of Science, Tbilisi State University (former Soviet Union), Master of Arts, Doctor of Education, Ed.D., Columbia University
- Visiting Fellow, Purdue University, Former Coordinator, International Project for Distance Education, Graduate School of Education, Columbia University
Message
For many years, computers have been used as educational tools. Today, computers are used in all educational institutions from kindergarten to graduate school. The future of education can be imagined as a world of a 3D environment where students can navigate the Internet, interact with peers, and immerse themselves in learning and research. However, such virtual reality (VR) systems have had little impact on education because of the cost of installation and maintenance, and the limitations of system functions. Despite these challenges, a variety of 3D learning environments have emerged on the Internet where students can interact with virtual teachers, take 3D classes, and create assignments. Today, VR is widely used in entertainment, computer games, and the defense industry. Most students are exposed to VR through video games, but some schools use VR in history, science, language, and art classes. A 3D VR learning environment can lead students to a virtual world beyond textbooks.
My research areas include e-learning, courseware and web development tools, interactive educational applications, and 3D VR. In my course, students will learn about the instructional design of educational applications, the development of VR learning environments, e-learning testing and evaluation, and e-learning benefits and cost evaluation. Currently, e-learning is an important in-house education tool in many companies. The instructional design of e-learning will be a required skill for a businessperson.
Responsible Subject
- Instructional Design In E-Learning Business
Business Performance
Academic Papers
- "The Role of Associative Experiment in Teaching Languages", Master of Science, Thesis, Tbilisi State Pedagogical University, Georgia, 1983
- "Revealing of Words Associative Links as a Tool for Teaching Students the foreign languages", Tbilisi: University Press, 1987
- "The Gifted Child", Tbilisi: Informatica, 1993
- "Development of Learner's Creative Abilities" Paper presented at Conference "Tradition and Reformist Pedagogy in Georgia", Tbilisi: Georgia, 1996
- "Theory and Practice of Teaching: Training and Assessment Strategies", Tbilisi: Pedagogica, 1999
- "Leadership and Georgian Women", Tbilisi: Mecniereba, 1999
- "Learning Through Archetypal Symbolic Images: The Role of Fairy Tales, Myths, and Arts", Ed.D. Thesis, Teachers College, Columbia University, 2002
Presentations and Articles
- "Gifted Education", Purdue University, 1994
- "Development of Learner's Creative Abilities", Tbilisi State Pedagogical University, 1996
- "East-West: Educational Reforms", Stuttgart University, Germany, 1997
- "Higher Education Reformation in the Post-Soviet Era", The Open Society Institute, 1997
- "The Role of Higher Education Administration in the Newly-Independent Countries", Teachers College, Columbia University, 1997
- "Computers in Education: Myth and Reality", Teachers College, Columbia University, 1998
- "E-learning and Adult Education", Teachers College, Columbia University, 1998
- "21 Century University", Teachers College, Columbia University, 1998
- "E-Learning in East European Countries", Teachers College, Columbia University, 2002
- "E-learning Instructional Design", Teachers College, Columbia University, 2002
- "Website Development and Design for E-learning", Teachers College, Columbia University, 2003
- "Blackboard for E-Learners, Instructors, and Administrators", Teachers College, Columbia University/The Open Society Institute, Budapest, 2003
- "Blackboard for E-Learners: Problems and Solutions", Teachers College, Columbia University, 2003