Michael K. Barbour

During my graduate education and my career as an educator, I have been able to take advantage of a wide range of research experiences. Through my courses, and other opportunities, I have participated in and led a number of different research projects, many of which have focused on online learning in K-12 schools. These research projects have provided me with numerous opportunities to present at academic conferences and publish in scholarly journals. My current program of research focuses on two separate areas.

My program of research has traditionally focused on rural K-12 students learning in virtual school environments, specifically how these virtual opportunities can be designed and delivered to be accessible to students from a range of abilities. In this regard, I have conducted research projects in four areas: differences in student achievement based upon delivery model and urban-rural distinctions and the factors accounting for these differences; components of web-based learning that students find helpful and challenging; characteristics of effectively designed web-based courses; and whether new technologies, particularly those that allow for interaction, in virtual high schools affect how students learn.

The second area is how gaming, both the process of game design and commercially available games, can be used in the classroom. Much of my work in this area has focused upon the use of MS PowerPoint Games as a tool for students to design games - within the social studies environment I am currently engaged in how this process can lead to a deeper understanding of the social studies content. I have also been working with a colleague on how commercially available games, such as the Guild Wars or Grand Theft Auto series, can be used to teach various concepts in the social studies curriculum.