Exploring Students’ Experiences in Using Virtual Simulation and Gamification Principles for Authentic Learning and Assessment in Criminal Psychology
Exploring Students’ Experiences in Using Virtual Simulation and Gamification Principles for Authentic Learning and Assessment in Criminal Psychology
F. J. GerardK. AmmererM. MentzelopoulosD. Economoua Criminology, University of Westminster, London, UKb Computer Science and Engineering, University of Westminster, London, UKDr F. J. Gerard, PhD, is a senior lecturer in Criminology at the University of Westminster and course leader for the BSc Psychology and Criminology. Her academic background is in Psychology and Investigative Psychology, and she is a Chartered Psychologist. She has been involved in a number of research projects and worked on large international studies, such as the interdisciplinary, multi-agency, EU-funded project: “Examination of Firearms and Forensics in Europe and aCross Territories” (EFFECT). She has published her work in a number of high-quality international journals on juvenile homicide, school shooting, cyber-related homicides. Her research interests include criminal behavior, violent crime and homicide, gun crime, police investigations and offender profiling.K. Ammerer is a Master’s graduate in Criminology from the University of Westminster (United Kingdom). She is set to start a PhD in Criminology, and her research interests include female imprisonment, prisoners’ families and prison education.M. Mentzelopoulos, MSc, is a senior lecturer and Course Leader for BSc Computer Games Development at the University of Westminster. His research interests encompass a range of areas, including the analysis and retrieval of sports videos based on content, the detection of semantic events, the application of statistical methods and pattern recognition techniques for classification and modeling, as well as tracking and recognition. He has also been exploring man-machine interfaces and specializes in the design of serious games. Markos has a substantial publication record in both conferences and journals and has actively contributed to program committees at various international conferences within the fields of multimedia and neural networks, such as IJCNN, ACM, and ACVR. Furthermore, he brings valuable industry experience as a Program Analyst and Developer, having previously worked with Glaxo Smith Kline (G.S.K) in 2006.Dr D. Economou, PhD, is a senior lecturer at the Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Westminster. She is also the leader of Serious Games at Westminster Research Group. She is a dedicated and innovative educator who employs imaginative teaching methods to actively involve and inspire her students in their educational pursuits. Her research, well-documented in widely referenced publications, revolves around enhancing pedagogy in higher education, with a focus on game-based and technology-enhanced learning designed to enhance the student learning experience. She is a Senior Executive Board Member of the IEEE Technical Committee on Immersive Learning (IEEE TC-ILE), and she volunteers as an Executive Board Member of The Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN), a non-profit that promotes immersive technologies for education and innovation. Besides this, she served as Associate Editor for various Journals related to Computer Science, Digital Health, Immersive Technologies, Virtual Environments, and Advanced Interfaces. Her other professional contributions include invited talks, peer-reviewed publications, and editorial work, including chairing and co-organizing multiple academic conferences and events.