| Summary: | My study attempts to deepen understanding about the learning experiences of design students in undertaking design-thinking exercises in a shared virtual reality. This study has identified the areas of an appropriate pedagogy for E-Learning and the use of a shared virtual environment for students in tertiary design education. Specific questions arising ji"Om this research are: (1) in what ways can the virtual environment release the creative potential of design students? (2) how does the virtual space affect the students' learning experience? and (3) what is the role of computer and virtual technology in design education? I started with the premise that virtual technologies, particularly shared virtual reality, have potential to enhance design students' learning experiences during their creative thinking processes. TWO directional hypotheses in the areas of computer-simulated learning environments and collaborative learning were introducedfor the multimodal interaction research in Phase FOUR and the postlesson online interviews in Phase FIVE. Multimodal interaction analysis, conversation analysis and textual analysis were employed to analyze diverse data from different phases. In addition, a tailor-made shared virtual reality was established in Active World ©for the multimodal interaction research. Surprisingly, the preset two directional hypotheses were not fitlly supported by the findings, whereas THREE new study domains which have been found useful in enhancing design students' creative thinking, namely (1) stimulated virtual environment, (2) game-like learning approach and (3) role-playing simulation. Similarly, this research found that design students learning experiences are enhanced by virtual stimulation, game-like learning and role-playing practices.
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