Making Learning Fun: Plimoth Plantation's On-line Learning Center
Lisa Neal, eLearn Magazine, USA
Kim Van Wormer, Plimoth Plantation Inc., USA
http://www.plimoth.org/olc

Demonstration: Demonstrations - Session 2

Plimoth Plantation, a living history museum, sought to provide on-line learning that, while not replicating a physical visit, provided a rich and compelling educational experience. Plimoth Plantation's You Are the Historian on-line learning center (OLC) teaches about the events that later became known in the US as The First Thanksgiving in order to help children and teachers meet social studies standards. In designing the OLC, we grappled with how to develop engaging, interactive materials which encouraged exploration and learning. We started off trying to find an appropriate balance between learning and fun. We soon realized, however, that it wasn't a question of balancing learning and fun, but rather making learning fun. We describe the goals for the OLC, the design and development, and the impact of formative and heuristic evaluations and usability testing.