Learner perceptions of realism and magic in computer simulations

Abstract The authors discuss a key issue affecting the educational potential of interactive computer simulations—their possible lack of credibility. They explore the circumstances under which students are able to separate‘magical’features from those which map easily and directly onto the real world, and the relationship between their perceptions of events on and off the computer. They put forward some means of overcoming disbelief through manipulating the degree of reality inherent in simulations and offer suggestions for how future research might address these issues.