Dr. Ke Received Research Grant to Design and Develop a Virtual Learning Environment for Children with Special Needs

Congratulations to Dr. Fengfeng Ke, who recently received a three-year $468,000 Spencer Foundation grant to design, and examine the learning effectiveness of a 3-D virtual-reality-based social skills training program to help develop the social competence and self-identity of children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders.

The project aims to enrich the research area of technology for special education by examining a networked, versatile learning environment in which children with autism can engage in in situ, design- and play-mediated social skills training. The project will address both theoretical and empirical issues on the design of a computer-assisted, naturalistic, and immersive learning experience for children with special needs.