Need help editing articles? Start out with the new Introduction to Editing Articles Video.
Quest Atlantis
Quest Atlantis (QA) is a 3D multi-user learning environment designed to immerse children, ages 9-12, in meaningful inquiry tasks. Quest Atlantis combines strategies used in the commercial gaming environment with lessons from educational research on learning and motivation. The project is unique in its goals to combine the best aspects of learning, playing, and helping, as a means to motivate and engage students.
Quest Atlantis received its initial funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The research and support for the project comes from Indiana University's Center for Research on Learning and Technology. Started in 2001 the project has grown to over 4500 users in various locations around the globe. The principle investigator is Sasha Barab, Associate Professor in Learning Sciences at Indiana University, and is the Barbara Jacobs Chair of Education and Technology.
Academic Articles & Chapters about Quest Atlantis
Barab, S. A., Dodge, T., Thomas, M, Jackson, C., & Tuzun, H. (in press). Our designs and the social agendas they carry. Journal of the Learning Sciences.
Barab, S. A., Sadler, T., Heiselt, C., Hickey, D., & Zuiker, S. (in press). Relating narrative, inquiry, and inscriptions: A framework for socio-scientific inquiry. of Science Education and Technology.
Dodge, T., Barab, S., Stuckey, B., Warren, S., Heiselt, C., & Stein, R. (in press). Children’s sense of self: Learning and meaning in the digital age. Journal of Interactive Learning Research.
Barab, S. A., Jackson, C., & Piekarsky, E. (2006). Embedded professional development: Learning through enacting innovation. In C. Dede (Ed.), Online professional development for teachers: Emerging models & methods (pp.155-174). Cambridge, MA: Harvard Educational Press.
Barab, S. & Jackson, C. (2006, January 20). From Plato’s Republic to Quest Atlantis: The role of the philosopher-king. THEN: Journal (Technology, Humanities, Education, Narrative), 2 Article 2. Retrieve from http://www.thenjournal.org/
Lim, C., Nonis, D., & Hedberg, J. (2006). Gaming in a 3D multiuser virtual environment: Engaging students in science lessons. British Journal of Educational Technology, 37(2), 211-231.
Tuzun, H. (2006). Egitsel bilgisayar oyunlari ve bir örnek: Quest Atlantis (Educational computer games and a case: Quest Atlantis). Hacettepe Universitesi Egitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 30, 220-229.
Barab, S. A., Arici, A., & Jackson, C. (2005). Eat your vegetables and do your homework: A design-based investigation of enjoyment and meaning in learning. Educational Technology 45(1), 15-21.
Barab, S., Thomas, M., Dodge, T., Carteaux, R., & Tuzun, H. (2005). Making learning fun: Quest Atlantis, a game without guns. Educational Technology Research and Development, 53(1), 86-107.
Barab, S. A., Thomas, M., Dodge, T., Squire, K., & Newell, M. (2004). Critical design ethnography: Designing for change. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 35(2), 254-268.
Borner, K., & Penumarthy, S. (2003). Social diffusion patterns in three-dimensional virtual worlds. Information Visualization, 2003(2), 182-198.
Press & Popular Publications
Lau Whelan, D. (2005). Let the games begin. School Library Journal, 51(4), 40-43. Retrieved November 7, 2006, from
