Video games are providing more than fun ...and, well, games. Their technology is the latest support in developing the frenzied trend of online education. The Daily Reflector has more:

When professor Moha Tabrizi tried on his new sensory suit in East Carolina University's technology innovation lab, he wasn't looking to create a movie or video game for Nintendo or Xbox, although the technology is similar.
Instead, the ECU professor of computer science was tracking his motions to create a virtual version of himself for an online class that will debut on a pilot basis for the spring 2006 semester.

"We are not using this technology for its original use - movies and video or computer games," Tabrizi said. "Rather, we are recreating the use of the technology for education."

The technology aids an emerging medium known as the agent and virtual reality-based online course delivery system. Tabrizi is using the technology to create a virtual classroom where students can view lectures online in an environment that mimics a face-to-face classroom setting.

Absolutely fascinating. The speed and variety of the developments in online education are staggering. Will this method eventually ' win out' over the traditional classroom setting?