Welcome to 5th Dimension at Appalachian State University

About 5th Dimension

Most Fifth Dimension sites, both nationally and internationally, are located within afterschool programs in elementary schools and are affiliated with colleges and universities.

In a prototype Fifth Dimension system, a dozen or more 5 to 14 year old children in after school programs encounter a variety of educational computer games, board games, and telecommunication activities. College students play and assist the child in learning as part of their clinical experience for their education degree.

A site coordinator monitors the balance of education and play in the interaction between children and college students.

In the Fall semester of 2003, Jennifer Rich, a freelance writer from Washington, D.C. working for the national publication, Teacher Magazine, observed the Appalachian State University Fifth Dimension for her article to be published in the March 2004 issue.

Rich conducted an intensive visitation of the sites in North Carolina and met with the ASU Fifth Dimension staff to determine the structure of the program, means of sustainability, its educational basis, as well as organization foundations, and its impact on the mentors and elementary children.

Check out the links for the Teacher Magazine article and the 5th D Newsletter that are PDF files, on the left of this webpage.