Using the virtual world of Second Life to teach cultural competence for health science professional students.

Virtual interactive environments such as Second Life are emerging as innovative tools that can support and enhance learning in various educational domains. However, for the educational practitioner new to these environments, developing educational settings and activities in a virtual environment can appear to be technically complex and beyond their area of expertise. This case study describes some of the technical challenges encountered and the solutions derived during the development of a virtual world for the delivery of a health science interprofessional communications course.

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A team-based competition for undergraduate medical students to learn radiology within the virtual world Second Life

Insights into Imaging ◽

10.1186/s13244-021-01032-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Teodoro Rudolphi-Solero ◽

Alberto Jimenez-Zayas ◽

Rocio Lorenzo-Alvarez ◽

Dolores Domínguez-Pinos ◽

Miguel Jose Ruiz-Gomez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Second Life ◽

Virtual World ◽

Student Perception ◽

Load Test ◽

Undergraduate Medical Students ◽

Exposure Test ◽

Radiological Anatomy ◽

Post Exposure ◽

Course Grades

Abstract Background A multi-user competitive game within the virtual world Second Life for undergraduate radiology learning was adapted for team participation. This study aimed to assess student perception, impact on learning, and eventual correlation of game results with post-exposure tests and course grades. Methods The game consisted of six weekly stages, dedicated to thoracic, abdominal, and musculoskeletal radiological anatomy and semiology. Participants had several days a week to review self-guided radiology educational content and then complete individual multiple-choice tests and solve team tasks to progress through the game's ranking. Additionally, they completed a cognitive load test, a questionnaire about the experience and a post-exposure knowledge test. Results Fifty-two students organised into 13 teams participated in the game and assessed different aspects of the experience with a mean score ≥ 7.8 on a 10-point scale, highlighting the participation of the teacher (9.3 ± 1.1), the educational contents (8.8 ± 1.4) and the usefulness for their education (8.7 ± 1.4). Participants obtained better post-exposure test results (p < 0.007) and better course grades (p < 0.021) than non-participants did. Conclusion A multi-user game adapted to team competition to learn radiology in Second Life was very positively perceived by third-year medical students, who highly valued its content, organisation, and usefulness for their training. Most of the participants agreed that they had collaborated as a team and that playing in competitive environments helps them learn better. The best post-exposure and academic results compared to non-participating students indicate the potential impact of the game on learning.

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Second Life and Classical Music Education: Developing Iconography That Encourages Human Interaction

Journal of Virtual Worlds Research ◽

10.4101/jvwr.v2i1.392 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

David Thomas Schwartz

Keyword(s):

Music Education ◽

Second Life ◽

Virtual World ◽

Classical Music ◽

Human Interaction ◽

Socratic Method ◽

Web Based ◽

Disney World ◽

Educational Paths

Since January 2007, Music Academy Online , a web-based business dedicated to generating interest in classical music, has been developing a ‘Disney World for Classical Music’ in the virtual world of Second Life®. The virtual world provides a unique opportunity to teach classical music in an interdisciplinary fashion, the ability to reach out to a population that is hesitant to explore classical music, and a way for reaching out to those who have been disenfranchised by traditional educational paths. This has led to the development of iconography in Second Life that exploits the virtual world’s inherent ability to put seemingly disparate information together in a way that encourages questioning and discussion. But above all, this has led to the conclusion that the importance of human interaction and the Socratic method are the key elements in virtual world education.

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Virtual Worlds Round Table

Journal of Virtual Worlds Research ◽

10.4101/jvwr.v1i3.505 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 1 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Nick Yee ◽

Liz Losh ◽

Sarah Robbins-Bell

Keyword(s):

Virtual Worlds ◽

Second Life ◽

Virtual World ◽

Round Table ◽

State University ◽

Online Journal ◽

Ball State University

By being an online journal, the JVWR allows for the inclusion of some pieces that might not otherwise fit a standard journal. This was the thought behind bringing together a group of virtual world scholars to discuss a series of questions and share their thoughts. Meeting in Second Life, Nick Yee (PARC), Liz Losh (UC Irvine), and Sarah Robbins-Bell (Ball State University) were gracious enough to share their thoughts on the study of virtual worlds culture.

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Digital Guqin Museum from a Virtual World to the Real World : Conception and design of an ongoing cultural sim

Journal of Virtual Worlds Research ◽

10.4101/jvwr.v2i5.776 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 2 (5) ◽

Author(s):

Shuen-git Chow

Keyword(s):

Second Life ◽

Virtual World ◽

Chinese Culture ◽

Mixed Reality ◽

Real Life ◽

Musical Instrument ◽

Good Match ◽

Chinese Music ◽

Place Holder ◽

Informal Settings

This paper provides an overview of the Digital Guqin Museum built in Second Life that provides the user an opportunity to experience and interact with different facets of Chinese culture. The user will find examples of Guquin culture, considered by some to be a place holder for Chinese culture , such as the guqin, a rarely seen musical instrument sometimes confused with the guzheng, a more common popular instrument. Users can see the making of a guqin instrument and listen to guqin music being played, which represents both Chinese music, and more specifically, the guqin music genre - an elegant and quiet music – that might be considered a good match for a virtual world. The Digital Guqin Museam enables participants to play guqin music both in-world and via mixed-reality session, such as the recreation of an online “yaji” – elegant gatherings . This paper questions which groups of Guqin players would be interested and which group would not, and what types of uses might be most engaging . The Digital Guqin Museum in Second Life enables meetings possible only in a virtual world. Real life people could meet in virtual places, visit cities, venues as an end in itself. DGM has been shown to professional guqin players, in informal settings and at a specialists conference.

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The Griefer and the Stalker: Disruptive Actors in a Second Life Educational Community

Journal of Virtual Worlds Research ◽

10.4101/jvwr.v13i1.7400 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jean-Paul Lafayette DuQuette

Keyword(s):

Language Learning ◽

Learning Community ◽

Virtual Worlds ◽

Second Life ◽

Virtual World ◽

English Language ◽

Participant Observation ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Community Members ◽

Fear And Anxiety

Linden Lab’s Second Life (SL) is well-known for its hands-off approach to user conflict-resolution. Although users are given tools to mute and block individual accounts as well as ban undesirable avatars from user-owned land, that does not prevent determined, malicious users from disrupting communities and harassing individuals. This case study focuses on two such malicious users exemplary of two specific types of malevolent virtual world actors: in-world griefers and online stalkers. As part of a decade-long ethnographic research project within the Cypris Chat English language learning community in SL, this paper utilizes data gleaned from notes on participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and first-hand encounters. It categorizes the disparate strategies these individuals have used over the years in their attempts to disrupt group cohesion, sow distrust between students and teachers, humiliate individuals, and foment an atmosphere of fear and anxiety. It then reviews the methods community members used to defend themselves from such attacks and analyzes the efficacy of these strategies. This study builds on our understanding of harassment in virtual worlds and acts as a cautionary tale for future virtual world educators and community leaders considering the development of their own online classes and groups.

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Finding the discipline: Assessing student activity in Second Life

Australasian Journal of Educational Technology ◽

10.14742/ajet.933 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 27 (5) ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Scott Grant ◽

Rosemary Clerehan

Keyword(s):

Second Life ◽

Virtual World ◽

Language Learner ◽

First Year ◽

Assessment Practices ◽

Student Activity ◽

Implementation Processes ◽

Design And Implementation ◽

Second Language Learner

<span>For the second-language learner, the affordances of a virtual world have the potential to confer benefits conventionally aligned with real world experiences. However, little is known about the pedagogical benefits linked to the specific characteristics of the virtual world, let alone the issues arising for staff hoping to assess students' participation in these worlds. This case study is based on a two-part assignment in a first-year Chinese unit at an Australian university, exploring the virtual world assessment practices of one lecturer. The findings, while suggesting the strengths of the assessment regime with respect to many of the affordances and to alignment with policy, highlight deficient aspects of the design and implementation processes which can relatively easily be addressed. The case study reveals the critical importance of sufficient scaffolding and support, feedback and appropriate communication of students' achievement to them in order to promote further reflection.</span>

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