Advancing Learning Through Virtual Worlds

2010 ◽  
pp. 556-572
Author(s):  
Steve Mahaley ◽  
Robin Teigland
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Learning Styles ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Learning Activity ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Implementation Challenges ◽  
Incoming Students

Higher education institutions and corporations are increasingly exploring new pedagogical methods to align with learning styles of incoming students and employees, who are amazingly adept at using Web 2.0 applications. This chapter explores the use of virtual worlds, in particular that of Second Life, in educational activities by organizations such as higher education institutions or corporations. We begin by introducing virtual worlds with a particular focus on Second Life. We then provide an overview of the benefits of this environment for learning activities before presenting a set of potential learning activities that can be conducted within Second Life. We then discuss an in-depth example of 3D teaming-one learning activity within Second Life conducted by the authors. After a discussion of implementation challenges, we then present areas for future research.

scholarly journals Incorporating Kinesthetic Learning into University Classrooms: An Example from Management Information Systems

10.28945/4527 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 031-045
Author(s):  
Christopher B Califf
Keyword(s):  
Learning Styles ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Business Community ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Learning Activity ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Kinesthetic Learning ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Learning Principles

Aim/Purpose: Students tend to learn best when an array of learning styles is used by instructors. The purpose of this paper is to add, to introduce, and to apply the concepts of kinesthetic learning and learning structures to university and STEM education. Background: The study applies the concept of kinesthetic learning and a learning structure called Think-Pair-Share to an experiential exercise about Moore’s Law in an introductory MIS classroom. The paper details the exercise and each of its components. Methodology: Students in two classes were asked to complete a short survey about their conceptual understanding of the course material before and after the experiential exercise. Contribution: The paper details the benefits of kinesthetic learning and learning structures and discusses how to apply these concepts through an experiential exercise used in an introductory MIS course. Findings: Results indicate that the kinesthetic learning activity had a positive impact on student learning outcomes. Recommendations for Practitioners: University educators can use this example to structure several other learning activities that apply kinesthetic learning principles. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers can use this paper to study more about how to incorporate kinesthetic learning into education, and about teaching technology concepts to undergraduate students through kinesthetic learning. Impact on Society: The results of this study may be extremely beneficial for the university and STEM community and overall academic business community. Future Research: Researchers should consider longitudinal studies and other ways to incorporate kinesthetic learning activities into education.

Conceptualizing international positioning strategies for Indian higher education institutions

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudhir Rana ◽  
Shubhangi Verma ◽  
Moon Moon Haque ◽  
Gouher Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Cultural Sensitivity ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Wicked Problem ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Total Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Current State ◽  
The Future ◽  
Indian Higher Education

Purpose The manuscript reflects on the future of higher education from an emerging country perspective. The authors specifically answer how new education policies, ranking and accreditation are impacting the current state of Indian higher education institutions (IHEIs) and how IHEIs can cultivate their path towards positioning themselves internationally. This study aims to bring together existing scenarios and to serve as a springboard for future research and applications. Design/methodology/approach The manuscript is designed and executed as a conceptual study exploring the current state and prospects for IHEIs. The study synthesizes the concepts of positioning strategies in context to IHEIs. A conceptual diagram integrating existing concepts from marketing, total quality management and business education is created to understand the phenomenon among the IHEIs stakeholders. Findings The authors found that IHEIs started showing their international presence yet they are facing various challenges (government bureaucracy; international salary standards; global student population; and cultural sensitivity). The authors also found that the positioning problem is not a one-time attempt; the complexity of higher education is a “wicked problem” and, hence needs to be evaluated, changed and executed continuously. The manuscript offers relevant information to IHEIs leaders and stakeholders to improve on their international positioning strategies and proposes avenues for future research. Originality/value The study outlines future development and positioning strategic plans that IHEIs may consider and reflect in their strategic plan. The conceptual diagram on achieving successful international positioning and problem areas is expected to act as a guidebook for the key decision-makers. The focus is on distinguishing the imperatives, creating a key guide for meeting immediate requirements, allotting assets prudently to update their international presence. The study will provide IHEIs with a new lease of life in the future.

Ubiquitous Game-Based Learning in Higher Education

2014 ◽  
pp. 106-129
Author(s):  
Anna Kasimati ◽  
Sofia Mysirlaki ◽  
Hara Bouta ◽  
Fotini Paraskeva
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
Game Based Learning ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
New Ideas

The rise of mobile broadband devices and services has significantly changed the role of mobile devices in people's daily lives by enabling the provision of innovative applications and services anywhere, anytime. Despite the fact that new ideas and innovation mainly occur within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), the adoption of mobile and ubiquitous technologies by HEIs is still in its early stages. This chapter attempts to provide a framework to support Higher Education Institutions towards implementing mobile and ubiquitous, game-based learning activities. Aligned with the objective of this book, this chapter presents some examples and best practices of implementing this framework towards achieving the learning goals of future professionals in the fields of electronic and ubiquitous commerce.

Applied Areas of Three Dimensional Virtual Worlds in Learning and Teaching

2019 ◽  
pp. 172-192
Author(s):  
Reza Ghanbarzadeh ◽  
Amir Hossein Ghapanchi
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Educational Goals ◽  
Learning And Teaching

Three Dimensional Virtual Worlds (3DVW) have been substantially adopted in educational and pedagogical fields worldwide. The current study conducted a systematic literature review of the published research relevant to the application of 3DVWs in higher education. A literature search was performed in eight high-ranking databases, and following scrutiny according to inclusion criteria, 164 papers were selected for review. The systematic literature review process was summarized, reviews undertaken by the authors, and results about the applicability of 3DVWs in higher education were extracted. A wide variety of application areas for the 3DVWs in higher education were found, and were classified into five main categories. Various 3DVW platforms and virtual environments used for educational goals were also identified. The results revealed Second Life as the most popular 3DVW platform in higher education. This study also found that by using 3DVW technology a wide range of virtual environments and virtual tools have been designed and applied in teaching and learning for higher education.

Using Virtual World Technology as a Faculty Development Tool in Higher Education

2012 ◽  
pp. 149-160
Author(s):  
Linda W. Wood
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Faculty Development ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Faculty Perceptions ◽  
College Faculty ◽  
Teaching Tool ◽  
Development Tool ◽  
Virtual World Environments

Higher education institutions are constantly challenged with the task of educating a technology savvy generation of students. Colleges must be able and ready to meet the needs of these digital-age students. What are the perceptions of college faculty of using virtual world technology as a teaching tool in the classroom? The purpose of this chapter is to explore how virtual world environments can be used as a faculty development tool in order to encourage the use of virtual worlds as a teaching tool in the classroom. This chapter references research from a mixed methods study exploring college faculty perceptions of the adoption of virtual world technology into the classroom, which in turn, provides insight to the willingness of higher education faculty to adopt this type of technology. In addition, the final section of the chapter includes a suggested guide on how to create a virtual world faculty development workshop based in Linden Lab’s Second Life.

An Approach on Attachment in Public Marketing and Higher Education Management Contexts

2019 ◽  
pp. 151-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Barbosa Sousa ◽  
Filipa Costa Magalhães
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Higher Education Management ◽  
Brand Attachment ◽  
Public Marketing ◽  
Education Management ◽  
Educational Market ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

In the recent years, the educational market has become more dynamic and complex. There are many market forces that are trying to shape the educational environment. The competition between universities is increasing. Public marketing is a fundamental tool in the promotion of places, one that must be present in the strategies of local government representatives, helping and promoting a sustainable economic and social development of the regions and universities. The prupose of this chapter is to analyze, measure, and perceive the impact of brand attachment on consumer behavior in the specific context of higher education in Portugal, based on the affective and emotional relationship between students and the higher education institutions. The results allowed us to conclude that the brand attachment has a preponderant role and impact in the relationship between the student and the institution of higher education. This chapter aims to further develop the understanding of the educational marketing for higher education institutions. Implications for future research are also presented.

Using the Interaction-Combinations Integration Model to Explore Real-Life Learning in User-Created Virtual Worlds

2011 ◽  
pp. 47-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Antonacci ◽  
Nellie Modaress ◽  
Edward Lee Lamoureux ◽  
David Thomas ◽  
Timothy Allen
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Emerging Technologies ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Learning Activity ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Integration Model

User-created virtual worlds are emerging technologies with rapidly growing acceptance in education. Of the various reported educational uses of these virtual worlds, the focus of this chapter is on virtual worlds for constructivist learning activities, because this use has application to many real-life courses and has the potential to transform teaching and learning. To assist educators with recognizing and understanding virtual world learning activities, Antonacci & Modaress (2005, 2008) developed the Interaction-Combinations Integration model. However, this model has not been studied in actual virtual-world learning practice. Using a case study method, this chapter examines the usefulness of this model to organize and describe actual virtual world learning activities, provides additional learning activity examples, and describes what was needed to implement and conduct these learning activities.

Does Second Life Mark the Beginning of a New Era of Online Shopping?

2011 ◽  
pp. 232-247
Author(s):  
Jang Ho Moon ◽  
Yongjun Sung ◽  
S. Marina Choi
Keyword(s):  
Social Presence ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Online Shopping ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
New Era ◽  
Shopping Experience

In this chapter, the authors explore the unique social dimension of shopping in virtual worlds, namely Second Life, by examining the role of avatar-based interactions in determining consumer shopping experience. To this end, an overview of Second Life, and other similar virtual worlds, is provided. This chapter then introduces the concept of social presence and offers a conceptual discussion of how avatar-based shopping in virtual environments is distinctive from shopping in other Web environments. Next, the authors present the preliminary findings of the ongoing research study investigating how consumers’ interactions with salespersons and peer consumers via avatars influence their shopping experience in Second Life. This chapter concludes with a future prospect of virtual worlds and directions for future research.

Designing Game-Based Learning Activities in Virtual Worlds

2010 ◽  
pp. 270-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Toro-Troconis ◽  
Martyn R. Partridge
Keyword(s):  
Design Process ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Imperial College ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Current Interest ◽  
Game Based Learning ◽  
Learning In Games ◽  
Design And Development

In view of the current interest taking place in the area of education and virtual worlds, such as Second Life®, many educationalists have began to explore the benefits of applying game-based learning in these environments. In this chapter, the authors attempt to explore the elements associated with game-based learning in virtual worlds, focusing on the design process and how effective game-based learning activities can be achieved following pedagogic frameworks. The authors view learning in games as a form of driving learners’ motivations and this is reflected in the design and development of the virtual respiratory ward at Imperial College virtual hospital explained in this chapter.

Virtual Worlds for Science Learning

2010 ◽  
pp. 263-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mick Grimley ◽  
Trond Nilsen ◽  
Roslyn Kerr ◽  
Richard Green ◽  
David Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Learning Theory ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Constructivist Teaching ◽  
Online Game ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Relevant Theory ◽  
Future Research Directions

This chapter proposes that the use of virtual worlds for science education is warranted and fits well with contemporary learning theory in the context of constructivist instructional approaches being desirable and that learners learn best when they are engaged in active mental processing. Over recent years, games have become increasingly social, supporting massively multi-player online game experiences and then evolving into virtual worlds, such as Second Life, which show significant promise for educational uses. This chapter introduces the field of virtual worlds, and then discusses relevant theory and research. The authors describe the potential of virtual worlds for education by emphasizing how they can be leveraged as an effective tool for constructivist teaching techniques. In addition, the authors present some of the literature that supports their use for science education. This chapter concludes with practical concerns and some possible solutions in the context of future research directions.

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