The Benefits and Unanticipated Challenges in the Use of 3D Virtual Learning Environments in the Undergraduate Media Arts Curriculum

2010 ◽  
pp. 236-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise Wood
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Generation Y ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Undergraduate Curriculum ◽  
Media Arts ◽  
Arts Curriculum ◽  
Virtual Classes ◽  
International Experts ◽  
3D Virtual Environments ◽  
3D Virtual Learning Environments

This chapter describes the benefits as well as the unanticipated challenges in engaging undergraduates in immersive experiences within the 3D virtual environment, Second Life. The chapter draws on trials of three undergraduate courses in which students attended virtual classes and undertook media-related activities in Second Life. International experts conducted synchronous virtual guest presentations in all three courses. Media arts students designed immersive games using Second Life tools and the final-year students created virtual portfolios. The findings from student evaluations suggest both benefits and challenges in the use of 3D virtual environments in the undergraduate curriculum. In discussing these findings, the author challenges assumptions about the readiness of ‘Generation Y’ students to adapt easily to such learning environments. The final section of thechapter outlines proposed strategies for addressing the identified challenges.

scholarly journals 3D Assistive Technologies and Advantageous Themes for Collaboration and Blended Learning of Users with Disabilities

2011 ◽  
pp. 25-69
Author(s):  
Georgios A. Dafoulas ◽  
Noha Saleeb
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
3D Virtual Worlds ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Design Requirements ◽  
3D Virtual Learning Environments

The significance of newly emergent 3D virtual worlds to different genres of users is currently a controversial subject in deliberation. Users range from education pursuers, business contenders, and social seekers to technology enhancers and many more who comprise both users with normal abilities in physical life and those with different disabilities. This study aims to derive and critically analyze, using grounded theory, advantageous and disadvantageous themes, and their sub concepts of providing e-learning through 3D Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs), like Second Life, to disabled users. Hence providing evidence that 3DVLEs not only support traditional physical learning, but also offer e-learning opportunities unavailable through 2D VLEs (like Moodle, Blackboard), and offer learning opportunities unavailable through traditional physical education. Furthermore, to achieve full potential from the above-mentioned derived concepts, architectural and accessibility design requirements of 3D educational facilities proposed by different categories of disabled students to accommodate for their needs, are demonstrated.

scholarly journals 3D virtual learning in counselor education: Using Second Life in counselor skill development

2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Lynn Walker
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environment ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning Environment ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Counseling Skills ◽  
3D Virtual Learning Environments

This article will present the process and the curricular and pedagogical lessons learned from adding a 3D virtual learning environment to an online course in a distance and hybrid education master’s degree program. Based on student surveys, course evaluations, and faculty interviews, the author will summarize attitudes and expectations from the varied stakeholders and offer practical recommendations on the design and delivery of an effective virtual world learning environment in an online course. The author is involved in developing 3D virtual learning environments and integrating their use in graduate level counseling courses in traditional, blended, and online master’s programs. In the fall of 2007, the author began the process of incorporating the virtual world Second Life into an online counseling skills and techniques course in the Human Services Counseling Program at Regent University. The course objectives consisted of teaching graduate level students expertise such as clinical counseling skills and techniques. One of the critical competencies, the student’s ability to demonstrate the basic counseling skills needed to be an effective counselor including attending, listening, empathy, warmth, and respect, was very difficult to teach and evaluate from a distance. In the past, program instructors have taught online and blended courses with the asynchronous learning environment Blackboard and the synchronous technologies, Skype and Instant Messenger. With the use of new learning environments, such as 3D virtual learning environments, the author hoped to provide the instructors and students with an environment more conducive to developing effective counseling skills. The author implemented the virtual learning environment – a simulated counseling facility and tested the virtual counseling facility’s use as an innovative learning environment for simulation of student counseling sessions. This article will discuss the author’s personal experiences as well as the empirical research collected during this case study. Given the potential for significant growth in the use of virtual learning objects, this article should provide useful information for instructors and administrators considering virtual environments as a means of teaching practical skills at a distance in online programs.

Usability Evaluation of an Adaptive 3D Virtual Learning Environment

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Ewais ◽  
Olga De Troyer
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Individualized Instruction ◽  
Virtual Learning Environment ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
Teaching Approaches ◽  
3D Virtual Environment ◽  
3D Virtual Environments ◽  
3D Virtual Learning Environments

Using 3D virtual environments for educational purposes is becoming attractive because of their rich presentation and interaction capabilities. Furthermore, dynamically adapting the 3D virtual environment to the personal preferences, prior knowledge, skills and competence, learning goals, and the personal or (social) context in which the learning takes place becomes interesting, as there is a bulk of research demonstrating that individualized instruction is superior to the uniform approach of more traditional and one-size-fits-all teaching approaches. However, although such adaptive 3D Virtual Learning Environments (3D VLE) seem to be promising, this needs to be evaluated in practice. Usability of adaptive 3D VLE could be a problem since the user interface could become relatively complex. In this paper, the authors describe an experiment performed to validate the issues of usability and acceptability of an adaptive 3D VLE. This pilot evaluation reveals some important recommendations and improvements.

scholarly journals 3D Assistive Technologies and Advantageous Themes for Collaboration and Blended Learning of Users with Disabilities

2013 ◽  
pp. 421-453
Author(s):  
Georgios A. Dafoulas ◽  
Noha Saleeb
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
3D Virtual Worlds ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Design Requirements ◽  
3D Virtual Learning Environments

The significance of newly emergent 3D virtual worlds to different genres of users is currently a controversial subject in deliberation. Users range from education pursuers, business contenders, and social seekers to technology enhancers and many more who comprise both users with normal abilities in physical life and those with different disabilities. This study aims to derive and critically analyze, using grounded theory, advantageous and disadvantageous themes, and their sub concepts of providing e-learning through 3D Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs), like Second Life, to disabled users. Hence providing evidence that 3DVLEs not only support traditional physical learning, but also offer e-learning opportunities unavailable through 2D VLEs (like Moodle, Blackboard), and offer learning opportunities unavailable through traditional physical education. Furthermore, to achieve full potential from the above-mentioned derived concepts, architectural and accessibility design requirements of 3D educational facilities proposed by different categories of disabled students to accommodate for their needs, are demonstrated.

Scaffolding Discovery Learning In 3D Virtual Environments

2010 ◽  
pp. 138-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark J.W. Lee ◽  
Barney Dalgarno
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Discovery Learning ◽  
Chemistry Laboratory ◽  
Mediated Learning ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
3D Virtual Environment ◽  
3D Virtual Environments ◽  
3D Virtual Learning Environments

This chapter examines the importance of and possibilities for providing learner support and scaffolding in 3D virtual learning environments designed to promote and encourage learner exploration and discovery. The chapter begins with an overview of the need for scaffolding in discovery learning, before discussing scaffolding in technology-mediated learning environments. A framework is presented for understanding the types of scaffolding that can be provided in such environments. Using a case study based on the design of a 3D Virtual Chemistry Laboratory, examples illustrating the way each category of scaffolding within the framework could be provided within a 3D virtual environment are presented. The chapter concludes with coverage of the key considerations in designing scaffolded 3D virtual environments, as well as some of the important issues in adapting the concepts of scaffolding from face-to-face to technology-mediated environments.

Elements to Include in the Language Arts Curriculum for Gifted Students

1988 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 62-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
John D. McNeil
Keyword(s):  
Language Arts ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
The Family ◽  
New Directions ◽  
Language Arts Curriculum ◽  
Structured Teaching ◽  
Arts Curriculum ◽  
Curriculum Trends

Recent studies have revealed themes of giftedness that have implications for the curriculum in the language arts. These themes include the desire to know and inquire, the uses of play and imagination, the thrust toward coherence, the motivational ambience of the family, and the value of varied apprenticeships. Correlatively, trends in the language arts curriculum reflect the growing influence of the constructivists' theory of learning with its emphasis on active generality of meaning by students. These curriculum trends are propitious for the gifted who excel in learning environments characterized by independent activity and filling in the gaps left by incomplete and less structured teaching. This paper describes how new directions in the language arts curriculum match the themes of giftedness and suggest how gifted students can be helped to share their images and meanings through the language arts.

scholarly journals Adaptive Repetition: A Fuzzy Logic based Control Strategy for Active Exploration in 3D-Virtual Learning Environments

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Fayaz ◽  
Aftab Alam ◽  
Shah Khalid ◽  
Numan Ali ◽  
Wali Khan Mashwani
Keyword(s):  
Fuzzy Logic ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Control Strategy ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Mental Load ◽  
Cognitive Aids ◽  
Active Exploration ◽  
3D Virtual Learning Environments

Abstract In past decade, the use of cognitive aids such as textual, visual and audio in 3D-Virtual Learning Environments is increasing day by day as it guide and facilitate both the students and teachers to perform the task with ease in Virtual Environment. In recent studies, it has been observed that the use of cognitive aids in virtual learning environments reduce mental load on learner but at the same time it also minimizes active exploration which negatively affect their performance in non-supervised environment. Therefore, some researchers have shown negative concern about the use of cognitive aids in 3D-Virtual Learning Environments (3D-VLEs). In this paper, we presents the idea of ”Adaptive Repetition” as control strategy for active exploration in 3D-VLEs. At the beginning of experiment in 3D-VLEs , students is given full support to perform the experiment with help of cognitive aids. Using a fuzzy logic based approach , the amount of aids are minimized whenever the experiment is repeated. The adaptive repetition approach put the students in active learning process and enables them to actively explore the learning environment. Ultimately, the negative effects of using cognitive aids in 3D-VLEs is minimized.

Virtual World Classrooms

2014 ◽  
pp. 233-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Martin Meggs ◽  
Sharon Kibbe ◽  
Annette Greer
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Interior Design ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Outcome Evaluation ◽  
Educational Value ◽  
Traditional Course ◽  
Laboratory Component

This chapter provides a comprehensive case study to demonstrate the longitudinal development of online pedagogy for higher education through a lens of interior design. The chapter presents constructivist theory as a guiding pedagogical framework for the creation of learning environments within Second Life (SL) virtual reality. Details of the rigorous process of incorporation of SL, as an enhancement to a traditional course with a laboratory component, is presented to validate the integrity of the scholarship of teaching and learning undertaken in the exemplar case study. The concluding components of the chapter review the iterative process of course outcome evaluation compared to course and accreditation standards to further demonstrate the educational value of virtual reality as an environment for learning.

Authoring Adaptive 3D Virtual Learning Environments

2016 ◽  
pp. 714-733 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Ewais ◽  
Olga De Troyer
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Adaptive Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Learning Technologies ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Authoring Tool ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Adaptive Learning Environment ◽  
3D Virtual Learning Environments

The use of 3D and Virtual Reality is gaining interest in the context of academic discussions on E-learning technologies. However, the use of 3D for learning environments also has drawbacks. One way to overcome these drawbacks is by having an adaptive learning environment, i.e., an environment that dynamically adapts to the learner and the activities that he performs in the environment. In this paper, the authors discuss adaptive 3D virtual leaning environments and explain how a course author can specify such an environment (i.e., authoring). The approach and tool that the authors present allow authors to create adaptive 3D virtual learning environments without the need to be an expert in 3D or using programming or scripting languages. The authors also conducted an evaluation to validate the approach and the usability and acceptability of the authoring tool. Based on the results, recommendations for authoring adaptive 3D virtual learning environments have been formulated.

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