Exploring the Use of Virtual World Technology for Idea-Generation Tasks

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 44-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Nicholson ◽  
Darren B. Nicholson ◽  
Patrick Coyle ◽  
Andrew Hardin ◽  
Anjala S. Krishen
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Idea Generation ◽  
Generation Task ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Group Ideation ◽  
Types Of Information

While the potential value of Virtual World Technologies (VWTs) lies in their promise to facilitate communication through new and novel forms of collaboration, there is a lack of prior research that examines how VWTs compare to other types of information and communication technologies (ICT) commonly used to support collaborative work. This study investigates the effects of VWTs on group ideation outcomes; specifically, it compares the use of Second Life to a chat environment for idea generation tasks. As hypothesized, groups using VWTs for an idea generation task generated significantly more unique ideas and enjoyed using the environment more than the chat environment. Contrary to our predictions, no significant difference between the two environments was observed for satisfaction, group cohesion, and social presence.

Empirical Comparison of 3-D Virtual World and Face-to-Face Classroom for Higher Education

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 30-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaofeng Chen ◽  
Keng Siau ◽  
Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Instructional Strategy ◽  
Relative Effectiveness ◽  
Perceived Learning ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Face To Face Learning

Many higher education institutions have set up virtual classrooms in the 3-D virtual world. In this research, the authors assess the relative effectiveness of a 3-D virtual world learning environment, Second Life, compared to traditional face-to-face learning environment. They also assess the effects of instructional strategies in these two learning environments on interactivity, perceived learning, and satisfaction. The authors’ findings suggest that learning environment interacts with instructional strategy to affect the learners’ perceived learning and satisfaction. Specifically, when interactive instructional strategy is used, there is no significant difference for perceived learning and satisfaction between the 3-D virtual world and face-to-face learning environment. However, when a direct instructional strategy is used, there is a significant difference for perceived learning and satisfaction. They also assessed whether or not technology helps increase learner and instructor interaction. The result suggests that in interactive instructional sessions, students experienced a higher level of classroom interactivity in Second Life than in face-to-face classroom.

Communication and Education in a Virtual World

2012 ◽  
pp. 121-136
Author(s):  
Lorri Mon
Keyword(s):  
Learning Styles ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Personal Learning ◽  
Learning Techniques ◽  
Personal Learning Environments ◽  
Virtual World Environments

Education within Second Life frequently recapitulates the “sage on the stage” as students sit their avatars down in chairs in the virtual world and listen to or read an instructor’s lecture while watching a slideshow. This conceptual article explores alternative active learning techniques supporting independent and collaborative learning within virtual worlds. Within Second Life, educators can utilize a variety of scripted tools and objects as well as techniques of building and terra-forming to create vibrant virtual personal learning environments and learning experiences that are engaging and responsive to individual learners. Issues of embodiment in an avatar are discussed in terms of social presence, and student learning styles are considered as well as approaches to problem-based learning, games, role play, and immersive virtual world environments.

Second Life and World of Warcraft

2011 ◽  
pp. 236-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chaka Chaka
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Role Playing ◽  
World Of Warcraft ◽  
Cognitive Presence ◽  
Future Trends ◽  
Role Playing Game

This chapter explores the potential both Second Life (SL) and World of Warcraft (WoW) as instances of a virtual world (VW) and a massively multi-player online role-playing game (MMORPG), respectively, have for leveraging presence learning. The latter encapsulates, in this chapter, presence pedagogy, tele-presence, co-presence, social presence, and cognitive presence as mediated by both SL and WoW. In this context, this chapter contends that both SL and WoW help harness presence learning. Against this background, the chapter first provides a brief overview of SL, WoW, and presence learning. Second, it presents and discusses seven case studies demonstrating how both SL and WoW help harness presence learning. Third and last, the chapter outlines future trends for presence learning in respect of both SL and WoW.

Communication and Education in a Virtual World

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorri Mon
Keyword(s):  
Learning Styles ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Role Play ◽  
Personal Learning ◽  
Learning Games ◽  
Learning Techniques ◽  
Virtual World Environments

Education within Second Life frequently recapitulates the “sage on the stage” as students sit their avatars down in chairs in the virtual world and listen to or read an instructor’s lecture while watching a slideshow. This conceptual article explores alternative active learning techniques supporting independent and collaborative learning within virtual worlds. Within Second Life, educators can utilize a variety of scripted tools and objects as well as techniques of building and terra-forming to create vibrant virtual personal learning environments and learning experiences that are engaging and responsive to individual learners. Issues of embodiment in an avatar are discussed in terms of social presence, and student learning styles are considered as well as approaches to problem-based learning, games, role play, and immersive virtual world environments.

scholarly journals Towards a Theoretically-Grounded Framework for Evaluating Immersive Business Models and Applications: Analysis of Ventures in Second Life

1970 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry M. Kim ◽  
Kelly Lyons ◽  
Mary Ann Cunningham
Keyword(s):  
Social Presence ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Media Theory ◽  
Business Plans ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Rich Media ◽  
Closure Theory ◽  
And Task

Second Life has emerged as the de facto virtual world for immersive business. However there is no de facto guideline or even corpus of knowledge about how to build an immersive business. We address this opportunity by presenting work that will lead to a theoretically-grounded evaluative framework for immersive business models and applications. We identify high profile examples from Second Life and analyze them using two theories that explain why a user may choose between ‘clicks,’ ‘bricks,’ or immersive: Rich Media Theory and Task Closure Theory. We then state propositions about characteristics of successful immersive business models and applications, and conduct an exploratory study of proposed Second Life business plans to identify and support the most appropriate propositions for future empirical enquiry. Finally, we conclude our study by positing the following characteristics of potentially successful immersive business models and applications: (a) feedback and interactions between users are not dissipated, (b) productive tasks can be started and closed within the virtual world, and (c) users are compelled to form a social presence, which is then leveraged.

DIFFUSION AND ADOPTION OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN SOUTH AFRICAN TELECENTRES: SELECTED TELECENTRES IN KWAZULU-NATAL

Mousaion ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blessing Mbatha
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Diffusion Of Innovations ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Information And Communications Technologies ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Ict Tools ◽  
The Government ◽  
Types Of Information

This study investigated the usage and types of information and communications technologies (ICTs) accessible to community members in four selected Thusong Service Centres (TSCs or telecentres) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). The telecentres that participated in the study were: Nhlazuka, Mbazwane, Dududu and Malangeni. The study was informed by Rogers’ (1995) Diffusion of Innovations (DoI) theory. Through a survey, four TSCs were purposively selected. A questionnaire was used to collect data from community members in the four telecentres involved. The data collected was tabulated under the various headings and presented using tables, frequencies, percentiles and generalisations with the help of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The results indicated that a variety of ICT tools have been adopted in the TSCs to provide the local community with the much-needed access to information and improved communication. The government should ensure that adequate varieties and levels of ICT competence are offered to all the citizens. In conclusion, there is a need for sufficient and coherent government policies regulating the training of the local community to use these ICTs effectively.

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

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.

scholarly journals Web 2.0 vs. the Semantic Web: A Philosophical Assessment

Episteme ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciano Floridi
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Web ◽  
Web 2.0 ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Digital Environment ◽  
The Past ◽  
Clear Explanation ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Future ◽  
Information And Communication

ABSTRACTThe paper develops some of the conclusions, reached in Floridi (2007), concerning the future developments of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and their impact on our lives. The two main theses supported in that article were that, as the information society develops, the threshold between online and offline is becoming increasingly blurred, and that once there won't be any significant difference, we shall gradually re-conceptualise ourselves not as cyborgs but rather as inforgs, i.e. socially connected, informational organisms. In this paper, I look at the development of the so-called Semantic Web and Web 2.0 from this perspective and try to forecast their future. Regarding the Semantic Web, I argue that it is a clear and well-defined project, which, despite some authoritative views to the contrary, is not a promising reality and will probably fail in the same way AI has failed in the past. Regarding Web 2.0, I argue that, although it is a rather ill-defined project, which lacks a clear explanation of its nature and scope, it does have the potentiality of becoming a success (and indeed it is already, as part of the new phenomenon of Cloud Computing) because it leverages the only semantic engines available so far in nature, us. I conclude by suggesting what other changes might be expected in the future of our digital environment.

Accessibility and public information of medical students’ Facebook profiles in Peru: A call to adapt e-professionalism guidelines in the Latin American context (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Jesús Aragón-Ayala ◽  
Henry Rodriguez-Carrillo ◽  
Aldor Cornejo-Estrada ◽  
Cender Udai Quispe-Juli
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Public Information ◽  
Male Students ◽  
The Public ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Professional Information ◽  
Types Of Information ◽  
The University

BACKGROUND Use of Facebook has increased and poses new challenges for adoption of professionalism. In this study we describe the accessibility of Facebook profiles in medical students, the disclosure of personal and professional information, and its association with sex and year of study. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to explore the public accessibility of Facebook profiles of medical students from a Peruvian university and the disclosure of personal and professional information, as well as its association with sex and the year of studies. METHODS Through a systematic search on Facebook, the profiles of medical students from the 2nd to the 7th year were located using fictitious profiles. The presence of different types of information in accessible profiles were evaluated. Furthermore, the proportion of the disclosed content was calculated. The data were compared according to year of study and sex. RESULTS 80% of students (488/611) presented publicly accessible profiles. We did not find a significant difference according year of study (p = 0.098) and sex (p = 0.912). Proportion of disclosed content was greater in higher years: 2nd and 3rd (p = 0.022), 2nd and 6th (p < 0.001), and 2nd and 7th (p = 0.002) and in men (33.25 ± 12.47) compared to women (30.38 ± 11.95) (p = 0.01). Some photos (p = 0.009) and links to other social networking sites (p = 0.036) were more commonly visible in women’s profiles, while showing the university (p = 0.017), medical school (p = 0.043) and sexual orientation (p = 0.001) was more common amongst men. CONCLUSIONS Most of the Facebook profiles of medical students were accessible, the disclosed content was greater in senior and male students. It is necessary to create and implement guidelines on e-professionalism in Latin America.

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