scholarly journals Virtual Education: Teaching Media Studies in Second Life

2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Kurt Herold

Following the adoption of the virtual world Second Life by tertiary educational institutions worldwide, a limited study was conducted at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University to test the feasibility and desirability of employing a virtual environment to conduct classes. 30 tutorials were held in Second Life over a period of five weeks in support of a course on Media Studies with 60 students. Feedback was gathered continuously from students and the lecturer via informal interviews, feedback forms, and participant observation. The results proved most of the initial hypotheses wrong, but supported the value of virtual teaching and learning in a well-supported institutional environment. The paper emphasises the need to integrate virtual environments into the educational framework of courses and for a careful consideration of the educational aims and uses of virtual worlds within specific courses.

Author(s):  
Amarolinda Zanela Klein ◽  
Angilberto Freitas ◽  
Lisiane Machado ◽  
José Carlos da Silva Freitas Junior ◽  
Paulo Gaspar Graziola ◽  
...  

Frequently, research on management education does not take into account the role of Information Technology as a key resource to support teaching and learning processes. In this article, the authors explore the current applications of Three Dimensional Virtual Worlds (3DVW) for Management education. The authors researched the educational institutions subscribed to Second Life (SL) (http://secondlife.com/), as it is one of the most popular open 3DVW available worldwide. The results reveal that only 31% of the institutions that answered the authors’ questionnaire actually use SL in Management education. Regarding the acceptance of SL in Management education, one third of the 15 institutions using it claim that it has been well received and accepted both by students and lecturers/professors. These results lead to several questions for further research and development of practices concerning the use of 3DVW for Management education.


Author(s):  
Barbara L. Ciaramitaro

Virtual education is a multi-billion dollar business and maintains a firm place in the world of E-Commerce. It is a mode used by educational institutions, the military, professional organizations, commercial companies, and others to inform, educate and interact with students, consumers, and participants. Second Life® is the most well-known forum for virtual education for many colleges and universities, but it is not the only virtual environment used for educational purposes. Many organizations such as the military have developed their own virtual training and education frameworks (See Ciaramitaro and Jones, Chapter 7). Conferences and seminars offered by professional organizations and business consortiums are increasingly using the virtual environment to attract its participants. Even virtual worlds embraced by children provide many educational aspects such as the “working” experience in the Webkinz world. This chapter will discuss the varying ways that virtual worlds have been incorporated into education. The authors will examine several virtual worlds to see what they offer in terms of content and user experience. They will also examine virtual education from the faculty and student perspective, and investigate how it compares with traditional forms of teaching and learning. As is true in all virtual worlds, within the education domain there are issues and challenges that must be addressed before full-scale adoption is achieved and we will discuss several of these. The authors will conclude with an examination of what the future holds for virtual education.


Author(s):  
Yvonne Masters ◽  
Sue Gregory

An increasing number of educational institutions are trialling the use of virtual worlds as teaching and learning environments, particularly for distance education students. In 2009 the authors have begun a research project to explore the efficacy of one such virtual world, Second Life, as a viable adjunct to other online learning experiences. However, it is now recognised that most academics have no experience of teaching in a virtual world. An integral aspect of our research is to examine whether a novice user of Second Life could quickly learn to teach effectively with this tool. The teaching experience is outlined from two points of view: the novice and the expert. The emergent themes are discussed and conclusions are made regarding the efficacy of Second Life as a teaching and learning environment for distance education students and the level of support that might be needed to assist other novices to teach in-world.


Author(s):  
Amarolinda Zanela Klein ◽  
Angilberto Sabino de Freitas ◽  
Lisiane Machado ◽  
José Carlos da Silva Freitas Jr. ◽  
Paulo Gaspar Graziola Jr. ◽  
...  

Frequently, research on management education does not take into account the role of Information Technology as a key resource to support teaching and learning processes. In this article, we explore the current applications of Three Dimensional Virtual Worlds (3DVW) for Management education. We researched the educational institutions subscribed to Second Life (SL) (http://secondlife.com/), as it is one of the most popular open 3DVW available worldwide. The results reveal that only 31% of the institutions that answered our questionnaire actually use SL in Management education. Regarding the acceptance of SL in Management education, one third of the 15 institutions using it claim that it has been well received and accepted both by students and lecturers/professors. These results lead to several questions for further research and development of practices concerning the use of 3DVW for Management education.


Author(s):  
Ahmad John Reeves ◽  
Shailey Minocha

Second Life is a three-dimensional virtual world which is being employed by educational institutions and training organizations to support teaching and learning. However, there is little guidance as to how 3D learning spaces should be designed to correspond to the learning activity and the learning context of the student, such as students’ skills and the nature of the program (e.g. distance education, blended learning). This chapter describes an empirical study involving Second Life educators, designers, and students, and derives guiding principles for the design of learning spaces in 3D virtual worlds. It is hoped that the guidance and examples described in this chapter will support educators and designers in designing 3D learning spaces and activities that foster students’ socialization, informal learning, collaboration, and creativity. Although, the empirical study focused on Second Life, it is hoped that the results will be applicable for 3D virtual worlds in general.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-53
Author(s):  
Eduardo Campazzo ◽  
Alejandra Guzmán ◽  
Marcelo Martínez ◽  
Andrea Aguero

La necesidad de actualización y adecuación permanente de nuestras prácticas educativas en el ámbito de la Universidad Nacional de La Rioja, la transferencia de conocimientos adquiridos y la evolución tecnológica dinámica a la que nos enfrentamos en las nuevas metodologías de enseñanza-aprendizaje, son aspectos fundamentales que aseguran el impacto de las acciones formativas futuras.- A través del uso adecuado de las nuevas Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicación es posible  generar  entornos educativos más creativos e innovadores que permitan que los alumnos continúen desarrollando un aprendizaje autónomo a través de la educación a distancia, en entornos de inmersión que apliquen tecnologías multiusuario de los mundos virtuales, pudiendo reproducir y ampliar los límites físicos del aula. Palabras clave: Trabajo Colaborativo, Mundos Inmersivos 3D, Interactividad, Moodle, Sloodle, Second Life, Virtualidad,  Enseñanza-Aprendizaje. AbstractThe need for constant updating and adaptation of our educational practices in the area of the National University of La Rioja, knowledge transfer and technological change dynamics that we face in the new methodologies of teaching and learning are key aspects ensure the impact of training initiatives for the future .- Through the appropriate use of new Information Technology and Communication is possible to create educational environments more creative and innovative to enable students to further develop independent learning through distance education In immersive environments to implement technologies, multi-user virtual worlds can replicate and expand the physical boundaries of the classroom.Keywords: Collaborative Work, immersive worlds 3D, Interactivity, Moodle, Sloodle, Second Life, Virtuality, Teaching and Learning.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Paul Lafayette DuQuette

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.


2019 ◽  
pp. 172-192
Author(s):  
Reza Ghanbarzadeh ◽  
Amir Hossein Ghapanchi

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.


Author(s):  
Jeremy O. Turner ◽  
Janet McCracken ◽  
Jim Bizzocchi

This chapter explores the epistemological, and ethical boundaries of the application of a participant-observer methodology for analyzing avatar design in user-generated virtual worlds. We describe why Second Life was selected as the preferred platform for studying the fundamental design properties of avatars in a situated manner. We will situate the specific case study within the broader context of ethnographic qualitative research methodologies, particularly focusing on what it means to live – and role-play - within the context that one is studying, or to facilitate prolonged engagement in order to have the research results accepted as trustworthy or credible (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). This chapter describes a case study where researchers can extract methods and techniques for studying “in-world” workshops and focus groups. Our speculations and research questions drawn from a close analysis of this case study will illuminate the possible limitations of applying similar hybrid iterations of participation-observation tactics and translations of disciplinary frameworks into the study of user-generated content for future virtual world communities. Finally, we will review the broader epistemological and ethical issues related to the role of the participant-observation researcher in the study of virtual worlds.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Griol ◽  
Zoraida Callejas

Social Virtual Worlds are increasingly being used in education, as their flexibility can be exploited in order to create heterogeneous groups from all over the world who can collaborate synchronously in different virtual spaces. In this paper, the authors describe the potential of virtual worlds as an educative tool to teach and learn abstract concepts by means of programmable 3D objects. They describe the main experiences carried out recently in the application of these technologies in transnational educational activities that combine the Moodle learning resources and programmable 3D objects in the Second Life virtual world.


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