Second Life in higher education: Assessing the potential for and the barriers to deploying virtual worlds in learning and teaching
01 May 2009-British Journal of Educational Technology (John Wiley & Sons, Ltd)-Vol. 40, Iss: 3, pp 414-426
TL;DR: An in-depth examination of Second Life's potential and the barriers that multi-user virtual environments present to educators wanting to use immersive 3-D spaces in their teaching are explored.
Abstract: Second Life (SL) is currently the most mature and popular multi-user virtual world platform being used in education. Through an in-depth examination of SL, this article explores its potential and the barriers that multi-user virtual environments present to educators wanting to use immersive 3-D spaces in their teaching. The context is set by tracing the history of virtual worlds back to early multi-user online computer gaming environments and describing the current trends in the development of 3-D immersive spaces. A typology for virtual worlds is developed and the key features that have made unstructured 3-D spaces so attractive to educators are described. The popularity in use of SL is examined through three critical components of the virtual environment experience: technical, immersive and social. From here, the paper discusses the affordances that SL offers for educational activities and the types of teaching approaches that are being explored by institutions. The work concludes with a critical analysis of the barriers to successful implementation of SL as an educational tool and maps a number of developments that are underway to address these issues across virtual worlds more broadly.
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TL;DR: The objective of this paper is to outline this problem space in more detail and to create a valuable source of information that can help to define the starting position for future research.
Abstract: Within education, concepts such as distance learning, and open universities, are now becoming more widely used for teaching and learning. However, due to the nature of the subject domain, the teaching of Science, Technology, and Engineering are still relatively behind when using new technological approaches (particularly for online distance learning). The reason for this discrepancy lies in the fact that these fields often require laboratory exercises to provide effective skill acquisition and hands-on experience. Often it is difficult to make these laboratories accessible for online access. Either the real lab needs to be enabled for remote access or it needs to be replicated as a fully software-based virtual lab. We argue for the latter concept since it offers some advantages over remotely controlled real labs, which will be elaborated further in this paper.We are now seeing new emerging technologies that can overcome some of the potential difficulties in this area. These include: computer graphics, augmented reality, computational dynamics, and virtual worlds. This paper summarizes the state of the art in virtual laboratories and virtual worlds in the fields of science, technology, and engineering. The main research activity in these fields is discussed but special emphasis is put on the field of robotics due to the maturity of this area within the virtual-education community. This is not a coincidence; starting from its widely multidisciplinary character, robotics is a perfect example where all the other fields of engineering and physics can contribute. Thus, the use of virtual labs for other scientific and non-robotic engineering uses can be seen to share many of the same learning processes. This can include supporting the introduction of new concepts as part of learning about science and technology, and introducing more general engineering knowledge, through to supporting more constructive (and collaborative) education and training activities in a more complex engineering topic such as robotics. The objective of this paper is to outline this problem space in more detail and to create a valuable source of information that can help to define the starting position for future research. State of the art in dynamics-based virtual laboratories.Defining the criteria for critical evaluation of existing technologies.State of the art in virtual worlds.Future advances in the field of virtual-world based laboratories.
506 citations
Cites background from "Second Life in higher education: As..."
...One could say that Second Life is currently the most mature and popular multi-user virtual world platform being used in education (Warburton, 2009)....
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TL;DR: This paper is the first known study to employ UTAUT to interpret scholarly use of social media, a widely adopted technology acceptance theory, based on the content analysis of 51 semi-structured interviews of scholars in the Information Science and Technology field.
335 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors developed a research framework that integrates the technology acceptance model (TAM) and self-determination theory to understand how tourists use a 3D virtual world, and applied the TAM model to a virtual tourism site.
Abstract: The proliferation of the Internet and other technological innovations has transformed the structure of the tourism industry as well as affected how tourism destinations are perceived and consumed. The 3D virtual world provides opportunities for destination marketing organizations to communicate with targeted markets by offering a rich environment for potential visitors to explore tourism destinations. However, as of yet, there is little understanding about how to effectively market tourism destinations to virtual world participants who are technology users as well as potential consumers. The purpose of the present study is to develop a research framework that integrates the technology acceptance model (TAM) and self-determination theory to understand how tourists use a 3D virtual world. Primary data were obtained for this study through self-administered Web questionnaires. The data were conducted in a laboratory setting with 186 participants. This study contributes to the empirical TAM literature by applying the model to a 3D virtual tourism site. Additionally, this study provides a research framework to capture the entertainment nature of a 3D virtual world by extending the TAM to incorporate psychological elements of self-determination theory to understand consumer experience. From the perspective of tourism professionals, this study contributes to an understanding of how best to construct informative and interactive tourist destinations in 3D virtual worlds to attract potential online and real-world tourists. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
334 citations
TL;DR: A taxonomy is derived from over 100 published academic papers and virtual worlds, multi-user virtual environments and virtual learning environments, delineating current theoretical and practical work on virtual world usage, specifically in the field of education.
Abstract: Virtual worlds are an important tool in modern education practices as well as providing socialisation, entertainment and a laboratory for collaborative work. This paper focuses on the uses of virtual worlds for education and synthesises over 100 published academic papers, reports and educational websites from around the world. A taxonomy is then derived from these papers, delineating current theoretical and practical work on virtual world usage, specifically in the field of education. The taxonomy identifies rich veins of current research and practice in associated educational theory and in simulated worlds or environments, yet it also demonstrates the paucity of work in important areas such as evaluation, grading and accessibility.
Practitioner notes
What is already known about this topic
• The use of virtual worlds for supporting education is widespread and increasing.
• There are numerous studies on virtual worlds usage in education.
• Virtual worlds are mainly used for collaborative- or simulation-based education.
What this paper adds
• An analysis and synthesis of over 100 academic papers and virtual worlds, multi-user virtual environments and virtual learning environments.
• A taxonomic differentiation based upon population, educational activity and learning theory.
• A balance sheet of the disadvantages and advantages of using virtual worlds in education.
• Identification of under developed areas of research into virtual worlds in education.
Implications for practice and/or policy
• Motivates the use of virtual worlds to support experiential learning, where real world experiential learning is difficult to achieve due to barriers of time, cost and place.
• Identification of difficulties and challenges in the educational use of virtual worlds. These may be overcome through future work or help identify where the use of virtual worlds is not appropriate.
• Identification of where the current development or research focus is: pedagogy, collaboration, enquiry-based learning and identity, etc.
227 citations
Cites background from "Second Life in higher education: As..."
...Figure 3 demonstrates the implementation of the different learning strategies, or Learning Theories, which is the fourth category of the presented taxonomy....
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...See McKeown (2007) and Warburton (2009) for a typology of 3D virtual worlds that expand on the relationship between activity and enviro ment....
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TL;DR: Results suggest that both flow and telepresence are experienced in SL and that there is a significant correlation between them, shedding light on the complex interrelationships and interactions that lead to flow experience in virtual gameplay and learning, while engendering hope that learners, who experience flow, may acquire an improved attitude of learning online.
195 citations
Cites background from "Second Life in higher education: As..."
...Of particular interest to educators are the ‘‘simplified methods for importing external content’’ for building ‘‘rich learning and teaching activities’’ (Warburton, 2009, pp. 418–419) that support multifaceted social interaction....
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...As Warburton (2009) states, ‘‘a virtual world provides an experience set within a technological environment that gives the user a strong sense of being there’’ (421)....
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...Ultimately, what the so-called ‘‘play-learner’’ experiences is what Warburton (2009) refers to as ‘‘experiential learning, cooperative learning, and game-based learning’’ (p. 421)....
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...Additionally relevant to virtual learning is the relationship between flow and telepresence (Oliver & Carr, 2009; Salmon, 2009; Shin, 2006; Warburton, 2009)....
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...In a study by Warburton (2009), findings suggest that the ‘‘immersive nature of the virtual world, crossing physical, social and cultural dimensions, can provide a compelling educational experience, particularly in relation to simulation and role-playing activities’’ (p. 419)....
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References
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01 Jan 2007
TL;DR: In this article, the authors reveal how smart design is the new competitive frontier, and why some products satisfy customers while others only frustrate them, and how to choose the ones that satisfy customers.
Abstract: Revealing how smart design is the new competitive frontier, this innovative book is a powerful primer on how--and why--some products satisfy customers while others only frustrate them.
7,238 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1988
TL;DR: Revealing how smart design is the new competitive frontier, this innovative book is a powerful primer on how--and why--some products satisfy customers while others only frustrate them.
Abstract: Revealing how smart design is the new competitive frontier, this innovative book is a powerful primer on how--and why--some products satisfy customers while others only frustrate them.
6,027 citations
"Second Life in higher education: As..." refers background in this paper
...Affordances of SL for education Peachey (2007) has remarked that as computer games have become more visually dynamic, stimulating and collaborative, they have become of increasing interest to educators....
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...And now, studies from the research community have started to explore the particular affordances (Norman, 1988) of the established environments such as SL and World of Warcraft....
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Book•
28 Feb 2011
TL;DR: The second edition of E-Learning in the 21st Century as mentioned in this paper provides a coherent, comprehensive, and empirically-based framework for understanding e-learning in higher education and provides practical models that educators can use to realize the full potential of elearning.
Abstract: The second edition of E-Learning in the 21st Century provides a coherent, comprehensive, and empirically-based framework for understanding e-learning in higher education Garrison draws on his decades of experience and extensive research in the field to explore the technological, pedagogical, and organizational implications of e-learning Most importantly, he provides practical models that educators can use to realize the full potential of e-learning This book is unique in that it focuses less on the long list ever-evolving technologies and more on the search for an understanding of these technologies from an educational perspective The second edition has been fully revised and updated throughout and includes discussions of social media and mobile learning applications as well as other emerging technologies in todays classrooms This book is an invaluable resource for courses on e-learning in higher education as well as for researchers, practitioners and senior administrators looking for guidance on how to successfully adopt e-learning in their institutions
2,177 citations
"Second Life in higher education: As..." refers background in this paper
...When repositioned in an educational context, co-presence can be related to the concept of student and teacher presence, central elements in Garrison and Anderson’s (2003) community of inquiry model (COI)....
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Book•
21 Feb 2003
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss their extensive research from technological, pedagogical and organizational perspectives in order to create practical models and release the full potential of e-learning This in-depth understanding will give direction and guidance to educators who wish to facilitate critical discourse and higher-order learning through the use of electronic technologies in a networked learning context
Abstract: From the Publisher:
There is a technological revolution taking place in higher education The growth of 'e-learning' is being described as explosive, unprecedented and disruptive E-Learning in the 21st Century provides a framework for understanding the application and characteristics of e-learning in higher education The authors discuss their extensive research from technological, pedagogical and organizational perspectives in order to create practical models and release the full potential of e-learning This in-depth understanding will give direction and guidance to educators who wish to facilitate critical discourse and higher-order learning through the use of electronic technologies in a networked learning context
1,871 citations
TL;DR: The idea of stacking depth, that is, where a participant can simulate the process of entering the virtual environment while already in such an environment, which can be repeated to several levels of depth, is introduced.
Abstract: This paper describes a study to assess the influence of a variety of factors on reported level of presence in immersive virtual environments. It introduces the idea of “stacking depth,” that is, where a participant can simulate the process of entering the virtual environment while already in such an environment, which can be repeated to several levels of depth. An experimental study including 24 subjects was carried out. Half of the subjects were transported between environments by using virtual head-mounted displays, and the other half by going through doors. Three other binary factors were whether or not gravity operated, whether or not the subject experienced a virtual precipice, and whether or not the subject was followed around by a virtual actor. Visual, auditory, and kinesthetic representation systems and egocentric/exocentric perceptual positions were assessed by a preexperiment questionnaire. Presence was assessed by the subjects as their sense of “being there,” the extent to which they experienced the virtual environments as more the presenting reality than the real world in which the experiment was taking place, and the extent to which the subject experienced the virtual environments as places visited rather than images seen. A logistic regression analysis revealed that subjective reporting of presence was significantly positively associated with visual and kinesthetic representation systems, and negatively with the auditory system. This was not surprising since the virtual reality system used was primarily visual. The analysis also showed a significant and positive association with stacking level depth for those who were transported between environments by using the virtual HMD, and a negative association for those who were transported through doors. Finally, four of the subjects moved their real left arm to match movement of the left arm of the virtual body displayed by the system. These four scored significantly higher on the kinesthetic representation system than the remainder of the subjects.
1,128 citations