Educational Frontiers: Learning in a Virtual World (EDUCAUSE ...

Classes are a mix of synchronous and asynchronous activity

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Instructors thus should sell the benefits first, have students choose to use the virtual world, and then discuss how it works.

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Figuring out how to move, look around, and interact with others is not intuitive for most users. If the first class begins here, some students will exit the software, vowing never to return. Rather than startle students, the first class needs to show them the benefits of using virtual worlds, demonstrate what students of all ages have accomplished in only a few days, and provide a brief introduction on how to use the tool effectively. The first class should feature cool technology, exciting research, entertainment, and great visuals to enflame students’ imagination.

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I begin the orientation session with exciting examples from other classes, schools, and research projects.

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I continue the orientation with highlights of accomplishments from teenage students at Ramapo, Suffern (N.Y.) Middle School’s campus in Second Life, hosted by Peggy Sheehy (http://ramapoislands.edublogs.org/about/).

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Finally, I end the orientation with an overview of how to move, look around, customize avatars, and interact with other avatars and objects.

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The next step is thus to mitigate the risks associated with using unfamiliar technology and to create a safe learning environment.

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one rule is that mistakes are great opportunities for learning.

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Class can be held on the beach, in another country, in outer space, or in any simulated setting.

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communicate via text or voice, offer information or ask questions whenever they like (without being impolite), and correspond with classmates and friends via private messaging.

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Students can create content, using built-in tools to construct their ideas as a form of virtual doodling.

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Shifting students from the passive roles of survivors and castaways to the active roles of researchers and explorers requires a change in their perception of themselves and their willingness to participate.

With very little time and a lot of content to cover, one way to accomplish

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A well-structured course includes a syllabus that defines the course objectives, learning objectives, goals, measurements, a schedule of activities and assignments, and rubrics for assessment.

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Other benefits include discovering new ways to study, discuss, create, and express the course subject under the supervision and support of the instructor.

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In virtual worlds, the instructor’s role shifts from being the “sage on the stage” to being the domain expert—the authority who stimulates and supervises exploration while providing structure, guidance, feedback, and assessment. Demystifying complexity is not an easy task!

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this list favors activity-based learning and social networks:

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Self: Customizing the avatar

Exploration: Moving around the world

Communication: Sharing information with others

Navigation: Looking at 3D content

Interaction: Using 3D objects

Creation: Designing a class project

Delivery: Giving the projects to the instructor

Assessment: Evaluating Second Life projects

Feedback: Compiling progress and performance reports

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This method does not replace traditional methods of evaluation, but it does offers additional ways of assessing what students know and can apply.

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Colorado Technical University (CTU)

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Many classes that include case studies use role-play, putting learners in roles and contexts in which they explore the content and make decisions based on the forces and constraints placed on them.

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Ramapo’s immersive literature activity in which Suffern Middle School students enact the courtroom scene from John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men.

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As mentor, I felt it was important that I offer the right mix of instruction, observation, opportunity to struggle, and support—all of which were necessary for them to discover, build, and test their solutions. The struggle to discover solutions is part of the learning process. For the mentor, knowing how to balance that struggle with solutions and success is key.

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Classes in virtual worlds offer opportunities for visualization, simulation, enhanced social networks, and shared learning experiences.

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In virtual worlds, we can leverage a mix of content and activity to support all learners: auditory, visual, and kinesthetic.

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Course designers, instructors, and IT professionals are challenged to create stimulating content, deliver it reliably, and ensure a stable virtual world learning environment.

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Over 400 universities and 4,500 educators participate on the Second Life Educators List (SLED).¹

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