Virtual Worlds open up a whole new range of opportunities for educationalists, lecturers, teachers and students. Having a completely malleable digital world at your disposal offers the chance to create unique learning experiences, unhindered by the limits of real-world physics, or (to an extent) time and budgets. From lectures on the moon or inside of a combustion engine to experiencing different cultures and time periods Virtual Worlds have the potential to change much traditional learning.
Virtual Worlds are well suited to experimental, collaborative and problem based learning. They offer a safe environment where students can explore and make mistakes - with minimal or no repercussions Virtual Worlds are also ideal places for informal learning, where students can learn from information embedded in the environment.
The Campus - Imaginary or Real?
Many clients initially think about recreating their whole campus in a virtual world. Whilst this can have its merits the creative opportunities of virtual worlds (and sometimes technical limitations) suggest that a more imaginary and open space approach is better. What may work best is to have a few real-world points of reference, but to leave significant space for novel environments.
The Virtual Classroom
There are at least 3 new types of virtual classroom that can be created in most virtual worlds:
- A "conventional" classroom, but one whose windows open out onto a "virtual" environment matched to the lesson
- An empty classroom whose interior can be instantly changed to reflect the lesson, "holodeck" style
- An entire space which is created to provide a unique learning environment, from medieval hovel to volcano caldera
With a relatively small virtual space a number of flexible virtual classrooms can be created to support a wide range of teaching activities.
Technology Integration
It makes sense to leverage an establishments existing investment in technology. Virtual worlds can make ready use of existing video, audio and PowerPoint. They can also be integrated into Virtual Learning Environments (eg Moodle via SLoodle), and eLearning tools and standards such as SCORM and Labyrinth.
Staff and students can also easily capture video, images and text chat from within the worlds to include in assignments and post to intranets, blogs, wikis or the web.
Choice of Worlds
There are now a number of virtual worlds to choose from. As well as Second Life, other virtual world options include platforms such as Forterra's Olive, QWAQ and Multiverse.
Decisions as to which to use should be based on a variety of factors including capability, security and cost. Second Life offers probably the simplest route into Virtual Worlds, and with Closed Islands on the Teen Grid students can be offered a completely protected environment accessible only by you, and which prohibits their moving out onto the rest of the Teen Grid. Second Life also makes it easy for staff and students to get involved in the creation and maintenance of the world, reducing costs and increasing involvement.
PIVOTE - an Open-Source vLearning Authoring System
Daden have played a key part in developing PIVOTE - a web based authoring tool for vLearning. With PIVOTE you create the exercise on the web, but then play it in a virtual world(s), on the web or even on the phone. This immediately removes the problem of vvirtual world lock-in, since you can potentially play your exercises from any world, and lets your tutors focus on content and structure, not on trying to code for different worlds. Read more about PIVOTE.
Next Steps
If you would like to talk more about how virtual worlds coudl help you create novel and effective learning environments, or would just like to see the technologies demonstrated then please get in touch.
Why don't you:
- Download a copy of our Education sector flyer (PDF)
- Read about our work with Birmingham City University
- Visit the PREVIEW web site to read about the JISC funded learning project we are doing with St George's Hospital and Coventry University
- Download our Instruct flyer (1MB PDF)
