Sultan Alarifi | Wayne State University (original) (raw)
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Papers by Sultan Alarifi
Nottingham: University of Nottingham, Jan 1, 2008
Dedication To my father who is always proud of me To my mother who missed me during my absence To... more Dedication To my father who is always proud of me To my mother who missed me during my absence To my wife who supported me during my study period To my son and daughter who make me happy in this life 3 Acknowledgment This dissertation was accomplished with the help of many people. First and foremost I want to thank my wonderful supervisor Colin Harrison for providing me with full supports and fruitful hints to improve this study. I want to thank my personal tutor Charles Crook who scaffolded me through the whole last academic year. Finally, I would like to thank all the five participants who hosted me at their virtual islands and offered me virtual guided tours. 4 Abstract Online Multi User Virtual Worlds are emerging three-dimensional (3D) technologies that offer unique and diverse learning opportunities. Second Life (SL) is becoming the most popular virtual world being used for traditional and distributed higher education. The number of higher education virtual campuses is increasing dramatically in this world which indicates the need for discovering what this platform could offer to enhance education (teaching and learning). This study explores the educational spaces in five case studies of higher education virtual campuses and illustrates how they look like by showing their pictures. It investigates how these spaces are being used for education to determine which modes of learning are more appropriate through this platform.
Nottingham: University of Nottingham, Jan 1, 2008
Dedication To my father who is always proud of me To my mother who missed me during my absence To... more Dedication To my father who is always proud of me To my mother who missed me during my absence To my wife who supported me during my study period To my son and daughter who make me happy in this life 3 Acknowledgment This dissertation was accomplished with the help of many people. First and foremost I want to thank my wonderful supervisor Colin Harrison for providing me with full supports and fruitful hints to improve this study. I want to thank my personal tutor Charles Crook who scaffolded me through the whole last academic year. Finally, I would like to thank all the five participants who hosted me at their virtual islands and offered me virtual guided tours. 4 Abstract Online Multi User Virtual Worlds are emerging three-dimensional (3D) technologies that offer unique and diverse learning opportunities. Second Life (SL) is becoming the most popular virtual world being used for traditional and distributed higher education. The number of higher education virtual campuses is increasing dramatically in this world which indicates the need for discovering what this platform could offer to enhance education (teaching and learning). This study explores the educational spaces in five case studies of higher education virtual campuses and illustrates how they look like by showing their pictures. It investigates how these spaces are being used for education to determine which modes of learning are more appropriate through this platform.