Experiencing and Learning with 3D Virtual Worlds (original) (raw)

EXPERIENCING EDUCATION WITH 3D VIRTUAL WORLDS

ABSTRACT In this paper we discuss the potentialities of 3D virtual worlds in education. We argue that assignments in virtual worlds and a constructivist approach go hand in hand. We identify the aspects of virtual worlds (such as ActiveWorlds and SecondLife) that make them useful for education and research, as well as aspects that do not. We found that intertwining real life instructional courses with virtual constructivist courses was very promising in terms of the learning experience.

Virtual World Classrooms

Educational Technology Use and Design for Improved Learning Opportunities, 2014

This chapter provides a comprehensive case study to demonstrate the longitudinal development of online pedagogy for higher education through a lens of interior design. The chapter presents constructivist theory as a guiding pedagogical framework for the creation of learning environments within Second Life (SL) virtual reality. Details of the rigorous process of incorporation of SL, as an enhancement to a traditional course with a laboratory component, is presented to validate the integrity of the scholarship of teaching and learning undertaken in the exemplar case study. The concluding components of the chapter review the iterative process of course outcome evaluation compared to course and accreditation standards to further demonstrate the educational value of virtual reality as an environment for learning. www.igi-global.com/chapter/construction-of-the-definite-integral-concept-using-open-sourcesoftware/177016?camid=4v1a

Teaching in Virtual Worlds: Opportunities and Challenges

Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology

How, where, when, and what we teach has been significantly influenced by technological innovation. Radio, television, and computers have all altered how information is presented and how students interact with that information. This paper describes how virtual worlds provide a mechanism to incorporate constructivist, experiential, and student-centered learning practices into the classroom. The authors also discuss the challenges and the benefits of using virtual worlds in education as well as some implications for the future of education.

Preparing a case for the effectiveness of 3D virtual worlds in electronic learning: giving education a second life| Macquarie University ResearchOnline

2010

The potential of 3D virtual worlds to introduce a new educational medium which can serve all types of learning as well as enhance the experience of both the instructor and learner appropriate to the 21 st century classroom has been recognised and explored in previous studies. While participants report enjoyment and even improved learning outcomes, it is unclear what role the technology has played in achieving these benefits. Furthermore, e-learning, with its many forms, has been criticized due to the inability of the technology to provide the means which allows e-learning to become an equivalent alternative to traditional face-to-face learning particularly in terms of effectiveness and quality. The proposed study will examine explore these issues by assessing new alternatives, namely the use of Second Life, to traditional face-to-face education.

Vol . 2 . No . 1 “ Pedagogy , Education and Innovation in 3-D Virtual Worlds ” April 2009

2009

Becoming a skilled professional requires both the a cquisition of theoretical knowledge and the practice of skills relevant to on e’s profession. When learning by doing, students consolidate their knowledge of doma in-specific facts by applying them as necessary to accomplish the tasks involved in their profession. Simulationbased learning methods are a family of methods that en ble this learning mode. New computer related technologies, including high perfo rmance networking, high definition displays, distributed multiplayer game e ngines, and virtual worlds, bring new opportunities for simulation-based learning met hods and systems. In this work, we describe our software framework for specifying s imulation-based lesson plans and their implementations on two different platform s: a video based tool and a virtual world environment. We discuss the software chitecture of the system, illustrate its functionality with an example lesson how to conduct oneself in corporate interviews, out...

Using 3D Virtual Worlds in new educational contexts [pp. 24, 82]

2009

Dissertação apresentada à Universidade de Aveiro para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Comunicação Multimédia, realizada sob a orientação científica do Professor Dr. Luís Francisco Mendes Pedro, Professor Auxiliar do Departamento de Comunicação e Arte da Universidade de Aveiro.

From Unknown to Known: Virtual Worlds' Interactive Pedagogy

Five master's students from The University of British Columbia share their positive and negative experiences as well as insights gained after designing their educational environments in a 3D virtual world. The instructor supports their diverse educational practices by teaching them how to incorporate the principles of visual learning into their own virtual world learning environments.

Advancing Learning through Virtual Worlds

Higher education institutions and corporations are increasingly exploring new pedagogical methods to align with learning styles of incoming students and employees, who are amazingly adept at using web 2.0 applications. This chapter explores the use of virtual worlds, in particular that of Second Life, in educational activities by organizations such as higher education institutions or corporations. We begin by introducing virtual worlds with a particular focus on Second Life. We then provide an overview of the benefits of this environment for learning activities before presenting a set of potential learning activities that can be conducted within Second Life. We then discuss an in-depth example of 3D teaming - one learning activity within Second Life conducted by the authors. After a discussion of implementation challenges, we then present areas for future research.

Virtual worlds: Further development of web-based teaching

Proceedings of the Hawaii International Conference on Education, Honolulu, HI, 2005

Significant components of the Instructional Technology Program at Appalachian State University have been moved into a 3D virtual world web environment. These include whole courses, course experiences and various student and faculty interactions. Virtual worlds provide opportunities to add elements of space, movement and physical presence, along with dimensional artifacts and metaphors not found in more traditional web-based counterparts. Students enter the 3D world from a desktop computer. Just as watching a ...