Teaching and learning in virtual worlds: is it worth the effort?

Educators have been quick to spot the enormous potential afforded by virtual worlds for situated and authentic learning, practising tasks with potentially serious consequences in the real world and for bringing geographically dispersed faculty and students together in the same space (Gee, 2007; Johnson and Levine, 2008). Though this potential has largely been realised, it generally isn’t without cost in terms of lack of institutional buy-in, steep learning curves for all participants, and lack of a sound theoretical framework to support learning activities (Campbell, 2009; Cheal, 2007; Kluge & Riley, 2008). This symposium will explore the affordances and issues associated with teaching and learning in virtual worlds, all the time considering the question: is it worth the effort

Transforming pre-service teacher curriculum: observation through a TPACK lens

This paper will discuss an international online collaborative learning experience through the lens of the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework. The teacher knowledge required to effectively provide transformative learning experiences for 21st century learners in a digital world is complex, situated and changing. The discussion looks beyond the opportunity for knowledge development of content, pedagogy and technology as components of TPACK towards the interaction between those three components. Implications for practice are also discussed. In today’s technology infused classrooms it is within the realms of teacher educators, practising teaching and pre-service teachers explore and address effective practices using technology to enhance learning

The Effects of Instructor-Avatar Immediacy in Second Life, an Immersive and Interactive 3D Virtual Environment

Growing interest of educational institutions in desktop 3D graphic virtual environments for hybrid and distance education prompts questions on the efficacy of such tools. Virtual worlds, such as Second Life®, enable computer-mediated immersion and interactions encompassing multimodal communication channels including audio, video, and text-. These are enriched by avatar-mediated body language and physical manipulation of the environment. In this para-physical world, instructors and students alike employ avatars to establish their social presence in a wide variety of curricular and extra-curricular contexts. As a proxy for the human body in synthetic 3D environments, an avatar represents a \u27real\u27 human computer user and incorporates default behavior patterns (e.g., autonomous gestures such as changes in body orientation or movement of hands) as well as expressive movements directly controlled by the user through keyboard \u27shortcuts.\u27 Use of headset microphones and various stereophonic effects allows users to project their speech directly from the apparent location of their avatar. In addition, personalized information displays allow users to share graphical information, including text messages and hypertext links. These \u27channels\u27 of information constituted an integrated and dynamic framework for projecting avatar \u27immediacy\u27 behaviors (including gestures, intonation, and patterns of interaction with students), that may positively or negatively affect the degree to which other observers of the virtual world perceive the user represented by the avatar as \u27socially present\u27 in the virtual world. This study contributes to the nascent research on educational implementations of Second Life in higher education. Although education researchers have investigated the impact of instructor immediacy behaviors on student perception of instructor social presence, students\u27 satisfaction, motivation, and learning, few researchers have examined the effects of immediacy behaviors in a 3D virtual environment or the effects of immediacy behaviors manifested by avatars representing instructors. The study employed a two-factor experimental design to investigate the relationship between instructor avatars\u27 immediacy behaviors (high vs. low) and students\u27 perception of instructor immediacy, instructor social presence, student avatars co-presence and learning outcomes in Second Life. The study replicates and extends aspects of an earlier study conducted by Maria Schutt, Brock S. Allen, and Mark Laumakis, including components of the experimental treatments that manipulated the frequency of various types of immediacy behaviors identified by other researchers as potentially related to perception of social presence in face-to-face and mediated instruction. Participants were 281 students enrolled in an introductory psychology course at San Diego State University who were randomly assigned to one of four groups. Each group viewed a different version of the 28-minute teaching session in Second Life on current perspective in psychology. Data were gathered from student survey responses and tests on the lesson content. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences between the treatment groups (F (3,113) = 6.5,p = .000). Students who viewed the high immediacy machinimas (Group 1 HiHi and Group 2 HiLo) rated the immediacy behaviors of the instructor-avatar more highly than those who viewed the low-immediacy machinimas (Group 3 LoHi and Group 4 LoLo). Findings also demonstrate strong correlations between students\u27 perception of instructor avatar immediacy and instructor social presence (r = .769). These outcomes in the context of a 3D virtual world are consistent with findings on instructor immediacy and social presence literature in traditional and online classes. Results relative to learning showed that all groups tested higher after viewing the treatment, with no significant differences between groups. Recommendations for current and future practice of using instructor-avatars include paralanguage behaviors such as voice quality, emotion and prosodic features and nonverbal behaviors such as proxemics and gestures, facial expression, lip synchronization and eye contact

Примена виртуелних светова у истраживању теорије агената и инжењерском образовању

The focus of this doctoral dissertation is on exploring the potentials of virtual worlds, for applications in research and education. Regarding this, there are two central aspects that are explored in the dissertation. The first one considers the concept of autonomous agents, and agent theory in general, in the context of virtual worlds. The second aspect is related to the educational applications of virtual worlds, while especially focusing on the concept of virtual laboratories. An introduction to basic terminology related to the subject is given at the start of the dissertation. After that, a thorough analysis of the role of agents in virtual worlds is presented. This, among others, includes the analysis of the techniques that shape the agent’s behavior. The development of the virtual gamified educational system, specially dedicated to agents is then presented in the dissertation, along with a thorough description. While, in the end, analysis of the concept of virtual laboratories in STE (Science, Technology, and Engineering) disciplines is performed, and existing solutions are evaluated according to the criteria defined in the dissertation.Фокус ове докторске дисертације је на истраживању потенцијала виртуелних светова за примене у истраживањима и образовању. У вези са тим, постоје два главна аспекта која су обрађена у дисертацији. Први аспект се тиче концепта аутономних агената, као и теорије агената у целини, а у контексту виртуелних светова. Други аспект је везан за примену виртуелних светова у образовању, при чему је посебан акценат стављен на виртуелне лабораторије. На почетку дисертације је дат кратак увод који се тиче терминологије и појединих појмова везаних за област којом се ова дисертција бави. Након тога је представљена систематична и темељна анализа улоге агената у виртуелним световима. Између осталог, ово укључује и анализу техника потребних за обликовање понашања агената. Потом је у дисертацији детаљно представљен развој оригиналног виртуелног образовног система посвећеног агентима. На крају, анализиран је концепт виртуелних лабораторија у НТИ (наука, технологија, инжењерство) дисциплинама и извршена је евалуација постојећих решења у складу са критеријумима који су дефинисани у дисертацији

A cyber campus to support students experiencing barriers accessing education

There are many barriers hindering access to education for some students, significantly affecting their learning experience (Cross, 1981). To mitigate the effects of such barriers, e-learning technologies are widely used. One example of this is the use of cyber campuses. These are 3D environments where students can meet and share information, and synchronously communicate and collaborate (Prasolova-Førland et al., 2006). It has been suggested that the learning experience of students using these cyber campuses is related to their perceptions of presence, awareness, communication and sociability (De Lucia et al., 2009). The educational capabilities of cyber campuses have been investigated thoroughly in the literature (Gregory et al., 2014). However, little is know about the extent to which cyber campuses can support students experiencing barriers hindering access to education. To investigate this, the SHU3DED (Sheffield Hallam University 3D Education) cyber campus was developed, and a mixture of quantitative and qualitative research was performed. A series of experimental studies were performed to i) evaluate the efficacy of SHU3DED to support online learning activities, ii) understand the barriers hindering access to Higher Education, and iii) ascertain the extent to which a cyber campus can alleviate some of these barriers and support students participate in online learning activities. The findings of this research project revealed several barriers impeding access into Higher Education, together with a set of environment characteristics that contribute to the students’ online learning experience. The findings imply that a cyber campus can be a sound social space that supports participation in online learning activities for students experiencing situational and institutional barriers accessing education. The findings provide strong indications that a cyber campus has the potential mitigate some of the barriers that challenge or exclude students from accessing education, allowing them to participate in social online learning activities. As a result of this research project, a list of suggestions for the design and arrangement of cyber campuses have also been devised

Is "e-skilling" deskilling?

This paper takes forward the discussion for the development of a Framework for e-Learning. It briefly describes how the discussion has progressed from the suggested development of a Framework and the findings of a study investigating the use of Blended Learning, to the application of PESTE factors from Sociology and the proposal of new PESTE factors for educational software and e-Learning, asking if the current use of Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) is leading to the deskilling of professions, by the provision of direct, front-line service applications and the implications for e-Learning

esports Matrix: Structuring the esports Research Agenda

The popularity of Electronic Sports (esports) have grown tremendously in the last few years, becoming one of the most popular forms of digital entertainment. Despite continued growth, definitions and classifications of esports remain elusive, and the industry is still considered by many to be in its infancy. Understanding of esports originate from diverse, sometimes conflicting fields, which has created fragmented interpretations of its definition, positioning and core components. This has hindered esports from embracing opportunities afforded by emerging digital technologies and progressing as a distinct field. The purpose of this conceptual paper is threefold, to redefine esports, propose a unified framework to capitalise on esports business potential, and inspire a more structured future esports research agenda. The proposed esports Matrix, presents four distinct realms that distinguish esports; esports as a representation of current physical sports (sports digitalisation), esports as traditional (multi-player) game experience (competitive multiplayer computer games), esports that modify existing sports, player rules and setups through digital augmentations (digitally enhanced sports), and new types of esports involving emerging technologies such as virtual and augmented reality (immersive reality sports). The esports Matrix was developed incorporating industry expertise thus verifying its suitability and relevance to advance conceptual and empirical understanding, and importantly, facilitating a more structured approach, to enable businesses to realise the potential of esports

Near Transfer After Direct Instruction: An Experimental Inquiry within Aviation Technician Training

This study put forth two instructional interventions set within a direct instruction (DI) framework specific to an aviation maintenance context. To evaluate the effectiveness of these two training interventions a criterion was established to measure near transfer during a performance evaluation on a live aircraft. Information learned within this study indicates that DI can be highly effective in technical training environments. This study also articulates how VR experiences may be included within these types of training contexts and discusses the factors and affordances that come with utilizing VR in instructional activities. Additionally, this study revealed experiential characteristics of a DI training experience from the learner perspective. Most notable among them was how much emphasis learners placed on the Present phase of the direct instruction framework, oftentimes discussing the quality, usefulness, and preference of the study’s training videos comparative to other forms of instructional media, including even the study’s VR experience itself. Finally, this study leveraged a novel research design for both the instructional context and the study’s unit of measurement in near transfer. This study exemplifies how within-subject repeated measure design may be an ideal framework for researchers looking to address long-standing critiques of experimental research within the field of instructional design