Virtual Worlds as an extended classroom

Loureiro, Ana; Santos, Ana; Bettencourt, Teresa

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.15/2062

Use this identifier to reference this record.

Name:	Description:	Size:	Format:
36540.pdf_intechbookchapter_2012.pdf		501.29 KB	Adobe PDF	Download

Send Feedback

Authors

Loureiro, Ana

Santos, Ana

Bettencourt, Teresa

Abstract(s)

There is a growing trend in education and training towards the use of online and distance learning courses. This delivery format provides flexibility and accessibility; it is also viewed as a way to provide education in a more effective way to a broader community. Online courses are comfortable, they are built under the missive of “anyone, anywhere, anytime”. Everyone can participate from home or workplace. Online courses can be developed in a variety of ways, for example, using a LMS (Learning Management System), a LCM (Learning Content System), or a Web 2.0 tool (or some mixture). These options, however, show limitations in terms of communication and interaction levels that can be achieved between students. Most learning systems are asynchronous and don't allow an effective real-time interaction, collaboration and cooperation. Whilst they typically have synchronous chats and whiteboards, these capabilities are often sterile and don’t stimulate the appropriate interactions that enhance learning. A rich interaction does not necessarily involve just verbal exchange since there is an huge learning value to be gained from interacting with the learning content in a more visual and practical way. For instance, imagine the learning benefits from collaborating on a 3D construction jointly and in real-time? Imagine watching the impact of soil erosion, or building and walking inside an heart model or a car engine? All this is possible in a 3D immersive virtual world. Students can engage at a distance building content in real-time, collaboratively and interactively. On the net there can be found an array of virtual worlds, however we have chosen Second Life® (SL®) to show how teaching and learning can be enhanced through the use of this platform. Second Life® is immersive, enabling users to interact, communicate and collaborate as if in the real world. SL® is a model of the real world, it shows an accurate physics simulation and it includes a meteorological and gravitational system; as such, anything can be modelled and simulated. Each user in the environment is represented by an avatar with all the features of a human being and avatars can manipulate the environment. Scientific experiments can be held in a very safe and controlled environment, and can be directly conducted by the scientist in charge. Scientific fields such as architecture, history, medicine, biology, sociology, programming, languages learning among many others can all be tested and researched through this virtual world.

Keywords

second life extended classroom virtual worlds learning strategies teaching strategies learning orchestration simulated newsroom

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.15/2062

Citation

Loureiro, A., Santos, A. & Bettencourt, T. (2012). Virtual Worlds as an extended classroom. In: Lanyi, C. (Eds.). Applications of Virtual Reality. (pp. 89-108). INTECH. (ISBN 978-953-51-0583-1) DOI:10.5772/34959