From Multi-User Virtual Environment to 3D Virtual Learning Environment

Daniel Livingstone,Edmund Edgar,Jeremy Kemp

doi:10.1080/09687760802526707

Daniel Livingstone, Edmund Edgar + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1080/09687760802526707

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Abstract

While digital virtual worlds have been used in education for a number of years, advances in the capabilities and spread of technology have fed a recent boom in interest in massively multi-user 3D virtual worlds for entertainment, and this in turn has led to a surge of interest in their educational applications. In this paper we briefly review the use of virtual worlds for education, from informal learning to formal instruction, and consider what is required to turn a virtual world from a Multi-User Virtual Environment into a fully fledged 3D Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). In this we focus on the development of Sloodle – a system which integrates the popular 3D virtual world of Second Life with the open-source VLE Moodle. Our intent is not simply to provide additional learning support features for Second Life, but to study more generally the ways in which integrated virtual environments can benefit teaching and learning, and this is the focus of our closing discussion.Keywords: Multi-User Virtual Environments; Virtual Learning Environments; gamebased learning; Second Life; Immersive Virtual WorldsDOI: 10.1080/09687760802526707

Highlights

As testified by this special issue of ALT-J dedicated to learning in Immersive Virtual Worlds (IVWs), there has been a recent marked growth of interest in the use of online graphical Multi-User Virtual Environments for educational purposes.By and large, IVWs have not been designed or built for teaching and learning, and many elements of support for learning and teaching which are commonly found in web-based Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) are completely absent
Current Eduserv Foundation surveys have found that over half of UK higher education institutions have some form of presence or activity in Second Life (Kirriemuir 2007)
These were set up to allow participants to discuss the impact of various issues and the possible role of integrated VLEs in Second Life education activities

Summary

Introduction

As testified by this special issue of ALT-J dedicated to learning in Immersive Virtual Worlds (IVWs), there has been a recent marked growth of interest in the use of online graphical Multi-User Virtual Environments ( known as MUVEs) for educational purposes. IVWs have not been designed or built for teaching and learning, and many elements of support for learning and teaching which are commonly found in web-based Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) are completely absent While it is eminently 9possible to use an existing VLE alongside a graphical IVW, we believe that integrating the two can help transform a Multi-User Virtual Environment into a true 3D Virtual Learning Environment – and this we have been working towards with the Sloodle project. The other part has a much broader goal – to explore ways in which the primarily textdriven web can be usefully integrated with rich, graphical 3D immersive environments This more general work – potentially applicable to any combination of IVW and VLE – forms a key part of the discussion closing this paper. We will briefly review some of the pertinent history of virtual worlds in education, and consider the potential need and benefits of integration with web-based learning support

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