Instructional and Design Elements That Support Effective Use of Virtual Worlds: What Graduate Student Work Reveals about Second Life

Abstract

To determine if and how using immersive virtual platforms might further educational purposes, the report examines three graduate, teacher-education, online courses that were conducted in part in Second Life (SL). By studying students' SL-related debriefings and assignments, by considering the type, format, and scheduling of SL events, and by integrating the instructor's knowledge of the courses' progression, a perspective on the most effective instructional and design elements emerges from these three different courses. In all courses, students quickly become acclimated, overcoming the resistance of some to working in a virtual environment. Students made rich, expansive (beyond the direct course readings and experiences) comments and suggestions about the real world in which they did or would soon work; these comments sprang from the collegial interactions and virtual experiences within SL. However, students needed help becoming comfortable with the technology and scheduling concerns arose. This report considers the social and collaborative gains possible when online courses use virtual platforms and offers suggestions to minimize the potential problems that could be encountered when adjusting to a powerful and different instructional environment.