Technical problems experienced in the virtual learning environment and coping strategies

Abstract

The popularity of virtual worlds has increased in recent years, as they have begun to feature a three-dimensional (3D) environment, avatars, and synchronous and asynchrounous communication. However, to successfully use virtual world platforms in different disciplines, certain limitations and potential difficulties of these platforms must be overcome. The purpose of this study was both to determine technical problems encountered by practitioners and designers who create environments in 3D virtual worlds and to suggest solutions for these problems. In the study, designers experimented with two different 3D virtual world platforms for one year, to design and create learning environments. The case study method was used as a research model. To collect the research data, interview records and documents in which the designers and practitioners noted problems that they encountered were used. The results indicate that the technical problems influenced the pedagogical effectiveness of the environments. Our findings should be beneficial both to virtual world designers and to users who wish to use these environments in different fields.