Engaging Classes in a Virtual World

Title
Engaging Classes in a Virtual World
Publication Date
2013
Author(s)
Gregory, Sue
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0417-8266
Email: sgregor4@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:sgregor4
Editor
Editor(s): Klaus Bredl and Wolfgang Bosche
Type of document
Book Chapter
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Information Science Reference
Place of publication
Hershey, United States of America
Edition
1
UNE publication id
une:13041
Abstract
Virtual worlds, such as Second Life, are multi-user, interactive computer-simulated environments created for users to inhabit and interact via avatars, which are graphical representations of a person that can be personalised and used in the virtual world. In this research, 239 off-campus (distance) education students chose to attend weekly sessions in Second Life from 2008 to 2011. These sessions catered for a diverse group of students. It is internationally claimed that virtual worlds are engaging for distance education students. Engagement is the combination of student's feelings, observable actions or performance, perceptions, and beliefs. This mixed-methods research sought to investigate whether virtual worlds were engaging for adult student learners. Recorded in-world (in the virtual world) conversations and the completion of a survey by university students provide data from which the findings are made. In-world discussion found that the virtual world, in this case Second Life, is an engaging environment in which to learn. These findings indicate the need for further research in using a virtual world as an educational resource.
Link
Citation
Serious Games and Virtual Worlds in Education, Professional Development, and Healthcare, p. 126-144
ISBN
9781466636743
9781466636736
9781466636750
Start page
126
End page
144

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