Teaching Tip: Virtual worlds fade as learning tool

April 9, 2014

Marissa Carl

Do you remember virtual worlds? They haven’t gone anywhere, but in the middle of the last decade (2006-09) they were getting much more attention. Names from the automotive industry, news agencies, music labels and even universities jumped in to see what all of the hype was about.

Second Life is one of the worlds that had a large number of participants and momentum behind it a few years ago. It was founded on the idea that users would create the content. Residents create their own clothing, hair, buildings, dance moves, vehicles — you name it. Being able to customize the visual environment to a particular context is a feature that makes it an intriguing space for universities to explore.

Learning a language? You can meet up with your class at a virtual hotel outfitted with all of the amenities, then role-play scenarios without having to travel to another country. You can walk into an examination room in a doctor’s office and practice the process of taking patients’ medical histories and vital readings. From Ivy League schools to community colleges, instructors have found applications for this virtual world that range from literature to mathematics and even fashion design.

Julie Fronzuto, assistant professor of biology at Prince William Sound Community College in Alaska, has been using Second Life regularly with her students in a virtual wet lab.

Today, however, virtual worlds seem to be at the long tail of the hype cycle. Second Life still has its devoted following but there’s less participation than in past years. UAF eLearning had an island there but decided to close it down this year.

When we originally began exploring, we were curious as to what was possible from a learner’s perspective. We wondered how easy it was to build customized meeting spaces and how much time was involved in building pieces that could be used in courses. We learned a great deal and talked to other educators trying new things themselves. But the reality is that the amount of bandwidth required to connect to a world like Second Life makes the platform too demanding for the typical internet connection here in Alaska.

Read more about virtual worlds in education: http://elearning.uaf.edu/go/9j

-- Teaching Tip by Christen Bouffard, UAF eLearning instructional designer