Hi All!

I work for a Learning Solutions company that mostly targets adult learners who are working professionals. We are exploring the possibility of using virtual worlds such as Second Life and There.com as learning tools/interfaces. I’d like to know what you think about the idea- the advantages and drawbacks. I’d also like to have information about any such similar projects that you know of.
Sure hope it gets me ideating!

I think this could be a very valuable experience. Look around the web and you will find multiple companies offering meetings and training events in SL. There are also schools using virtual worlds. One is takes (K-12, I think) students from across the US and they take classes in SL. You can see demo videos and even wander through some of the schools.

ASTD has an SL Island.

One issue is that everyone needs a high-speed internet connection. The best I can get at my office right now is about 1Mb. That is not at all fast enough.

Another issue is that virtual world avatars can be slow to manipulate until one is very familiar with the interface.

If you have the appropriate connections, this can be a very valuable and useful platform. You can do things you cannot easily do in a physical classroom: bring SMEs from around the world "together in the same room" for a panel discussion, provide multiple learning sources and communication channels and so forth. You can even take virtual "field trips". Yes, some of things can be done in a live classroom, but they may be cost or equipment prohibitive.

Dear John

Thank you for replying to my query. I'd really like to visit these virtual spaces in SL which have been used specifically for training/learning purposes. I have been trying to locate them using the SEARCH option in SL, but I've not had too much luck. Could you please recommend a few names.

Thank you

-Vaish

hey!

I'd also like your views on another aspect. I am fairly new to virtual worlds, so correct me if am wrong. Virtual worlds like second life never seem to 'end' one keeps exploring them and there's always more to look at. Isn't that a little problematic for a learner? In a game for instance, you start playing with a definite goal in mind. But in a virtual space there's no final goal to get to.

Also, the learner has complete control. There is no linear path of study as such. S/he can choose not to see a video or read a particular piece of information. Isn't that a disadvantage? I am all for giving learner his/her space, but there must be some kind of path he needs to follow. Otherwise, the learning may not be complete. Now that's problematic because most courses we make are for working professionals who need to hone a skill or understand some specific piece of information. And if they cannot be taught all of this in a rather tight time frame, the learning module is seen as a failure.

-vaish

ps: I managed to find some of the virtual environments you were referring to in your earlier mail. But most of them are for K-12 learners and the content is visually rich in itself. Could you please direct me to virtual spaces for adult learners in particular.

Hello Vaish,

I've been working with learning activities in Second Life for 4 years, and completed my PhD research on those practices. I wanted to mention that one important piece to remember about Second Life, and other similar environments, is that they are simply "platforms" on which activitie can be constructed. While the platform itself may be huge, and without linear or other structure, we can create any type of learning activities on that platform that we choose to create. If we want to create goals...we can do so...or create experiences that are more 'discovery' based. What has excited me is that level of flexibility, that allows the educational leader to create environments appropriate for the particular learning objectives.

And in the same vein, the learner will have whatever level of control that the designer provides them. I have created in-world activities that are highly structured...when that has been the best approach to the material being studied.

SL is truly the 'sandbox' for learning, where the educational leader can use their skills to create whatever they decide to create. Fun stuff!

John