Moving into the future with MUVEs.
Imperatore, Catherine
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Among education professionals, it's easy to find enthusiasm
for multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs),'more commonly known as
virtual worlds. It's just as easy to find those who perceive
virtual worlds as a fad with little practical use. While it's true
that virtual worlds are not appropriate to every educational setting,
when used well MUVEs are "not just engaging, but provide a space
for higher level collaboration, simulation, testing of hypotheses,
interaction, creativity and performance." This quote from Becta,
the U.K. government agency that promotes learning through technology,
outlines the strengths of the virtual world learning experience. This
article will look at two uses of MUVEs: career exploration and the
virtual classroom. What is a virtual world? Per Wikipedia, it is a
computer-based simulated environment where users interact with each
other in the form of avatars, which are typically two- or
three-dimensional representations that walk, run and sometimes fly
across the virtual environment. A MUVE is not to be confused with a game
although games play a large role in some virtual worlds, the virtual
world experience does not end with victory or defeat. Avatars perform
many activities that we do in real life: eating, sleeping, shopping,
hanging out and even attending class.
Career Exploration
With about 4.2 million citizens, Whyville is a thriving world for
8- to 15-year-olds that is focused on education through games. After
successfully completing games, citizens earn currency, or clams, which
they use to purchase cars and other items. When not playing games,
citizens spend time at the beach or the park. They also chat with each
other, with the benefit of security tools such as filters for
inappropriate language. In Texas's Waco Independent School District
(ISD), seventh- and eighth-graders are using Whyville in their career
exploration curriculum. The students visit sites in Whyville such as the
Bioplex, where they meet a virtual virologist and play games to match
antibodies with viruses. If the students are interested in learning
about further education and a career in biotechnology, Whyville shows
them opportunities in their geographical area.
The Bioplex is one of the Whyville facilities sponsored by the
Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) to interest students in careers
important to the Texan economy and included in the Texas career
clusters. TWC also sponsors the PlaneWorks aircraft manufacturing
facility and accompanying games. Aviation is a major career field in
Waco, says Donna McKethan, Waco ISD director of career and technology
education, and accordingly PlaneWorks is one of the Whyville sites where
the Waco careers course focuses its efforts. McKethan notes that
students benefit from being exposed in middle school to careers from the
career clusters they will encounter in high school, at which point they
will have opportunities to earn dual credit and reach their goals
faster.
"Gaining interest among Texas students early in targeted
high-skill, high-demand careers is key to reducing the projected
shortages in advanced manufacturing and biotechnology industries, and
will ultimately boost Texas's future workforce and economy,"
says Doug Ridge, TWC director of employer initiatives. TWC's Kaki
Leyens adds, "Experiential learning activities don't reach
students at nearly the capacity level we need to fulfill projected
employment demand in our core industries. Whyville is a sustainable and
growing presence that responds to [that]." And as you might expect,
student interest in the careers course has increased since Whyville was
integrated into the curriculum, McKethan shares.
The Virtual Classroom
Second Life is the colossus of virtual worlds. Users in this
graphically sophisticated environment for adults take part in simulated
real-life activities such as purchasing land and building a home,
attending a concert, meeting friends and dining out. Teen Second Life is
a similar world for 13- to 17-year-olds. There is a large presence of
education institutions in Second Life--more than 170 listed on the
SimTeach wiki, as of March 2009. One such institution is Texas State
Technical College (TSTC), which in the fall of 2008 began offering a
certificate in digital media delivered primarily through Second Life. In
January, TSTC added an associate degree in digital media to the program.
Chris Gibson, associate vice president of educational technology
for TSTC-West Texas, explains that the environment helps support digital
media concepts. However, he anticipates that other courses can also be
conducted in a MUVE, including an emergency medical services program
that will be introduced this fall. The virtual world environment
"gives us the opportunity to combine the flexibility of online
classes with the effectiveness of face-to-face classes," Gibson
says. Settings in the TSTC Second Life campus, known as vTSTC, include a
traditional classroom to help new students get comfortable as well as
more innovative learning spaces designed by students, a teacher's
lounge and various simulation environments.
Gibson notes that virtual world simulations reinforce real-world
skills and experiences. For example, while learning the fundamentals of
photography, digital media students can view a simulation of light
traveling through a camera. Gibson offers another example from the
medical field: students practicing on a simulation defibrillator before
getting their hands on the real version, vTSTC offers other immersive
experiences such as a business etiquette dinner enhanced with virtual
world interactivity: when students click on the salt and pepper shakers,
for instance, a note pops up to inform them that these items should be
passed together. "They get to actually hear it [from the
presenter], then they can see it, and it's an asynchronous
tool--the students can come back and go back through those same learning
outcomes again," Gibson explains. It was student interest in
virtual world learning that led TSTC to deliver courses via Second Life,
and the response has been positive from the 11 students enrolled this
spring, Gibson says.
The Future of Education?
Until recently, the growth of virtual worlds was assumed. In April
2007, Gartner, an information technology research and advisory company,
forecasted that 80 percent of active Internet users and For tune 500
companies would be involved in virtual worlds by 2011. But the hype
seems to be dying down, as is investment in virtual world enterprises,
according to Virtual Worlds Management. One MUVE sector that is still
relatively thriving is the youth sector, and online learning in general
is on the rise, as indicated by research from the Sloan Consortium of
organizations committed to quality online education. Gibson predicts
that virtual worlds are the next generation of online learning and that
industry training opportunities will be a major area of MUVE growth.
McKethan also foresees an increase in opportunities for students to
practice skills through trial and error in a virtual setting.
Without a crystal ball, we can't know for sure the part MUVEs
will play in education in the future. But as online learning expands,
MUVEs will surely have a role.
Further Resources:
Whyville--/www.whyville.net
Second Life--www.secondlife.com
vTSTC--http://v.tstc.ed u
"13 Tips for Virtual World
Teaching"--http://campustechnology.com/
Articles/2008/01/13-Tips-for-VirtualWorld-Teaching.aspx
Whyville is the site of the "My Future" career pavilion,
brought to you by ACTE and Whyville creator Numedeon. Companies,
industries and CTSOs can rent a Career Station branded with their
materials and participate in a career exploration game. To learn more,
contact Catherine Imperatore at cimperatore@acteonline.org.
ACTE Instead exploring this topic further? Discuss it with your
colleagues on the ACTE forums at www.acteonlin.org/forum.aspx.
Catherine Imperatore is ACTE's electronic media coordinator.
She con be contacted at cimperatore@acteonline.org.