Book chapter 2019

Creating Contexts for Collaborative Learning in a 3D Virtual World for Distance Education

MA
Mørch, Anders I.
 CV
Caruso, Valentina
 HM
Hartley, Melissa D.
 LB
Ludlow, Barbara L.
Virtual Reality in Education: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice: Volume 1-2
Journal · Vol. 2 · pp. 596-622
Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to explore the contexts that teachers can create to promote collaborative learning in 3D virtual learning environments. The authors report on the findings of a case study using the 3D virtual world Second Life in a preservice teacher distance education program. Two types of contexts are identified: social interaction (social context) and instructor's scaffolding (pedagogical context). The anonymity represented by avatars in the 3D environment allowed learners to engage in social interaction and practice collaboration skills. Scaffolding involved several stages: scaffold the students' learning of the new technology, plan the course structure, implement the procedures during the lesson, and facili-tate transitions between activities. The study also identifies the potential for a third context (emotional context), as the participants-both the instructor and the students-report a need to express emotions in many situations, but the environment does not seamlessly support this mode of communication. © 2019 by IGI Global. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Author Keywords

Not provided

Index Keywords

E-learning Teaching Teachers' Curricula Case-studies Education computing Students Collaborative learning Computer aided instruction Social interactions Virtual reality Virtual environments Virtual learning environments Three dimensional computer graphics Anonymity Preservice teachers 3d virtual worlds Distance education programs Second Life Social context
Author Affiliations
Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training, Lugano, Switzerland
Universitetet i Oslo, Oslo, Oslo, Norway
West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
Funding & Acknowledgements
No funding information
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