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Second Life is used as a platform for education by many institutions, such as colleges, universities, libraries and government entities.
| | This article needs additional citations for verification .(July 2014) |
Second Life is used as a platform for education by many institutions, such as colleges, universities, libraries and government entities.
There are over one hundred regions used for educational purposes covering subjects such as chemistry [1] and English. [2] [3] Instructors and researchers in Second Life favor it because it is more personal than traditional distance learning. [4] Research published in 2007 suggested that development, teaching and/or learning activities using Second Life were present in over 80 percent of UK universities. [5] As of 2008, at least 300 universities around the world teach courses or conduct research in SL. [6] New educational institutions have also emerged that operate exclusively within Second Life, [7] taking advantage of the platform to deliver content to a worldwide audience at low cost. [8]
Info Islands uses library programming sponsored by the Illinois' Alliance Library System and OPAL currently offered online to librarians and library users within Second Life. Another virtual continent called SciLands is devoted to science and technology education. While initially centered on the International Spaceflight Museum, it now hosts a number of organizations including NASA, NOAA, NIH, JPL, NPR, National Physical Laboratory, UK, and a host of other government agencies, universities, and museums. In December 2008, the United States Air Force launched MyBase, a Second Life island overseen by the Air Education and Training Command. [9]
Second Life's usefulness as a platform for pre-K–12 education is limited due to the age restrictions on the main grid and the difficulties of collaborating among various educational projects on the teen grid.
Ernst & Young made a $500,000 donation to the North Carolina State University Accounting Department to implement Second Life into the curriculum in 2009. [10] This funding was utilized by Frank A Buckless along with Mr. Scott Showalter and Dr. Kathy Krawczyk to create a virtual warehouse for their students to audit. [11] [12] The data collected from this study showed that students improved "inventory observation knowledge, interviewing, audit documentation, critical thinking, and group work skills". [13] [14] This project follows incorporation of cost and financial accounting activities in virtual environments. [15]
Language learning is the most widespread type of education in virtual worlds, [16]
Second life has been utilized in nursing education to provide meaningful care experience without risk to patients. [17]
Dr. Constance M. Johnson received a R21 award to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of using a virtual environment to provide self-management interventions to people with type 2 diabetes. [18]
Dr. Estelle Codier (University of Hawaii) received a National League for Nursing grant award to study learning outcomes for student nurses in Second Life. Her book, "Teaching Healthcare in Virtual Space: Best Practices for Educators in Multi-User Virtual Environments" provides an outline of the pedagogical basis for teaching in MUVE, as well as chapters on development of MUVE teaching skills and others on how to develop learning activities in Second Life. July, 2016.
Second Life has twice, in 2007 and 2010, banned a California educational institution, Woodbury University, from having a representation within Second Life. On 20 April 2010 four simulators belonging to the university were deleted and the accounts of several students and professors terminated, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education . Dr. Edward Clift, the dean of Woodbury University's School of Media, Culture and Design, stated that their campus "was a living, breathing campus in Second Life", that included educational spaces designed mostly by students, including a mock representation of the former Soviet Union and a replica of the Berlin Wall. As Dr. Clift told The Chronicle of Higher Education, the virtual campus did not "conform to what Linden Lab wanted a campus to be". [19] [20] [21] Linden Lab said their decision to ban Woodbury University in April 2010 was "based on historical and recent events that constitute a breach of the Second Life community standards and terms of service." [20]
The university has since moved to a separate, dedicated OpenSimulator grid. [22]
Annabeth Robinson is a Second Life performer and educator who lectures at Leeds College of Art. [23] She develops tools and techniques for improving virtual environment education including the widely used MetaLab Whiteboard. ' [24]
Robin Winter aka Shukran Fahid / Shukran Serendipity has worked with several organisations including Immersive Education and Imperial College to produce a number of training programmes for schools, universities, the NHS and the Ministry of Defense using both Second Life and Open Sim. Currently the CEO of Warm Winter Arts, he is bringing virtualisation into mobile applications and biological sciences. [25]
Dr. Estelle Codier is an associate professor at the University of Hawaii who has supervised over 500 health care learning activities in Second Life. Her book, "Teaching Healthcare in Second Life: Best Practices for Educators in Multi User Virtual Environments" outlines a pedagogical basis for teaching in Second Life and provides guidelines for developing teaching skills and learning activities in MUVE. July, 2016. [26]
Pedagogy, most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken as an academic discipline, is the study of how knowledge and skills are imparted in an educational context, and it considers the interactions that take place during learning. Both the theory and practice of pedagogy vary greatly, as they reflect different social, political, and cultural contexts.
Thompson Rivers University is a public teaching and research university offering undergraduate and graduate degrees and vocational training. Its main campus is in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada, and its name comes from the two rivers which converge in Kamloops, the North Thompson and South Thompson. The university has a satellite campus in Williams Lake, BC and a distance education division called TRU-Open Learning. It also has several international partnerships through its TRU World division. TRU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) at the associate, baccalaureate, and master's degree levels.
Educational technology is the combined use of computer hardware, software, and educational theory and practice to facilitate learning. When referred to with its abbreviation, edtech, it is often referring to the industry of companies that create educational technology.
Reflective practice is the ability to reflect on one's actions so as to take a critical stance or attitude towards one's own practice and that of one's peers, engaging in a process of continuous adaptation and learning. According to one definition it involves "paying critical attention to the practical values and theories which inform everyday actions, by examining practice reflectively and reflexively. This leads to developmental insight". A key rationale for reflective practice is that experience alone does not necessarily lead to learning; deliberate reflection on experience is essential.
Teen Second Life was a version of Second Life reserved for teenagers, running on the so-called "Teen Grid." It was officially opened to the public on February 14, 2005 for people aged 13–17 to use Second Life, without entering false information to participate in Second Life . On January 1, 2006, Teen Second Life's operating hours were increased to 24 hours a day, whereas it was previously open only from noon to 10 pm Pacific Time.
In health care, a simulated patient (SP), also known as a standardized patient, sample patient, or patient instructor, is an individual trained to act as a real patient in order to simulate a set of symptoms or problems. Simulated patients have been successfully utilized for education, evaluation of health care professionals, as well as basic, applied, and translational medical research.
American College of Education is a private, online for-profit college based in Indianapolis, Indiana, focused on education, healthcare, and nursing. American College of Education is a certified B Corporation, and a subsidiary of ACE Holdco PBC of Dallas, Texas.
Diversity University was the first MOO dedicated specifically for education. Like other MUDs, it was an online realm that allowed people to interact in real time by connecting to a central server, assuming a virtual identity within that realm, "teleporting" or "walking" to virtual rooms, and holding text-based conversations with others who had entered the same virtual room. The MOO server kept track of which characters were in each virtual "room," so that the comments of each character would be sent back to the computers of every other person whose character was "in" the same virtual "room." What distinguished Diversity University from other MOOs was its central structuring metaphor as a virtual university campus, as well as its pioneering use for actual online classes.
An instructional simulation, also called an educational simulation, is a simulation of some type of reality but which also includes instructional elements that help a learner explore, navigate or obtain more information about that system or environment that cannot generally be acquired from mere experimentation. Instructional simulations are typically goal oriented and focus learners on specific facts, concepts, or applications of the system or environment. Today, most universities make lifelong learning possible by offering a virtual learning environment (VLE). Not only can users access learning at different times in their lives, but they can also immerse themselves in learning without physically moving to a learning facility, or interact face to face with an instructor in real time. Such VLEs vary widely in interactivity and scope. For example, there are virtual classes, virtual labs, virtual programs, virtual library, virtual training, etc. Researchers have classified VLE in 4 types:
The Michigan State University College of Nursing is the nursing college at Michigan State University. It is located on the southeastern side of campus in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. The college is centered in the Life Sciences Building, adjacent to the College of Human Medicine. The dean of the school is Randolph F. R. Rasch, PhD, RN, FAANP. The College of Nursing is among the top 100 graduate nursing programs in the country, ranking at #36 in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report. The College of Nursing at Michigan State University offers a professional student environment that fosters professional and personal development of pre-nursing and nursing students. The College shares the university's research, compassion, and high-achieving educational goals. The College provides several options to become a nurse or advance your nursing education. Those include: BSN Pathways, MSN Concentrations, DNP program, PhD program and Continuing Education. According to the College of Nursing's website, “80 faculty members represent a diverse blend of leading scholars and distinguished healthcare professionals who bring real world experience to the classroom. They conduct research that helps students graduate with confidence of moving forward with careers.” As a part of their role in the College of Nursing, faculty maintains a clinical practice. According to the Faculty Practice page, the clinic believes “teaching research, practice and service must be closely integrated to achieve excellence. It is also backed by the research of MSU, education programs of the College and Michigan State University Health Team.”
Virtual worlds are playing an increasingly important role in education, especially in language learning. By March 2007 it was estimated that over 200 universities or academic institutions were involved in Second Life. Joe Miller, Linden Lab Vice President of Platform and Technology Development, claimed in 2009 that "Language learning is the most common education-based activity in Second Life". Many mainstream language institutes and private language schools are now using 3D virtual environments to support language learning.
Social learning tools are tools used for pedagogical and andragogical purposes that utilize social software and/or social media in order to facilitate learning through interactions between individuals and systems. The idea of setting up "social learning tools" is to make education more convenient and widespread. It also allows an interaction between users and/or the software which can bring a different aspect to learning. People can acquire knowledge by distance learning tools, for instance, Facebook, Twitter, Khan Academy and so on. Social learning tools may mediate in formal or informal learning environments to help create connections between learners, instructors and information. These connections form dynamic knowledge networks. Social learning tools are used in schools for teaching/learning and in businesses for training. Within a school environment, the use of social learning tools can affect not only the user (student) but his/her caretaker as well as his/her instructor. It brings a different approach to the traditional way of learning which affects the student and his/her support circle. Companies also use social learning tools. They used them to improve knowledge transfer within departments and across teams. Businesses use a variety of these tools to create a social learning environment. They are also used in company settings to help improve team work, problem solving, and performance in stressful situations.
Annabeth Robinson, whose online Second Life alias is AngryBeth Shortbread, is a multi-media artist and lecturer based in Leeds, UK where she focusses on the teaching of audio, visual and online technologies. Using Second Life and other Multi User Virtual Environments (MUVEs), Robinson explores their potential as a medium for art and design practice whilst examining its educational potential. Robinson has been undertaking such projects since 2005.
A virtual learning environment (VLE) in educational technology is a web-based platform for the digital aspects of courses of study, usually within educational institutions. They present resources, activities, and interactions within a course structure and provide for the different stages of assessment. VLEs also usually report on participation and have some level of integration with other institutional systems. In North America, VLE's are often referred to as Learning Management Systems (LMS).
Frank A Buckless is an American business educator, textbook editor and author, as well as consultant who is known for his expertise in auditing. Buckless is the Stephen P. Zelnak Dean of the Poole College of Management at North Carolina State University,
Carol Fowler Durham is an American Clinical Professor of Nursing and Doctor of Education who is known as a leader in the fields of Healthcare Quality and Safety, nursing education, interprofessional education, and medical simulation.
Estelle Massey Riddle Osborne was an African American nurse and educator. She served in many prominent positions and worked to eliminate racial discrimination in the nursing field.
Libraries in virtual worlds are part of an immersive 3D environment that can be used for entertainment and educational purposes. Due to increasing interest in digital services, some libraries and librarians have established virtual services in Second Life and other virtual worlds.
Arab American University – AAUP is the first private university in Palestine. AAUP was founded in the year 2000 and it provides BA, MA and PhD degree programs. The main campus is located near Talfit at the south of Jenin Governorate, and the other campus is located in the Al- Reehan area in Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate of the State of Palestine.
Virtual reality is the creation of a three-dimensional, interactive environment. With this technology, users are able to move through this developed simulation, as if it is real.
Codier, Estelle( 2016) Teaching Healthcare in Virtual Space: Best Practices for Educators in Multi-User Virtual Environments. University of Hawaii Press: Honolulu. ISBN 978-0-8248-5800-1
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