Experiential learning and virtual worlds

Introduction

This wiki explores some of the links between experiential learning and virtual worlds.

Donna Millard

Memorial University

This literature review will explore how the theory of experiential learning has been applied to virtual worlds, how educational institutions use virtual worlds and, lastly, if it can be determined that the tool and the theory have been successfully merged in the learning field. To explore these two topics and their relationship, a search of the education and technology literature from 1995 to the present was conducted.

Experiential learning

Experiential learning—making sense of the world through engagement (Beard, 2006, p. 19)—has been firmly established by several key theorists such as Kolb, Rogers, Jung and Piaget. (Merriam, 2007, p. 160) While some, like Kolb (1984), divide this learning activity into unique experiences such as active participation, reflection, conceptualizing and new idea generation, the focus is still on past experience positively affecting the learning opportunity. What is new for this learning style is the recent virtual revolution of technologies such as Second Life.

Virtual worlds and Experiential Learning

Second Life (SL) is just one example of a 3-D virtual world (also referred to as immersive virtual reality) which is created by the “residents” of SL to be “entertaining, entrepreneurial, educating—whatever you want it to be.” (Linden Labs, 2010) Linden Labs first created this product in the late 1990s and Second Life has grown significantly as both an entertaining product as well as a place to learn in the last decade. As an avatar, the participant can be what they want and participate in an unlimited number of activities including attending virtual classrooms. Wagner (2008) supports that virtual world users learn new behaviours, repeat them, observe what they have learned and adjust their behaviours next time.(p. 263) Hew and Cheung (2007) further support the connections that virtual worlds like SL allow the student “to learn by doing, to observe the outcomes of their actions, to test their hypotheses about the world and to reflect further on their own understanding.” (p. 37) The parallel to Kolb’s theory described above is clearly drawn.

Results of the literature search revealed that the majority of the experiential learning activities in a virtual world have occurred in an academic setting (e.g. college or university level). Wagner (2008) uses Second Life as a safe environment for business students to create virtual businesses as part of a formal course and evaluate their success in a virtual revenue generating environment. This allowed the group to be more adventurous in their projects than if they were creating them live. No actual monies were gained or lost. All of the students successfully completed the project and found the experience rewarding from a learning standpoint but daunting from a workload standpoint. Pepperdine University students created three-dimensional objects in Second Life to assist with character development in a novel they studied in the classroom. (Oishi, 2007) Vergara (2008) supports the use of multiuser virtual environments (MUVEs) with simulating sick patients for medical students to practice upon to make diagnoses and receive feedback on their decisions. The simulation is carefully developed with knowledge structure, with the teaching goals set beforehand. Students found the simulation successful in that they could review and repeat the process to achieve better results. Again the link between virtual worlds and experiential learning is supported. Virtual games have also been developed to provide learning opportunities in courses related to computer science, economics, politics, health, environment and globalization. (Sourin, 2006; Castranova, 2001; Cox, 1999; Cooper, 2007; Hofstede, 1999) All of these examples use the simulation method to get the students to apply the knowledge learned in class to a virtual life situation, learn from the experience and develop better skill sets in the end. Delwich (2006) used the virtual world as an ethnographic study for his students. In Everquest, a fantasy themed Massively multiplayer on-line (MMO) game, students actually studied the virtual inhabitants in the game to see how they had developed as a culture. They also participated as part of that culture by playing the game. From the experiences they witnessed and had, they learned skills of an ethnographer.

Other educational institutions are using the virtual world to learn. Cabanero-Johnson and Berge (2009) investigated the use of microworlds as a corporate training ground. By creating “digital sandboxes” employees are able to train on new techniques in a learn by doing setting. Combining their previous on-the-job experience with the sandbox improved employee negotiation skills and overall corporate fiscal performance. (p. 296) Orfinger (1998) draws a parallel between touring interactive museum sites and live field trips at an elementary school level. By experiencing virtual environments, the students may be interested in finding out more about the topic and may learn more about it. Dicky (2005) investigated the use of virtual worlds for provision of distance education using Active Worlds, a similar virtual world setting as SL. Students were made comfortable in a setting that was similar to what they would encounter if they attended class on the physical campus. Findings indicated that this fostered a sense of community and better problem solving. Also using Active Worlds, Holmes (2007) investigated the impact of this virtual world on a grade 5 ecosystem experiments.

How successful is the use of virtual worlds as actual learning forums? Foreman (2004) argues that students may not be to apply the knowledge learned in their virtual situations and apply them to real life situations. Others, however, like Mason commenting on her and Moutahir’s work in 2006, (2007)

believe that by utilizing the affordances of the Second Life platform to create experiences that are infeasible or impossible in the real world, educators can create superior learning experiences to those which do not offer virtual components. We conclude that experiential education should be among the ‘best practices’ for Second Life educators.(p. 14)

To date, much of the literature published to date has been more anecdotal in nature. (Castronova, 2001; Cooper, 2007; Cox, 1999; Delwiche, 2006; Vergara, 2008) As with any new technology, further empirical research is required before an informed decision can be made linking virtual worlds and experiential learning. However from the literature reviewed, the research is becoming more empirical in nature (Hew, 2010; Holmes, 2007; Sourin, 2006) and in time the connection between virtual worlds and experiential learning will be established.

References

Beard, C. & Wilson, J. (2006) Experiential learning: a best practice handbook for educators and trainers (2nd ed). Philadelphia, PA: Kogan Page.

Cabanero-Johnson, P.S. & Berge, Z. (2009). Digital natives: back to the future of microworlds in a corporate learning organization. The Learning Organization, 16(4), 290-297. Retrieved from www.emeraldinsight.com/0969-6474.htm.

Castronova, E. (2001). Virtual Worlds: A First-Hand Account of Market and Society on the Cyberian Frontier. The Gruter Institute Working Papers on Law, Economics, and Evolutionary Biology: Vol. 2: Article 1. Retrieved from http://www.bepress.com/giwp/default/vol2/iss1/art1

Cooper, T. (2007). Nutrition game. In D. Livingston & J. Kemp (Eds.). Proceedings of the Second Life Education Workshop 2007. (47-50). Chicago, IL. Retrieved from http://www.simteach.com/slccedu07proceedings.pdf

Cox, B. M. (1999). Achieving intercultural communication through computerized business simulation/games. Simulation & Gaming, 30(1), 38-50. DOI: 10.1177/104687819903000106

Delwiche, A. (2006). Massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) in the new media classroom. Educational Technology & Society, 9(3), 160-172.

Dickey, M.D. (2003). Teaching in 3-D: pedagogical affordances and constraints of 3D virtual worlds for synchronous distance learning. Distance Education, 24(1), 105-121.

Dickey, M.D. (2005). Three-dimensional virtual worlds and distance learning: two case studies of Active Worlds as a medium for distance learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 36(3), 439-451. Retrieved from http://mchel.com/Papers/BJET_36_3_2005.pdf

Foreman, J. (2004). Next-generation: educational technology versus the lecture. Educause Review, July/August, 12-22. Retrieved from http://web.reed.edu/cis/tac/meetings/Next%20Generation%20Ed%20Tech.pdf

Hew, K.F. & Cheung, W.S. (2010). Use of three-dimensional (3-D) immersive virtual worlds in K-12 and higher education settings: a review of the research. British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(1)m 33-55. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2008.0900.x

Hofstede, G.J. & Pedersen, P. (1999). Synthetic cultures: intercultural learning through simulation games. Simulation & Gaming, 30(4), 415-440. DOI: 10.1177/104687819903000402

Holmes, J. (2007). Designing agents to support learning by explaining. Computers and Education, 48(4), 523-525.

Linden Labs. (2010). What is Second Life? Retrieved from http://lindenlab.com/.

Mason, H. (2007). Experiential education in Second Life. In D. Livingston & J. Kemp (Eds.). Proceedings of the Second Life Education Workshop 2007. (14-18). Chicago, IL. Retrieved from http://www.simteach.com/slccedu07proceedings.pdf

Merriam, S. B., Caffarella, R. S., & Baumgartner, L. M. (2007). Learning in adulthood: a comprehensive guide. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Oishi, L. (2007). Surfing Second Life: what does Second Life have to do with real life learning. Technology & Learning, 27(11), 54-62. Retrieved from http://www.techlearning.com/article/7460

Orfinger, B. (1998). Virtual science museums as learning environments: interactions for education. Informal Learning Review, 33, 1,8-13. Retrieved from http://www.informallearning.com/archive/1998-1112-a.htm

Sourin, A., Sourina, O. & Prasolova-Forland, E. (2006). Cyber-learning in cyerworlds. Journal of Case on Information Technology, 8(4), 55-70. Retrieved from http://www3.ntu.edu.sg/home/eosourina/Papers/jcit_2006.pdf

Vergara, V., Caudell, T., Goldsmith, P.,& Alverson, D. (2008). Knowledge-driven design of virtual patient simulations. Innovate, 5(2). Retrieved from http://innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=579

Wagner, C. (2008). Learning experience with virtual worlds. Journal of Information Systems Education, 19(3), 263-266. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.libaccess.lib.mcmaster.ca/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=34493674&site=ehost-live&scope=site