Dr Simon Bignell Psychology, University of Derby

Student Action for Sustainability ConferenceKeele University, 29th-30th October, 2013

@miltonbroome www.miltonbroome.com #StudentAction

Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with

Students on Sustainability and Pro-Environmental

Behaviour

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 2 / 30

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 3 / 30

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 4 / 30

Virtual Worlds for Sustainability• Why Education for Sustainable

Development ?• Development of Virtual Worlds for

Engaging Students• Research & Development

– PREVIEW-Psych and PREVIEW-Sustain projects• Spin-Off Projects• Web Resources• Challenge You to get involved!

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 5 / 30

Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)

• In 2009 updated their strategic statement and action plan – Sustainable Development in HE.

• “Sustainable development principles must lie at the core of the education system, such that schools, colleges and universities become show cases for sustainable development among the communities that they serve” • Securing the future; delivering the UK’s sustainable development strategy.

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 6 / 30

The Sustainable Curriculum

• All graduates should have knowledge of sustainable development.

• Many will be leaders in the future.

• “Universities are uniquely placed.”• “About…Campus, community and

curriculum.”• “Preparing students for the

work of the world not just the world of work”.

• Sir Jonathon Porritt (Chancellor of Keele University).

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 7 / 30

United Nations (UN)

• 2005-2014 the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.

• Goal – to integrate the principles, values and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning.

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 8 / 30

Education for Sustainable Development

• Brundtland Commission: SD is… “…development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

• Education is the means through which sustainable development can be achieved. UNESCO

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 9 / 30

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 10 / 30

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 11 / 30

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 12 / 30

Photo of Virtual Lecture

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 13 / 30

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 14 / 30

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 15 / 30

Virtual Neonatal Ward: for a Developmental Psychology Module at University of Derby

Video of Neonatal Unit (1m16s): http://youtu.be/sEd9s0toHuk

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 16 / 30

Project webpage: http://previewpsych.org/

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 17 / 30

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 18 / 30

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 19 / 30

“We worked as a team... this seemed much more valuable than just writing an essay or having a discussion.”

“I was thinking more about the real life Psychology because the avatars represented real people with real psychological problems.”

“...the content was easy to access and the tasks very enjoyable.”

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 20 / 30

• Two Sustainability / Technology-Enhanced Learning Projects:– With Rosemary Horry (Environmental Sciences), HEA.– With Zaheer Hussain (Psychology), HEA Psychology Network.

• Evaluated different methods of embedding ESD in the curriculum.• Used Second Life to rate people’s pro-environmental behaviour and

attitudes to ‘green’ issues such as resources, recycling and energy use.

• Participants reported more ‘real world’ pro-environmental behaviour a week after seeing the videos.

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 21 / 30

• In the problem-based learning scenarios we used programmed avatar interactions to lead the students to ask the question of

‘What is Sustainability?’ • The scenarios had some concrete examples from a contemporary

lifestyle perspective. • We constructed a series of learning scenarios for staff and students

that highlighted the motivational and behavioural factors that impact on sustainability

(e.g. resources, recycling and energy efficiency…)

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 22 / 30

• Scenario 1. Resources: Small groups of students find out who has been using the most water in the virtual household and why, by interacting with the avatars and each other.

• Issues such as beliefs and behaviour about showers vs. bathing, washing the car and using the dishwasher were explored along with wider issues of sustainability of resources.

•

Example project video (3m20s):http://youtu.be/N_0FNyUX1Uo

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 23 / 30

• Scenario 2. Recycling: Students were tasked to establish what the issues are with one particular member of the family who is refusing to engage in pro-environmental behaviour.

• Issues such as beliefs about recycling paper, card and metal were explored in an attempt to find out why they think recycling is a good idea but nevertheless fail to engage in these activities.

•

Project video (2m26s):http://youtu.be/i4FOB6Yf_HQ

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 24 / 30

• Scenario 3. Energy Efficiency: Students worked in teams to answer questions about home energy use (e.g., leaving things on standby), replacing light bulbs with low wattage equivalents, whether using a microwave is better than the oven or the energy consumption of a washing machine at 30°C rather than 40°C.

Example project video (2m20s): http://youtu.be/EusqbduUejg

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 25 / 30

‘Spin-Offs’ to Engage Students: ‘Teaching Cartoons’

• Staff & Students can use virtual worlds to create educational cartoons for learning.

• Rapidly developed and deployed to modules.

• Import straight into the virtual learning platform, web, YouTube or .pdf.

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 26 / 30

‘JISC - Moving into Virtual Worlds - Emerging Practice in a Digital Age’

• Guide and Video– With Aston University

• JISC resources feature commentary and reflection on pedagogical applications of virtual worlds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aTvE2OBQHc

Emerging Practice in a Digital Age JISC VIDEO http://www.jisc.ac.uk/emergeresource

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 27 / 30

Download available here:http://previewpsych.org/BPD2.0.pdf

Best Practices in Virtual Worlds Teaching: A guide to using problem-based learning in Second Life

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 28 / 30

Using problem-based learning within 3D virtual worlds

• Published book chapter with Dr Vanessa Parson

(Sunderland University, Previously at Aston).– Parson, V. & Bignell, S. (2011). in

Hinrichs, R and Wankel, C (Eds), Transforming Virtual World Learning: Cutting-edge technologies in higher education, Vol. 4, pp. 245–265. Emerald Group Publishing Limited: Teynampet, India.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Transforming-Learning-Cutting-edge-Technologies-Education/dp/1780520522

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 29 / 30

How to visit the University of Derby Second Life Islands: 1) Create and avatar: http://tinyurl.com/GETAN-AVATAR2) Install Second Life: http://tinyurl.com/Download-SL 3) Teleport to us: http://tinyurl.com/DERBYSECONDLIFE

Virtual CampusFlythrough (1m6s): http://youtu.be/GQnyb87Zj0o

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 30 / 30

Virtual Worlds for Sustainability• Why Education for Sustainable

Development ?• Development of Virtual Worlds for

Engaging Students• Research & Development

– PREVIEW-Psych and PREVIEW-Sustain projects• Spin-Off Projects• Web Resources• Challenge You to get involved!

Contact Dr Simon BignellCentre for Psychological Research

University of Derby, UK s.bignell@derby.ac.uk

@miltonbroome www.MiltonBroome.com www.PREVIEWPsych.org

www.Cyberpsychology.org

Dr Simon Bignell - Using Online Virtual Worlds to Engage with Students on Sustainability… 33 / 30

Second Life Video Playlisthttp://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX4ftfKp-z4EAKaTUO9ALkvbbjCTYJj0G