Teaching in Virtual Worlds

By Karl M. KappCo-Author “Learning in 3D”Bloomsburg University

Agenda

• Is the use of 3D avatars appropriate?• What are the competencies for teaching in a virtual

world?• What are the facilitation competencies needed?• How does one conduct a virtual world class exercise? • What does a student need to know to be competent

in a virtual world class setting?• Can you show me an example of a 3D virtual world

learning experience?

3D Virtual World Sensibilities

The Sense of Self

The Death of Distance

The Power of Presence

The Sense of Space

The Capability to Co-Create

The Pervasiveness of Practice

The Enrichment of Experience

Source: Tony O’Driscoll and Karl Kapp. eLearning Guild 360° Report on Synchronous Learning, Essay titled “Escaping Flat Land.”

Sense of Self

Death of Distance

Power of Presence

iCommons Summit 2007 inSecond Life Event PicturesUsed under Creative Commons Licensehttp://www.fengshuichat.com/sitearm/icommons_summit_2007_in_second_life_event_pictures.htm

Sense of Space

Sense of Space

Co-Creation

Pervasiveness of Practice

Enrichment of Experience

Why be a Character at All?

Research indicates that human social models influence behavior,

beliefs and attitudes.

Bandura, A. 1986 Social foundations of thought and action: a social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, USA: Prentice-Hall.

Avatar as Teacher

Research also indicates that learners perceive, interact socially with and are influenced by

anthropomorphic agents (avatars) even when their functionality and adaptability are limited.

Baylor, A. 2009 Promoting motivation with virtual agents and avatars: R ole of visual presence and appearance. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal B Society. 364, 3559–3565

An experience as an avatar can change a person's real life perceptions. In a study conducted by Yee and Bailenson (2006), it was found that negative stereotyping of the elderly was significantly reduced when participants were placed in avatars of old people compared with those participants placed in avatars of young people.

Yee, N. & Bailenson, J.N. (2006). Walk A Mile in Digital Shoes: The Impact of Embodied Perspective-Taking on TheReduction of Negative Stereotyping in Immersive Virtual Environments.. Proceedings of PRESENCE 2006: The 9th Annual International Workshop on Presence. August 24 – 26, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

If learners watch an avatar that looks like them exercising & losing

weight, they will subsequently exercise more in the real world as

compared to a control group.

Fox, J., Arena, D., & Bailenson, J.N. (2009). Virtual Reality: A survival guide for the social scientist. Journal of Media Psychology, 21 (3), 95-113.

Within 24 hours of watching an avatar like themselves run, learners were more

likely to run than watching an avatar not like them or watching an avatar like

them loitering .

Fox, J., Arena, D., & Bailenson, J.N. (2009). Virtual Reality: A survival guide for the social scientist. Journal of Media Psychology, 21 (3), 95-113.

People tend to conform to how their avatar appears regardless of how it is perceived by others. In one study by Yee and Bailenson (2007), participants with taller avatars behaved more confidently in a negotiation task than participants with shorter avatars; specifically, they were more willing to make unfair splits in negotiation tasks. In contrast, participants with shorter avatars were more willing to accept unfair offers than those who had taller avatars. Additionally, in subsequent research, Yee et. al. (2009) found that behavioral changes originating within a virtual environment can transfer to subsequent face-to-face interactions.

First Person View

Third Person View

CompetenciesFor Teaching in a

Virtual World

Awareness of Lag time

Establish 2 or more lines of

communication

Articulate back up plan to students

in advance

Don’t plan a session during system

maintenance or backup

Ask learners not to speak or type unless

given permission

Request learners lock door, turn off phone

Stand up and smile and remain calm

Delivery rate between 130 and 170 per minute

Be aware of how you speak

Include images on whiteboard activities

Anticipate technical

complications

Learn to Navigate your avatar

Don’t walk into or on top of walls, chairs, or desks

Avatars typically have names over their heads, turn on the feature that only shows the

avatar’s name when they are speaking

Maintain proper social distance between your avatar and

others

Learn to work the various camera angles

within the virtual world

Develop techniques for navigating between 2D and

3D interface elements

Memorize key gestures to use at appropriate times

Don’t use open VOIP Mode

Request learners speak their name when asking a question

or making a comment.

Develop a signal to make sure everyone is with you

Consider class flow before

helping a “lost” student

Allow time within the curriculum to allow students to customize their

avatar.

Have an

Orientation Session

before teaching

content

Instructional Competencies

Keep avatar’s appearance

similar to instructor:

**Tall**Attractive

Effective instructors demonstrate from the first

moment with a new group that they know how to handle the details of a 3D environment

Create a script or at least an outline of what you are going to

say

Plan movement of your avatar within the instructional environment

Plan elaborate gestures a head of time.

Develop activities to encourage learners to mover their avatars. Plan a new

activity every 10-15 minutes.

Leverage different types of interactions.

When students are in small groups, plan to stop by and visit

Use objects to guide learners to different locations when creating groups.

Redesign lecture materials into interactive exercisesUse 3D props to demonstrate concepts

and ideas.

Create social time for learners.

Develop an assessment rubric.

Socialize around content.

Move avatar around 3D space to facilitate

learning.

Use gesturing and objects to engage

learners.

Look for raised hands.

Walk avatar toward person asking the

question.

Provide instruction to entire group before breaking them into

small groups.

Use “time” to manage the class.

Describe activities, actions and logistics before they occur.

Mute or block disruptive students.

Anticipate students moving around the space as you speak.

Use a seminar model for class configuration.

Allow students to manipulate and move objects.

If possible create 3D rendering of data and information not available previously.

Foster peer-to-peer mentoring when possible.

Flow in a 3D virtual world is impacted by three factors:

The skills available to tackle challenging tasks

The perception of interactivity in the virtual learning experience.

The degree of presence sensation perceived by students.

Designing Virtual WorldLearning Events

Scavenger Hunt

Guided Tour

Self-Guided Tour

Contextual Metaphor

Contextual Metaphor

Conceptual Orienteering

Process Role Play

Critical Incident

Small Group Work

Executive Coaching and Mentoring

OperationalApplication

Peer-to-PeerLearning

Experiencing anInventory Observation

EY

Learners journey through a series of activities designed

to synthesize conceptual learning.

Learning changes from being Disembodied and Transactional to Embodied, Relational and Experiential.

AdditionalObservations

Do not view virtual worlds as a next step in “how”

classroom-based learning will be delivered.

Instead, ask what kind of learning can this new

technology can enable.

Human interaction around a task where peer-to-peer or group learning is enabled.

Interactivity (I) + Immersion (I) = Sustained Engagement (E)Results in meaningful learning.

Authentic Practice occurring in an authentic environment.

By adding immersion to the equation, organizations can allow for higher quality learning interactions between employees

who work at a distance.

Learning content not organized around the work context causes unnecessary overhead for the learner.

Learners tend to prefer instructions over

instruction.

Simulated environments always made sense in Medicine, Military and Aviation. Now they make sense

for Factories, Call Centers, Retail Stores and other “work” environments.

Summary

• Avatars provide a model of acceptable social (work) behavior.

• An experience as an avatar can change a person’s real life perceptions

• The look of an avatar impacts a persons behavior in and out of world.

• People identify with avatars that look like them.• A 3D environment allows for authentic practice.• 2D environments lack immersion, depth and sense of

space.