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Virtual worlds in education and Moodle
Written by Alja Sul
č
i
č
(ialja@mac.com)Presented at the 3rd International Slovenian MoodleMoot 2009
Abstract
The paper provides a basic overview of what virtual worlds are and how they canbe used in education. We also provide a list of virtual worlds that are currently most interesting for educators, with a special emphasis on virtual worlds and toolswhich support integration with Moodle, a popular online learning managementsystem. We conclude the paper with a brief overview of future trends related tovirtual world use in education.
Keywords:
virtual worlds, Moodle, collaboration, Sloodle
Introduction
Virtual worlds are computer generated environments, which multiple users inhabitand interact with through avatars (Wikipedia, 2009). An avatar is usually agraphical representation of a user, which can be customized in different ways.Virtual worlds usually provide a deeper sense of immersion than other real-timeonline collaboration tools and can therefore be used for very diverse activities,such as gaming, education and business.It is worth noting that the term virtual world can be applied to a broad spectrum of applications. There are several types of virtual worlds, which serve differentpurposes and are aimed at different types of users. For instance, some virtualworlds focus on the social aspect of user interaction and are usually aimed atyounger users, some are built for a specific purpose and audiences (e. g. medicaltraining), and a big share of the market is held by virtual worlds that are basicallycollaborative video games and which attract users of different ages and interests(these worlds are known as MMORPG - Massively Multiplayer Online Role-PlayingGames). And finally, we also have general purpose virtual worlds like Second Life(http://secondlife.com/), which give users the freedom to find their purpose anduse of the virtual world, and virtual world platforms, which enable users to createtheir own virtual worlds. (Artesia, 2008)There are of course also other distinctions among virtual worlds. Some allow usersto create their own content; a lot of virtual worlds have their own virtual economy,which is based on the sale of virtual goods inside the digital environment. Virtualworlds also have different technological requirements. An increasing number of virtual worlds can be accessed through a regular web browser by installing a plugin(some use the popular Flash plugin), while full 3D environments usually run instandalone applications, which require better computer hardware. Most of today’svirtual worlds require users to have a broadband connection. (Artesia, 2008)This diversity in the virtual worlds market can support different uses of virtualworlds in education, but choosing the right virtual world and approach can be achallenging task. In the following pages wewill providean overview of differentuses of virtual worlds in education, take a look at some of the most interesting
virtual worlds and provide an overview of existing tools, which support integrationof virtual worlds and Moodle, a popular learning management system.
Virtual worlds in education
Virtual worlds are a new tool that we can use to enhance real-time onlinecommunication and collaboration and to construct engaging online activities.Virtual worlds provide users with a very strong sense of presence through theiravatars and also a sense of space (Cross et all, 2007). When we’re immersed insidea virtual world, we usually feel that we’re really sharing a certain space with otherusers, which is something that is difficult to achieve with any other existingtechnology. For instance, research is showing that the interpersonal distancebehavior patterns among avatars are similar to those that we exhibit in thephysical world (Bailenson et all, 2003), which is a clear indicator that peopleperceive their own avatars and avatars of other users as real people.Virtual worlds can also stimulate users/players to develop certain skills, which canbe used outside the virtual world. For instance, a report by IBM states that virtualworlds (especially complex MMORPG) might be good for training leadership skillsand are even able to prepare players for the future workplace, which will beincreasingly virtual and distributed (DeMarco et all, 2009). It is also worth notingthat millions of children are growing up with virtual worlds like Club Penguin andHabbo Hotel and will soon expect their learning to be as interesting as the worldsthey use to socialize with peers.
Use cases
Virtual worlds are already being successfully used by hundreds of educational andother institutions for formal education or training. Environments in virtual worldscan be used as digital classrooms to deliver lectures, which can look liketraditional, face-to-face lectures, but we can also use virtual worlds in moreinnovative ways. Virtual worlds can, for instance, provide an environment for role-playing activities and visually immersive 3D simulations.For example, future border guards at the Loyalist College in Ontario are trainingfor their profession by questioning travelers at a virtual a US-Canada bordercrossing simulation in Second Life (Hudson and Degast-Kennedy, 2009). Studentswho took part in this virtual role-playing exercise achieved better results and werepositively excited about the usefulness of the activity (ibidem). This simulation wasbuilt by animation arts students at the college’s Virtual World Design Centre.Virtual worlds can be used for teaching, learning and training in other fields aswell. Economics students can learn by observing and participating in virtualeconomies, foreign language students can improve their language skills byinteracting with native speakers inside virtual worlds, social science students canconduct quantitative and qualitative research within virtual worlds, and so on.The main benefit of using virtual worlds are the high level of immersion andrelative low-cost (when compared to professional video conferencing tools, forinstance). However, virtual worlds are still a developing technology, which is oftenplagued with problems and is not always the best solution for every educational
activity. For this reason, it is also important to look at howwe can use virtualworlds with existing online learning technologies, such as online learningmanagement systems.
Virtual worlds and Moodle
Moodle (http://moodle.org/) is a popular online learning management system(LMS), which is used in different institutions all around the world. As it is also anopen-source system, it is easier for developers to find ways to connect a virtualworld classroom and activities with an online Moodle course.
Sloodle
Sloodle
(http://www.sloodle.org/) is an open source project, which currentlyprovides the tightest integration of a virtual world and an online LMS. The Sloodleprojects provides a Moodle module, which communicates with interactive 3DSloodle teaching tools inside Second Life. Second Life is a user created world thatwe can use for a variety of purposes. It provides a rich 3D environment, whereusers can communicate through text and voice chat, and even custom madeanimations.Currently, Sloodle provides two categories of tools:
‣
Educational tools
:-tools that allow students to work with Moodle activities in Second Life(currently supported Moodle activites: Chat, Quiz, Choice, Glossary, Blog),-Second Life specific tools (currently includes Sloodle Presenter, a set of tools forcreating mixed media Second Life presentations, and tools for the distributionand collection of Second Life objects).
‣
Enrollment tools
: tools that checks student access permission for a virtualclassroom, help students register on a Moodle site and enroll them in theappropriate Moodle course. (Sloodle, 2009)The Sloodle project provides a complete package of tools which make managingeducational activities in Second Life easier. Teachers can use Sloodle tools todeliver lectures or collect feedback and assignments related to Second Lifeactivities.Currently,Sloodle developers arealso working on making Sloodle compatible withvirtual worlds based on the
OpenSimulator
(http://opensimulator.org/) platform.OpenSimulator (OpenSim) is an open source server platform, which allows anyoneto host their own Second Life-like virtual world. OpenSim virtual worlds are alsocompatible with the Second Life viewer client, and first attempts of userteleportation between Second Life and OpenSim worlds have already been made,so we can expect to see more interoperability between these two platforms in thenear future (Gonsalves, 2008).OpenSim is still a developing technology, but it can already be an interesting optionfor educational institutions who wish to host their virtual world on their ownservers. Also, educators can now choose to purchase virtual worlds in OpenSimbased virtual worlds like
ReactionGrid
(http://reactiongrid.com/), which presents
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