Increasing Student Engagement through Virtual Worlds:

A Community College Approach in a Diversity Course

• Yvonne Pigatt The Community College of Baltimore County, USA

• James Braman The Community College of Baltimore County, USA

ABSTRACT

Virtual worlds allow for an immersive 3D experience with rich content and interactive potential for students. Through this richness and interactivity, educators have abundant creative power to design and facilitate meaningful learning experiences and collaboration opportunities. In this chapter, we discuss one such initiative using Second Life as an educational space for a community college course activity as a means to enhance student engagement. A brief literature review on education using virtual worlds will be presented, which underpin our pedagogical methodology for the project framework. Focusing on a community college course titled “Diversity in a Technological Society”, the course goals and project requirements will be discussed. The chapter concludes with a detailed description of the proposed methodology for the next phase, recommendations and future work.

Introduction

Student engagement is one key component that assists in the process of learning and often coincides with attaining learning outcomes (Carini, Kuh, & Klein, 2006). There are many techniques to engage students and to spark additional interest in course topics. Some methods are aimed at classroom activities, while others are more aligned as homework or outside activities for practice and discovery. This can be achieved through the gamification of activities (Domíngues, Saenz-de-Navarrete, de-Marcos, Fernández-Sanz, Pagés, & Martínez-Herráiz, 2013), through flipped classrooms (Roehl, Reddy, & Shannon, 2013), augmented reality (Dunleavy, Dede, & Mitchell, 2009) and mobile applications (Arnone, Small, Chauncey, & McKenna, 2011), which are just a few methods using technology to engage students through active learning. Selecting the specific technology that best supports student learning depends on the instructional content and core learning outcomes. Certain course topics demand extra focus on specific skill sets and skill levels, while others are designed to sharpen skills in a more general sense. Technology in these courses can greatly enhance an educator’s ability to reach students and provide them with unique learning opportunities.

Within the community college environment, teaching a general education course can be challenging due to the diverse set of student skill levels, varied technology literacy, and workload balance. This is compounded by differences in age and enrollment statuses compared to students enrolled in more traditional four-year institutions (Cohen & Brawer, 2003). Adding to this complexity is the many challenges faced when dealing with underprepared (Gabriel & Flake, 2008) or at-risk learners (Zheng, Warschauer, Hwang, & Collins, 2014). Reaching all students and keeping them engaged in the content and context of the class becomes increasingly complex and dynamic.

With the many available technologies and web 2.0 sites available today, educators have a wide array of tools to use in the classroom. Social media for instance now permeates many facets of everyday life and social interaction. Society has grown accustomed to everyday reliance on many forms of digital information (Pew, 2009; Lenhart, Purcell, Smith, & Zickuhr, 2010). However, some technologies do not work or fit well in some contexts, nor are they always appropriate for education. Using technology in the classroom poses its own set of problems and challenges. Instructors may not have knowledge about a particular technology, or even have the resources available. Computing resources, space and internet connectivity all pose potential problems. In some cases, the students may be apprehensive of learning with a new technology, or may have limited use of a particular resource outside of a school setting. While some schools may have open labs or computing resources available through the library, these can be a challenge to maintain or monitor since they are often outside of the instructor’s domain of control.

Despite these challenges, for this project the virtual world of Second Life (SL) was selected as the technology of choice. Second Life is a 3-dimensional (3D) virtual world created by Linden Lab that can be accessed through the Internet via a downloadable client application. Users are represented in this world through an avatar, where one can interact with other users, content, and explore their surroundings. This online world has seen a large influx of users over the last several years, with an estimated number of “residents” reaching over 36 million accounts worldwide and over 700 square miles of virtual landmass (Linden Lab, 2015).While there are many categories of virtual worlds other than Second Life, each can be defined by their main goal or focus area. Some worlds are designed to be very open-ended and creative, while other worlds are designed to be more game-like or specific for a particular age group. Second Life in particular is not a game in the traditional sense, but an open and collaborative space that lends itself to much potential.

Students are accustomed to working with interactive media for learning and using educational games. While Second Life itself is not a game, it does have several game-like qualities that work well in teaching certain types of content or topics. As students are often attracted by games and other forms of interactive media, Second Life was an intriguing medium to use. Some studies have shown that many users of games also enjoyed being immersed in a simulated environment (Yee, 2006). Following Csikszentmihalyi’s research on flow (1990) and applying this into areas of virtual environments to create an engaging and immersive space for learning is a useful goal. Using this approach for assignments can create engaging educational material for students. Additionally virtual environments can provide students with a sense of presence, which some researchers have noted as a key benefit of using the technology (Holmberg & Huvila, 2008; Salmon, 2009).

Other virtual environments, similar to Second Life, are available, such as Twinity, Active Worlds and Minecraft. While these other technologies are competitors, Second Life still has a strong user base and strong attraction for new users, with some attributing its popularity to the large amount of varying in-world activities (Wagner, 2008). There have also been a growing number of available 3D environments that are intended for more targeted users and age groups (Kzero, 2014). Minecraft, in particular, has seen an increase in use for the gamification of material for younger students (Gallagher, 2014).

Virtual worlds and other 3D spaces have been used for an array of educational purposes over the last several years (Kapp & O’Driscoll, 2010; Vincenti & Braman, 2011); including use in the general education curriculum in some schools as a vehicle for research and social exploration (Braman, Meiselwitz & Vincenti, 2013). As virtual worlds continue to grow in popularity, so too will the possibilities of their use. Virtual worlds has also been used in wider areas, such as in theater, art, geography, science and English courses, and many more (Vincenti & Braman, 2010; Vincenti & Braman, 2011). Second Life has been used in more specific domains such as in computer science and in computer ethics (Wang, Dudley, Braman, & Vincenti, 2009). The perception of the use of Second Life in computing courses has generally been positive (Braman, Dudley, Colt, Vincenti, & Wang, 2011).

Second Life was best suited for the pilot study discussed in this chapter due to the authors’ experience, the diversity of in-world users, the capabilities of the platform, and the potential for dynamic interactivity through built-in scripting language. . In addition, it is possible to link Second Life to external programs and applications to extend its capabilities. Also, one of the authors had extensive experience conducting workshops and training on Second Life which helped to facilitate the project The purpose of using SL in the diversity course, discussed in this chapter, was twofold: 1) To increase student engagement in the context of the course by increasing participation, student enthusiasm and assignment quality and 2) To teach a new emerging technology. This chapter will begin with background discussion of virtual worlds and creating and using a virtual educational space. Secondly, a pilot study completed at a community college will be described, inclusive of difficulties inside and outside the classroom. A third section will discuss the pilot study and recommendations. Lastly, future research directions and conclusions will be provided.

BACKGROUND

Virtual worlds can be defined as “an electronic environment that visually mimics complex physical spaces, where people can interact with each other and with virtual objects, and where people are represented by animated characters” (Bainbridge, 2007, p. 472). The realism of virtual worlds and the “animated characters” or Avatars, have increased over the years as hardware and video capabilities have improved. The origins of virtual worlds are rooted in online text-based “worlds”, referred to as Multi-User Dungeons or Multi-Users Dimension (MUDs) (Bartle, 2003). As technologies have improved, so too have their capabilities, features and representations, which have evolved into the many environments and games seen today. There are other terms that can be used to refer to virtual worlds such as Multi-User Virtual Environments (MUVEs) which can encompass many online worlds, and more specifically, in the context of education, Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs). Typically, VLEs are web-based, are less open-ended compared to MUVEs, and are more focused on learning, communication and include assessment tools (Britain & Liber, 2004). VLEs can be used in a broader sense to include virtual worlds that are focused on education. Common tools are supported in most virtual environments which include capabilities for communication, voice interaction, building tools, polygon mesh, and other 3D support. More recently, a beta version of Second Life has been released which focuses on the use for the Oculus Rift, making for a very immersive experience. The Oculus Rift is a virtual reality head mounted display device that can be used to create realistic immersive experiences for the wearer. With the increase in realism, the potential for new ways of interaction may become more commonplace. There has also been work to enhance the social interaction between users through emotive avatars that capture real expressions, as in the virtual world High Fidelity (High Fidelity, 2015).

While the use of simulations, video and other computerized tools in education are not new, the use of virtual 3D worlds is still experimental. 3D worlds have potential as an educational tool due to the creative nature and capabilities. 3D worlds do present some design challenges in term of creating an educational resource or “space” for the students to work. Unlike the traditional classroom, the virtual classroom has fewer restrictions on time, space and movement. In the next section we examine the creation and use of virtual educational space.

Creating and Using a Virtual Educational Environment

What does it mean to have an education space in a virtual world? What does it look like? In a virtual world, educators are not bound by many of the same physical limitations inherent in the traditional physical classroom. Educators are also not bound by the same limitations of websites or Content Management Systems (CMS) such as Blackboard or Moodle. As John Lester pointed out during his Keynote Talk at the e-LEOT 2014 conference, there is a tendency among educators “to use new tools like old tools” (Lester, 2014). While educators have the power of virtual worlds, which can be used to create new imaginary environments the tendency is to recreate a 3D replica of a traditional classroom. A replica of a classroom in virtual worlds certainly does not guarantee that learning will take place. A virtual world activity for a class needs deliberate planning, testing and integration with specific content to be successful. Unlike some virtual environments where everything is pre-created by the creating company, Second Life relies on the content creation of its residents (users). Content creation in Second Life is more difficult compared to virtual worlds with environments created by software developers, such as World of Warcraft (McArthur, Teather, & Stuerzlinger, 2010). Since many educators may lack the time needed to successfully build all the components needed for their online virtual environment, other options are possible such - as purchasing premade content from other users (via in-world stores or the Second Life Marketplace) or even hiring someone to create the space for a fee. Before designing a space, it is recommended that one spends time in-a virtual world in order to get a sense of the possibilities, and what other educators have designed. Educational spaces can consist of open areas of land which can contain replicas and models of particular systems. These spaces may include interactive kiosks, or somewhat more traditional areas that include meeting spaces like offices with desks.

Students benefit from learning new technological platforms such as Second Life. 3D platforms and games are increasingly commonplace, thus having knowledge of how to operate one can be useful in learning to operate another. Having an avatar can be useful in the operation of various multiuser applications. As noted by Bélisle and Bodur (2010), with the increasing use of consumers today having avatars, it is important to understand how avatars are being used to improve marketing. Many researchers agree that Second Life can provide an engaging learning environment for students compared to current education platforms, including an “around the clock” accessible meeting place (Bradshaw, 2006; Schome Community, 2007; Wang & Braman 2009). Engaging students is also enhanced when instructors maintain additional office hours in-world or include additional training material in a 3D format. A search on video sites, such as www.youtube.com, yield many choices of videos showcasing educational designs. Students may be more willing to interact with an interactive training kiosk in Second Life in addition to lecture notes from class or the required text, rather than reading the textbook alone. As discussed by Antonacci et al. (2008) there are three major educational benefits from using virtual worlds:

1. 1. Virtual worlds give users the ability to carry out tasks that could be difficult for them in the “real world” due to constraints, including cost, scheduling or location;

2. 2. Virtual worlds’ persistence allows for continuing and growing social interactions, which can serve as a basis for collaborative education;

3. 3. Virtual worlds can adapt and grow to meet user needs.

These three benefits, particularly for some topics, provide the dynamic flexibility needed to complete projects that would be difficult to complete in the normal time frame of a class.

Duncan, Miller, and Jiang (2012) reviewed virtual world educational literature and summarized six advantages of using virtual worlds in an educational setting; two of the six are from sources other than Duncan et al.

1. 1. The use of SL provides an intuitive modern approach for distance teaching in terms of the use of avatars.

2. 2. Collaboration is greatly facilitated when conducting educational activities in-world.

3. 3. Experimental and constructive learning can be achieved in SL.

4. 4. Higher order thinking, such as analyzing, evaluating and creating can be achieved in virtual words as well as lower order thinking, such as remembering, understanding and applying (Falloon, 2010).

5. 5. As geographical boundaries are broken down in SL, there is a large diverse background among participants.

6. 6. It is possible that the in-world activity is always more interactive than real-world teaching activities (Macίas-Dίaz, 2008).

As noted previously, the flexibility of the environment to be change and adapted to the dynamics of student needs or to the content of a particular course is quite useful. This is dependent however on the instructor and available resources. Successful lesson plans using a virtual world needs to be carefully planned, often more so than a traditional lecture. These characteristics are indeed important for integration of a virtual environment into any classroom. As engagement though visual and interactive components can promote active learning, attention needs to be placed carefully on this element. Once students are acclimated to the software, teachers can serve as a guide of the lesson plan to facilitate collaboration between students, assist with challenges and problem solving and keep the class on task.

USING SECOND LIFE: A PILOT PROJECT

A computing course titled “Diversity in a Technological Society” was selected for the Second Life Pilot Project. The official course catalogue description reads: “Explores the influences of technology on human diversity. Students are introduced to basic human relationship factors, international cultures, technologies, people with disabilities, human and data communications, artificial intelligence, computer security, and various individuals who have influenced technology”. This course was selected due to the nature and flexibility of the course, and due to the instructors schedule to carry out the pilot project. In the course, students were assigned a topic from their normal class textbook which served as a basis for a group project. In semesters, prior to the Pilot Study, students were to work in a small group of three or four people to construct a report on a given course related topic. Once the report was complete, students were to present the topic to the class using Microsoft PowerPoint. The report topics included: Artificial Intelligence, virtual reality, military applications of technology, electronic health records, medical information systems, etc., and several other emerging technology trends. Based on assigned topic, through their own research, and from the textbook information in the chapter, students were to write a summarizing report and presentation (both were graded). This assignment was typical for the course, and was a normal activity assigned at the end of each semester. Students are normally required to attend the presentations of other groups, take notes and ask questions. However, for the pilot study, the “traditional” assignment for the course was altered for the use of Second Life.