What educational activities fit virtual worlds: Towards a theoretical evaluation framework

Objective: Pilot test GoWoman, a small-group weight management intervention for mobility impaired women that was a disability- and gender-responsive adaptation of the Diabetes Prevention Program delivered in the online virtual world of Second Life®. Objectives were to (1) examine pre-/post-intervention differences in weight, waist circumference, diet, physical activity, self-efficacy for diet and physical activity, nutrition knowledge and social support for weight management, (2) determine intervention feasibility (fidelity, attrition, engagement, acceptability).Design: Single-group modified interrupted time series quasi-experimental design whereby participants served as their own controls.Results: Thirteen women attended ≥8 of 16 GoWoman weekly sessions and lost an average of 5.97 pounds (2.71 kg) (3.31%) body weight (Cohen’s d = 0.74) and 1.44 inches (3.66 cm) (3.58%) waist circumference (Cohen’s d = 0.83). There were significant improvements in physical activity, diet and self-efficacy for diet and physical activity. All benchmarks for feasibility were met. Ratings of intervention content, group interactions and support and virtual world experiences were highly positive.Conclusion: Findings suggest that a disability- and gender-responsive weight management intervention with peer group support delivered in an online virtual world is feasible, meaningful and may assist with weight management for mobility impaired women.Implications for RehabilitationThis study addresses a gap in the general and rehabilitation research literature by addressing the disproportionately high rates of obesity among women with mobility impairments, who are generally excluded from tests of weight management interventions if they have limited ability to engage in vigorous physical activity.The GoWoman program is an adaptation of the Diabetes Prevention Program Lifestyle Change curriculum that is tailored to meet the unique weight management needs of women with mobility impairments, and was created to become a publicly available, disability- and gender-responsive intervention that can be used in community and rehabilitation settings.More rehabilitation and health promotion program should be offered in the free, online, virtual world of Second Life® since participants in this pilot study offered many favorable comments about the new learning and social opportunities available to them there and they did not have to deal with the disability-related environmental and health challenges that often prevent them from participating in face-to-face workshops.Preliminary indications of improvements in body weight, waist circumference, diet and physical activity after attending the GoWoman weight management intervention offered in Second Life® tell us that these strategies are feasible for helping women with mobility impairments manage their weight and should undergo further testing.

Virtual worlds are a potential medium for teaching college-level chemistry laboratory courses. To determine the feasibility of conducting chemistry experiments in such an environment, undergraduate students performed two experiments in the immersive virtual world of Second Life (SL) as part of their regular General Chemistry 2 laboratory course. The experiments’ development and implementation are presented with feedback from students and graduate teaching assistants. Students successfully completed the experiments and showed learning gains similar to students performing real world experiments, as shown by pre/postlab quizzes and a laboratory practicum. Student participants held positive views of their experience in the SL chemistry laboratory. Teaching assistants provided an important perspective about using the virtual world for laboratory instruction. Overall, results of this pilot study suggest that virtual worlds can be effective for teaching chemistry experiments. This is the first account of student learning and attitudes after performing college-level chemistry experiments in the immersive virtual world of SL.

Virtual worlds are a phenomenon raising interest among educators around the globe, with more than 500 educational institutions experimenting with, or offering classes in, the virtual world of Second Life. While many educators are excited about the potential of virtual worlds, others are wary or skeptical. Some consider them as upmarket games, while others are afraid they will degrade student learning. Virtual worlds are certainly not a panacea for higher education, and they present many challenges for students, teachers, and administrators. This article describes how Second Life has been used for teaching and learning in a hospitality and tourism school in Hong Kong. It discusses some of the opportunities, challenges, and problems of using this virtual environment and analyzes data collected from students and teachers who used Second Life for learning and teaching in four diverse courses. The article concludes by suggesting strategies and techniques for using virtual worlds effectively in hospitality and tourism education.

Using the historical example of Tokugawa Japan (1603-1867), we point out how artistic circles provided a “virtual world,” a kind of early modern “second life.” This world gave their participants the opportunity to escape from the vertical, hierarchical, feudal structure through the creation of horizontal public spheres, in loosely coupled networks based on the strength of weak ties. In an often playful way, these aesthetic circles provided alternative forms of sociability to premodern Japanese people. This in turn had a serious impact on the formation of political modernity in Japan. We explore parallels with the virtual world of Second Life. There, too, new public spheres are being carved out, in equally playful and largel apolitical ways, that may yet have profound and unforeseen consequences for society at large. We illustrate our analysis with two novel examples of communicative spheres in Second Life, the Meta Institute for Computational Astrophysics and a broadly interdisciplinary initiative called Play as Being. In conclusion, we see the need for a theoretical revision of the notion of “public sphere” beyond its conventional usage. As the virtual worlds of Tokugawa, Japan and Second Life illustrate, the strength of weak-tie networks can form the basis for public spheres in a surprisingly large spectrum of times, locations and cultures.

The development of virtual worlds began long before the invention of computers; the minds of children at play would create fantasy or virtual worlds in which to explore or interact. However, the development of the computer provided an opportunity for these 
 worlds to expand from within an individual’s mind to fixed video game environments and shared, interactive communities co-created by the users. The high growth of various virtual worlds globally that has occurred in recent years has prompted a number of Fortune 2000 companies to either enter the virtual space, or at least monitor the 
 development and potential of avatar-based marketing. 
 Although the current number of participants in virtual worlds is growing, in comparison to the overall consumer population, these numbers still represent just a very small percentage. To maximize the value that can be achieved and enhance the return on investment in a virtual world presence, organizations need to not only successfully 
 market to the existing members of the virtual world, but they also need to effectively recruit real world consumers into the virtual world and retain them through positive interactions. 
 Following the experiences of 40 undergraduate business students and 10 MBA graduate students as they enter the virtual world of Second Life for the first time, their 12 week journey is documented through weekly personal blog entries, online discussion groups, and exit interviews. The students’ comments and discussions provide insight into the mind of the new entrant to the virtual world. These insights guide suggestions for improving the experience of new virtual consumers in order to create long-term consumer relationships with an organization’s virtual presence.

Since January 2007, Music Academy Online , a web-based business dedicated to generating interest in classical music, has been developing a ‘Disney World for Classical Music’ in the virtual world of Second Life®. The virtual world provides a unique opportunity to teach classical music in an interdisciplinary fashion, the ability to reach out to a population that is hesitant to explore classical music, and a way for reaching out to those who have been disenfranchised by traditional educational paths. This has led to the development of iconography in Second Life that exploits the virtual world’s inherent ability to put seemingly disparate information together in a way that encourages questioning and discussion. But above all, this has led to the conclusion that the importance of human interaction and the Socratic method are the key elements in virtual world education.

For the past decade, educators have participated in virtual world teaching. Manukau Institute of Technology entered the virtual world of Second Life in 2009. Since then foundation or bridging students have repeatedly demonstrated skill development and knowledge acquisition through the utilization of virtual world resources. A change in the way the foundation curriculum is delivered has taken place over the last two and a half years with a switch to project-based delivery. A Virtual World Club was started to support students in their project work. Over the past year, the club has attracted attention from students and lecturers that has led to a more widespread adoption of the use of virtual worlds. Plans are underway to bring MIT students into alternative worlds, and recent technical advances will be an integral part of the direction MIT will take in future years.

ABSTRACTUnprecedented access to global philanthropic audiences via social media demands creative strategies to identify and motivate donors. One social medium not typically considered in the popular mix is virtual worlds. Using a multi-method ethnographic approach, this study contributes to the strategic communication body of knowledge by examining the purposeful usage of communication by organizations in virtual environments to build support communities and fulfill their respective fundraising missions. Through a descriptive case study, this research explores the efforts of three organizations in the 3D virtual world of Second Life: The American Cancer Society, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and Live and Learn in Kenya. These organizations have raised millions of dollars/pounds/euros from avatars. The results reveal that social capital plays an important role in the motivation and success of virtual world fundraising activities, especially for individuals who may not otherwise engage due to physical, social, or geographic barriers. The results also highlight the opportunity for organizations to engage with international audiences and build active communities within virtual worlds.

A virtual world is a computer-based simulated environment, usually modeled after the real world, accessed through an online interface, and inhabited by users in the form of avatars. The purpose of this chapter is to explore how these interactive, immersive environments are being used by a variety of organizations. Although various kinds of virtual worlds are introduced, this chapter focuses on the interactive 3-D virtual world of Second Life, describing its demographics and its features. Ways in which Second Life has been used by businesses, educational organizations, and political entities are then discussed. Legal issues associated with virtual worlds in general and Second Life in particular are raised. The chapter concludes with some ways this technology is expected to evolve in the future.

TextSL is a screen reader accessible interface for the popular virtual world of Second Life that lets the users interact using a command-based interface. Our research identified that it is challenging to make virtual worlds accessible to users with visual impairments as virtual worlds are densely populated with objects while at the same time many virtual world objects lack meta-data.

Almost every manifestation of religion nds expression in the virtual world of Second Life. Established religions have a presence; for example, Epiphany Cathedral is home to Anglicans in the virtual world (Hutchings 2011). Geographically dispersed adherents gather for communion, Bible study and regular services. Those manifestations of the numinous bordering on religion, depending on the denition employed, can be found in every corner. Masonic temples abound and all the paraphernalia required for the mysterious rituals of Freemasonry can be bought from the Second Life Marketplace (Farley 2010). There are some religions that only nd expression in this virtual space. There are all manner of temples, churches, sacred grottoes, simulated stone circles and the opportunity for religious pilgrimage. Some of these expressions can be seen as virtual missionary activity, taking religion to a new frontier. Some religion in virtual worlds is just for fun; people experimenting with a new religion for a while and trying on the trappings for size.

Many researchers associate a culture with some form of knowledge; other scholars stress the importance of the environment inhabited by the knowledge carriers; while archaeologists learn about cultures through the objects produced in the environment as a result of utilizing this knowledge. In our work we propose a model of virtual culture that preserves the environment, objects and knowledge associated with a certain culture in a 3D Virtual World. We highlight the significance of virtual agents in our model as, on the one hand, being the knowledge carriers and, on the other hand, being an important element establishing the connection between the environment, objects and knowledge. For testing the resulting model we have developed a research prototype simulating the culture of the ancient City of Uruk 3000 B. C. (one of the first human-built cities on Earth) within a Virtual World of Second Life.

Gor is one of the most successful role-play themes in the Virtual World of Second Life (SL). In this theme, player-characters act out a barbaric world of sexual slavery that is based on the novels of John Norman. Norman’s narrative comes alive in privately owned 3D simulations (SIMs) that depict settlements in Roman, Viking, or tribal style. This paper gives insight into the construction of Gorean role-play, and positions it within the discourse on role-play in Virtual Worlds. The role-play was studied by undertaking an ethnographic participant-observation. Moreover, the rules of the city of Veroda (a pseudonym) are analysed in detail. The analysis shows that Veroda’s rules aim at immersion in the role-play experience and are concerned with the power structure of the SIM, as well as with the personal power relationships of its members. In conclusion, Gorean SIM communities are closed or semi-closed social groups that act as real communities “living” in a particular shared online place. Whereas within gaming worlds the play occurs under the rules of game-design, Gorean role-play groups in Second Life construct their own social rules and play. In doing so, they create and maintain a vibrant community life.

This study aims to construct a typology of the visual style of Christian spaces in the online vir-tual world of Second Life (SL). Virtual worlds offer diverse new possibilities for architecturalsty ...

The reference desk that the Alliance Virtual Library operates in the virtual world of Second Life has no ready equivalent to any traditional desk because of one major factor: our staff is not paid ...