iitsec presentation on learning in virtual worlds
DESCRIPTION
Can learners improve their knowledge of accounting by using a 3D interactive model of the accounting equation in Second Life? Will students learn more working in small groups or alone? Will students experience greater anxiety reductions if they work in small groups or alone?TRANSCRIPT
Efficacy of Second Life in Constructivist Learning Activities
Irene T. Boland, Ph.D.PulseLearning
Why study learning in a 3D MUVE?Second LifeConstructivismParticipantsResearch questions3D ModelFindingsAdvice for improvementsISD for 3D environments
Future researchImpact on Theory
Roadmap
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Learning in a 3D MUVE?
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A Campus(Recruitment)
A Course (Learning)
An Event (Community Building)
What Who
$
$$
$$$AcademiaCorporate
GovernmentMilitary
Platform Examined: Second Life
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Learning Theory: Constructivism
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Cognitive Constructivism• One person• Thinking• Connecting to prior knowledge
Social Constructivism•Two or more people•Thinking and discussing•Co-creating new knowledge
Participants
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University of Central FloridaAccounting classDr. Steven Hornik1st year students (18-23 years old)No prior SL experience
Class FormatLecture (face-to-face or recorded)LMS for assessmentSecond life optional
Pre-researchVisited class site in SLWorked with 3D model in SL
Research Question One
Can learners improve their knowledge of accounting by using a 3D interactive model of the accounting equation in Second Life?
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Research Questions Two and Three
Will students learn more working in small groups or alone?
Will students experience greater anxiety reductions if they work in small groups or alone?
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Controlling against extraneous variables
Two Hour Window– Pre-Test– Learning Experience– Post-Test
Same– Instructions– Pre-Test– Instructional Movies– Practice Problems– Post-Test
Different– Learning Experience – group or solo
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3D model of the accounting equation
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Instructional note card
Text feedback
Visual feedback
Measuring Learning
Round 1 Round 2All
(N=134)Group(n=42)
Solo(n=92)
All(N=163)
Group(n=51)
Solo(n=112)
4.66% 2.98% 5.43% 14.26% 7.35% 17.41%
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ResultsLearning? YESLearn more in groups? NO
ValidityRepresentative? YESChance? YES/NONull Hypotheses Rejected? YES/NO
Percentage Learning Gains
Learner Anxiety
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Concept-Specific Anxiety ScaleValidated instrument by Dr. Gene Oetting
ProcessLearner self-rates anxiety related to concepts such as “using SL for accounting class work”.
Measuring Anxiety
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Round 1 (N = 134) Round 2 (N = 163)Group (n = 42) Solo (n = 92) Group (n = 51) Solo (n = 112)
Number -2.42 -4.08 -1.65 -2.79 Percent -5.76 -9.71 -3.93 -6.64
ResultsAnxiety Reduced? YESReduced more in groups? NO
ValidityRepresentative? YESChance? YES/NONull Hypotheses Rejected? YES/NO
Adverse Impacts
Technical– SL platform very slow, frozen– Computer crashes– Forced hardware upgrades– Slow client upgrades
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Personal– Confusion (what should I do?)– Disorientation (where am I?)– Loneliness (the big empty)– Dizziness (falling down)
57% of participants reported no adverse impacts
Participants Advice for Improvements
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•3D Accounting Model
•Community Interaction
Good
•Personal Adverse Impacts
•SL Learning Curve
Bad
•More Videos of the Model
•Virtual Study Groups
Better
ISD for 3D
• Planning – hardware – current capabilities and required upgrades– servers - concurrent users, streaming bandwidth, mirrors– platform client – installation, upgrades, compatibility
• Analysis– technical skills – computers, internet, 3D environments– skills for this environment – navigation, motor skills, communication
• Design– environment, site within the environment– learning plan for this content – in/out of world, synch/asynch
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ISD for 3D, continued
• Development– Learning materials– Environment, manipulatives/models, stock avatars– Synchronous scheduling– Assessment administration
• Implementation– Traditional communication channels to drive learners in world
• Evaluation– Learner performance (native in-world, LMS outside)– Learner reaction, recommendations for improvement (objective and
open-ended)
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Future research
Repeat the Current Study using: a) controlled and supervised environmentb) established stock avatarsc) different age groupsd) different contente) participants with MUVE experiencef) starting assessment of overall content mastery level (which may
contribute to high performance on pre-tests and lower anxiety overall), and
g) content Analysis of Chat Logs Recorded During a Learning Experience (difficulties encountered, strategies used by learners)
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Impact on Theory
• Constructivist Expectation – learners in groups learn more• Experiment Results – learners perform better solo• Why?
– Because it was in a MUVE?• What next?
– Repeating the experiment in a highly controlled environment could narrow the possible list of explanations.
– Interviewing learners whose results indicated that working solo was advantageous may help identify the exact causes of this and whether it relates to the use of the MUVE (novel experience) or other factors.
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Questions?
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