Teaching and Learning in Second Life as Part

of a Blended Approach:

Reflections and Lessons learned

Sheila Webber, Senior Lecturer, Information School:

the iSchool, University of Sheffield, UK

Ridvan Ata, PhD Candidate, School of Education, University of Sheffield, UK

VWBPE-16 MARCH 2012

Sheila Yoshikawa

Ridvan Researcher

Slides copyright Sheila Webber and Ridvan Ata; sources for pictures listed on the final slide

Outline

• Who we are

• Ridvan’s research journey

• Context and basics of the class

• Approach to teaching & class components

• SL components of the class

• Our reflections on teaching the class

Where Sheila comes from

• Language: English

• Climate: Temperate

• Population: 60 million

• Faculty member

• Key areas of research & teaching are educational informatics & information literacy*

• *"the adoption of appropriate information behaviour to identify, through whatever channel or medium, information well fitted to information needs, leading to wise and ethical use of information in society." (Webber and Johnston)

1

Sheila & Second Life

Where Ridvan comes from

• Language: Turkish

• Climate: hot, dry summers with mild, winters; harsh, snowy

• Population: 75 million

• Religion: Muslim, 99%

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2 3

Ridvan’s journey to the topic

• MA DTCE at the University of Manchester, the current status of VLEs in HE, Moodle in 2008/9

• Findings ; students prefer f2f,use VLE as repository, isolated environment rather than social

• Something is missing!

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4

Ridvan’s journey into PhD

• In 2009 , The University of Sheffield, UK

• The School of Education under supervision of Julia

Davies, Education Department, and Sheila Webber,

Information School.

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Research Questions

Main Question: What pedagogical framework enables teaching in virtual worlds and f2f learning situations in HE?

• Implementations of teaching in SL/f2f situations

• Impacts of teaching in SL over tutors’ f2f pedagogy

• Becoming a SL Tutor

• Motivations of tutors for participating in VWs other than the requirement of a class activity

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5

Methodology

CASE STUDY

• Information Literacy module

Inf104

• Observations

• Interviews with tutors

Virtual ethnographic texture (Observations and reflections from my personal journey into Second Life during 2009-2012/13 )

• Educational Informatics module Inf6011

• Observations • Interviews with lecture tutors • Interviews with master students

Interviews with tutors from different countries

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The context

• Information School, University of Sheffield (small UG

programme, larger Masters programme + PhDs)

• Core module in BSc Information Management programmes

+ a few other students (e.g. Hong Kong exchange)

• Inquiry-based approach

for key classes; for all

classes assessment mostly

coursework (not exams)

Images: University of Sheffield

Inf104 module: Information Literacy

• Information Literacy core level 1 module: aims – to progress students' information literacy in key areas (working

towards being an information literate citizen)

– to develop their understanding of information literacy & information behaviour theories and practice

• 43 students this year, 22 from outside UK; 19 female

• Using face to face, Blackboard, web resources

• Mostly students used SL together in lab with Ridvan and Sheila

Components of IL Module

Blackboard Module

Lecture

Handouts

Readings

Discussions

Assignments

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Components of IL Module

Classroom

Lectures

IL Activities

Individual Feedback

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Components of IL Module

SL INFOLIT

Island

SL Familiarisation

Mini Islands

IL exercises

Interviews

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The Rationale for using SL

• 50% coursework involves students

– carrying out research interview in SL

– analysing performance as interviewer

– analysing transcript in relation to research models

• Access to wider population; internationalisation

• Prompts reflection and comparison with RL

• As information managers, relevant to learn virtual

world communication skills

5th year Sheila has done this exercise, see…

• Webber, S. (2010) 3D virtual learning case study. University of South Australia. http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/3DVLE/siteassets/docs/3DVirtual_Case_Study_BScIM.pdf

• Webber, S. (2010) “Investigating modes of student inquiry in Second Life as part of a blended approach.” International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments, 1 (3), 55-70.

• Some tweaks & changes each year

Changes?

• Students

– more international this year

– still very little prior use of any virtual worlds

• Overall learning, teaching & assessment approach – has not changed much, still problem-based & inquiry focus

• Interventions – has varied a little e.g. last year student groups did oral

presentation of work in f2f class rather than SL exhibit

• Interviewees in assessment-related exercise – normally professionals e.g. educators, librarians etc. + a few

graduate students

– this year more undergraduate student interviewees

Infolit ischool

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1st week: Basics of moving, communicating etc.

4th week: Teams import presentation on info problem to SL + set up quiz ball

3rd week: opinionator exercise and further work on mini-island + work on info prob

2nd week: 9 teams of 4-5 students: each given own mini island + start info prob

SL: sequencing of activities (Ridvan will give details!)

Information problems

• Is the “Google generation” really bad at searching

for, and evaluating, information?

• How is Wikipedia reliable?

• Should Facebook users be concerned about their

privacy and safety on Facebook?

• 9 student teams, 3 tackling each problem

• PPT identifies search process and their conclusions

1st week: practice interviews f2f and in SL

Subsequently: a student carries out his/her own interview in text chat

SL interviewing focus

Mini islands and SL Familiarisation

VWBPE-16 MARCH 2012 by Ridvan Atolia,2011 by Sheila Yoshikawa,2011

SL Activities

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The Opinionator exercise Students’ mini island

by Sheila Yoshikawa,2011

An example of students’ interview in SL

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by Ridvan Atolia,2011

Reflections Through

Our Eyes

Data Collection;

• Tutors’ interviews,

• Students’ interviews,

• Observations, (both in f2f & inworld)

• Chatlogs,

• Inworld snapshots,

• And our own notes and records.

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6

Sheila’s reflection

• Assignment more challenging than ordinary essay:

some excellent responses to challenge

• Still find that mixture of learning environments

valuable

Short lecture and

handout about

interviewing Practice interviews

in triads (interviewer,

interviewee, observer)

Practice interviews

in triads in SL

Research

interviews

in SL

Blackboard

module

Lecture, exercises,

readings on research,

information behaviour,

data collection &

analysis, ethics

Individual feedback

/communication: email,

F2F, SL .

FAQs etc

Student’s

Assignment

Assignment

briefing

Email, IM etc used to

communicate with interviewees

Handouts

Discussions

Presentations

SL

familiarisation

Sheila’s reflection, continued …

• Wide variety of responses to SL (& contrast with

responses from educators!)

• Value of having “experienced” & empathetic

interviewees

Ridvan’s reflection

• SL was a favorable environment for utilizing IBL

with constructivist approach in which the students

collaborated, interacted, and experimented.

• Capable of having a greater presence inworld, one

student ; if she could die in SL , another student ; if

I read all the books in my office inworld.

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Ridvan’s reflections continued…

• SL enabled students’ work to be visited by external

visitors,

• Many occurrences of the interrelationship of SL,

Blackboard and RL,

• the students benefited from the visual of Seven

Pillars of Information Model and The Opinionator

activity

Some things we have learned

• All materials in virtual world need to be perfectly functional and operating if the viewers were peers and tech savvy

• Basic SL skills such as camera control, manipulating with avatar at early stage might have a significant impact on students learning and involvement inworld

• It may be difficult to make mental connection between what they do and learn in SL for freshmen students

• SL might polarise the students much more than other educational tools.

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Sheila Yoshikawa /

Sheila Webber

s.webber@shef.ac.uk

Twitter: sheilayoshikawa

http://information-literacy.blogspot.com/

http://www.slideshare.net/sheilawebber/

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23396182@N00/

Netvibes: http://www.netvibes.com/sheilawebber

Ridvan Researcher /

Ridvan Ata

r.ata@shef.ac.uk

Image sources Pictures & Photos by Sheila Webber & Ridvan

Ata except the following

1. University of Connecticut Libraries’ Map and Geographic Information Center (MAGIC).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/uconnlibrariesmagic/6732354783/

2. http://www.virgintoursntravels.com/timeless_turkey

3. http://www.map-of-turkey.com/

4. snail. Amanito used under Creative Commons license: http://www.flickr.com/photos/amanito/513566490/

5. .The Unquiet Librarian used under Creative Commons license:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10557450@N04/6632470867/

6. gregw, used under Creative Commons license: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregw/4165889/sizes/m/in/photostream/

7. abakedcreation used under Creative Commons license:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/abakedcreation/3028287871/sizes/m/in/photostream/

Click here for a

notecard of their

talk