Ken HudsonVirtual World Design Centre, Loyalist College

Oakland University – June 10, 2010

My Second Life didn’t turn out the way I thought it would!

Managing expectations for teaching and learning in virtual worlds

Loyalist College

Desktop Virtual Worlds Revolution

Magic Happy Learning Land

Typical Canadian Landscape

All of my saws that don’t work

All of my saws that don’t work

All of my saws that don’t work

The tool works:It’s the operator who is broken!

Virtual World Differentiators

• The Sense of SELF• The Death of DISTANCE• The Power of PRESENCE• The Sense of SPACE• The Capability to CO-CREATE• The Pervasiveness of PRACTICE• The Enrichment of EXPERIENCE

Adapted from Learning in 3D – Kapp/ O’Driscoll

San Jose Tech Museum

Stubborn Adopter

• Female• 25-30• 20/20 vision• Not focused on fun or interesting experiences• Uses Web 1.0• Does not game often

Source: San Jose State University study of 400 graduate students

Easily converted adopter

• Male• 41-45• Vision problems• Games weekly• Uses Web 2.0, like FB or blog daily-weekly

Source: San Jose State University study of 400 graduate students

They Became What They Beheld

Edmund Snow Carpenter

Media are environments

We are their content

…they engulf us, tattoo us..

We are immersed

Movies and Television

Sports

Music

Video Games

We are our game markers

Mirror Neurons

Chameleon Effect

“Our virtual identity is not separate from our physical identity.”

Jeremy N. Bailenson

April 4, 2008 Chronicle of Higher Education

Proteus Effect: We infer our behavior and attitudes from our avatar

Behavior transfers from virtual world to real life

We modify our attitudes by observing our own behavior

Canadian Border Simulation

Port of Entry Process

Canadian Border Lansdowne

Second Life Border Simulation

Border Crossing Interviews

“More realistic than traditional role plays.”

“As close as it could be to real life.”

“Seeing hearing doing…we were actually there.”

CBSA Pilot

Federal Virtual World Challenge

Loyalist College37% increase in grades over 2 years

CBSA Recruits39% increase in success at testing milestone

Increased Confidence

Accelerated Learning Pace

America’s Army in-game Medic Training

Pro Football Imitates Madden Game

Publication of ResultsJournal of Virtual Worlds ResearchVolume 2, Number 1:Pedagogy, Education and Innovation in 3-D Virtual Worlds

Linden Lab Case StudyVirtual World Simulation Training Prepares Real Guards on the US-Canadian Border: Loyalist College in Second Life

Learning in 3D: Bringing a new dimension to enterprise learning and collaboration by Karl Kapp and Tony O’Driscoll

Handbook of research on virtual environments for corporate education: Employee learning and solutions

Online and Social Networking Communities: A Best Practice Guide for Educators by Karen Keen

Forthcoming 2010:

Akron University – Psychiatric Nursing

Akron University – Psychiatric Nursing

University Health Network

Naval Postgraduate School

Metaverse Roadmap

Technologies = Cultures

Ken HudsonManaging DirectorVirtual World Design CentreLoyalist CollegeSL: Kenny HubbleTwitter: kennyhubble kenhudson@infinitespaces.ca