Virtual Worlds for University Students: Some Thoughts and Experiences

Virtual Worlds for University Students: Some Thoughts and Experiences

Virtual Worlds such as SL have a great potential as an educational platform, and there is an extensive literature on the subject.  Likewise, they can offer social and psychological benefits, which can be very important, especially in the times of a social distancing.  Much of this is due to the subjective sense of presence, including the avatar self-identification. 

Our immediate motivation to re-introduce VWs as a viable online venue for the Caltech students (the undergraduates in particular, especially the incoming class) to socialize, interact, network, collaborate, and learn collectively until the pandemic is no longer limiting such interactions in the physical space.  At the moment, the students in this cohort (roughly 18 to 22 years old) depend on the traditional social media for such interactions. Later on, we plan to introduce educational activities such as the lectures, office hours, etc.  We thus created Virtech, a Caltech sim in SL, and I will describe the process that led to this choice. The initial response from the students was mostly enthusiastic, but mixed, and their feedback was very valuable, as we continue to develop Virtech.

This presentation will take place on Virtech sim, followed by a guided tour and exploration.

George Djorgovski (SL: Curious George)   

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