Virtual Worlds Teaching Manual

Greg Perrier presents and speaks about his “Virtual Wolds Teaching Manual” during the Virtual World MOOC 2019.

Introduction

Experience has shown that Virtual Worlds (VWs) can provide students a unique interactive educational experience that many students see as a fun way to learn. VWs go beyond just offering text to read or a video to watch. In VWs students interact with objects. For example, a student can study the diagram of an ear online or in a textbook; but in a VW the student can walk through the ear, a whole different experience. Studies have shown that students learn more from doing, than from reading or listening to a lecture, and VWs have the potential to provide this hands-on learning experience in a cost-effective manner. Furthermore, teaching students to function in virtual environments provides them with skills that will be beneficial, if not critical, for success in the future job market.

The aim of this manual is to help educators incorporate VWs into their courses in ways that enhance student learning. It will guide one through getting started and show them how to use VWs to make classes more fun and interesting. It will help them avoid the common errors educators make in VWs and allow them to build on the successes of others. The advice presented here comes from work in the VW called Second Life (SL), but much of this advice applies to other VWs, such as Open Simulator and Kitely, as well as to virtual reality (VR).

For teachers who intend to use Second Life in education, there is the following PDF manual by Gregory Perrier
Emeritus Faculty, Biology
Northern Virginia Community College
2018