‘virtual worlds’ Category Archives

 
10
Feb

Learning theories and Second Life (r)

by Cathy in Connectivisim, Education, Education Technology, Learning theory, Second Life, learner centered, virtual worlds

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In November of 2009-January 2010 I conducted a survey, this survey asked which learning theory educators applied in designing their courses or activities in Second Life.  A list of commonly applied learning theories in Virtual Worlds/Second Life was provided and the respondents were allowed to leave comments.  Seventy three percent indicated that they apply experiential learning theory to their Second Life learning projects, 52% indicated that they apply social learning, and 63% indicated they design collaborative learning theory in to their learning activities (multiple responses were allowed), in addition to this the written comments indicated that connectivism was also applied.

In order to understand how various learning theories can be applied in the virtual environment or world one must first understand the context in which these activities occur. Virtual is defined as:
Wikipedia defines virtual as:”that which is not real” but may display the salient qualities of the real. Increasingly though, virtual is being used to identify those activities which occur “online” or on the Internet and this includes “virtual worlds.”

Virtual worlds are those  three dimensional online “holistic systems” which provide for a platform for online ‘human activities via an avatar..” These holistic systems provide a for a 3 dimensional environment for communication, creation of communities, creative expression, navigation, participation by many, and social networking.  Holistic is defined as:

Holism (from ὅλος holos, a Greek word meaning all, entire, total) is the idea that all the properties of a given system (physical, biological, chemical, social, economic, mental, linguistic, etc.) cannot be determined or explained by its component parts alone. Instead, the system as a whole determines in an important way how the parts behave. (holistic, 2/10/10).

Virtual worlds: is a genre of online community that often takes the form of a computer-based simulated environment, through which users can interact with one another and use and create objects[1]. Virtual worlds are intended for its users to inhabit and interact, and the term today has become synonymous with interactive 3D virtual environments, where the users take the form of avatars visible to others graphically[2]. These avatars are usually depicted as textual, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional graphical representations, although other forms are possible[3] (auditory[4] and touch sensations for example). (virtual worlds, 2/10/10)

Other terms used to define virtual worlds includes those of immersive, virtual reality, 3 dimensional,

Learners in Second Life are adults, first and foremost the recognition of andragogy must be defined, Andragogy is the term used most often to define the characteristics of adult learners.  These include:

Learners must balance life responsibilities with the demands of learning.

Learner are autonomous and self directed.

Learners have a tremendous amount of life experiences.  They need to connect the                  learning to their knowledge base.  They must recognize the value of the learning.

Learners are goal oriented and know for what purpose they are learning new information.

Learning is self-initiated and tends to last a long time.

Adults as learners take on a great deal of responsibility for learning themselves.  This greatly alters the role of teacher in the learning environments in general but virtual worlds specifically.

Collaborative learning or cooperative learning was another learning theory cited by respondents as most often applied to the design of the learning program in Second Life.  The lecture, listening and note taking lives along side other processes are are based in student discussion and active work with the course content/ materials.  The design of the course is to ensure an intellectual experience for the students and emergent learning processes are identified..however key to the learning process is the discussion. (Macgregor and Smith, 1992, retrieved from http://learningcommons.evergreen.edu/pdf/collab.pdf)

The interactive environment of Second Life lends itself very well to the application of collaborative learning.  The benefits of this learning theory is viewed as freeing up professors from lecturing and allow them time to collaborate with students, enables students to collaborate with other independent of time and geography and provides a new mode for the production of knowledge.   (Tapscott, Don and Williams, Anthony, Educause Review 2010, 45, 1, January 2010)

Those examples of collaborative learning include any activities in which students work together to achieve a common goal.  These learning opportunities maybe well suited to role play, creation of learning objects, and communication activities.   Second Life provides many tools which may support the student in achieving the learning outcomes of a collaborative learning activity these include the communication tools, any activity in which they can create content in world, and the use of the group tools to support and encourage group and team work.

Collaborative learning theory is built upon those tenets of quality that we review in distance education these include student to student communication, student to content, and student to faculty.  These learning activities are illustrated as below:

The model above identifies several avenues of social interchange which seems to support the respondents observations regarding social learning theory.  Bandura identified and defined social learning theory in 1977 as the, “importance of observing and modeling the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others….further

as continuous reciprocal interaction between cognitive, behavioral, an environmental influences. The component processes underlying observational learning are: (1) Attention, including modeled events (distinctiveness, affective valence, complexity, prevalence, functional value) and observer characteristics (sensory capacities, arousal level, perceptual set, past reinforcement), (2) Retention, including symbolic coding, cognitive organization, symbolic rehearsal, motor rehearsal), (3) Motor Reproduction, including physical capabilities, self-observation of reproduction, accuracy of feedback, and (4) Motivation, including external, vicarious and self reinforcement. (Bandura,1977 as quoted in http://tip.psychology.org/bandura.html, retrieved 2/10/10).

In addition to this, due to the rich immersive experience of being in virtual worlds experiential learning seems to be a logical choice for designing learning activities in virtual worlds.  Kolb defined experiential learning as follows: “experiential learning theory defines learning as ‘the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience. Knowledge results from the combination of grasping and transforming experience’”(Kolb 1984, p. 41, retrieved from http://www.d.umn.edu/~kgilbert/educ5165-731/Readings/experiential-learning-theory.pdf, 2/10/10).  Fernwick, in 2007, identified the five dimensions of experiential learning as purpose, interpretation, engagement, self, and context.

Finally several respondents noted connectivism as a learning theory to be applied to designing course activities in virtual worlds.  Connectivism is a learning theory that should be at the forefront of learning in this digital age.  Defined by Siemens and Downes it takes into account the impact that advances in educational technology has had on how we learn.  (Siemens, 2005, retrieved from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm 2/10/10).

Siemens, 2005, further describes connectivism as the integration of eprinciples explored chaos, network and complexity and self organization theories.  He identified the following:

Principles of connectivism:

  • Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions.
  • Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.
  • Learning may reside in non-human appliances.
  • Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known
  • Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.
  • Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.
  • Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities.
  • Decision-making is itself a learning process. Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality. While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision.

Connectivism lends itself very well to the current wave of information, social networking, technology, and change that we experience on a daily basis.  How this theory will allow us as learners and teachers apply the appropriate tools that we need to in order to learn is critical to assisting learners in achieving their goals.  Applying the environment of Second Life to facilitate learning, achieve the aim of decision making as a learning process and making effective decisions  is critical, however those opportunities are there as one engages in the virtual environment.

Putting the onus of learning on the student in student centered learning versus teacher centered learning requires a more consistent method of providing a means for the student to gather feedback on his/her progress in achieving the learning outcomes.  It is the learning outcomes that are fundamental to the assessment process.  The feedback or assessment that should be consistent, constant, and non intrusive to the student accessing the content or activiites he or she needs, and allow the student with the opportunity to apply new knowledge as well as prior learning.

Even if an individual goes off on his/her own explorations in the virtual world he or she can maintain connections with their group, engaged in the environment and observing the creation of objects and how they were designed by others.  They can communicate their findings back to their core group, ask questions of the builder who designed the object, can evaluate the object, and monitor, based upon the feedback if their activities are achieving the course or program learning outcomes. Essentially successfully achieving the outcomes is demonstrated by how successful the student is in demonstrating what he/she has learned, how they communicate their activities, and how they can demonstrate what they have learned to real life and virtually.

It is apparent that those who design learning experiences in virtual worlds can identify those practices which lend themselves best to the opportunities provided in Second Life for education.  Understanding the basic fundamentals of learning theories helps the educator best craft a learning “blueprint,” which justifies and drives the learning activities for students.  This justification is critical for students to grasp immediately and thereby makes their experience that much richer.  Getting students comfortable in Second Life as soon as  possible is essential so they can get beyond learning the basic fundamentals of navigation, communication and the culture so they can quickly access what they need to learn is critical.

Bandura, A. (1977), Social Learning Theory, as retrieved from http://tip.psychology.org/bandura.html.

Fenwick, Tara J, & Gouthro, Patricia (REVIEWER). (2004). Learning through experience: troubling orthodoxies and intersecting questions Review of the Learning through experience: troubling orthodoxies and intersecting questions Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 50(2), 211-214.  Retrieved February 10, 2010, from CBCA Complete.

Holistic. (2007, February 22). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 00:25, February 11, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Holistic&oldid=110097300

Kolb, David A.., Boyatzis, Richard, Mainemelis, Charalampos, Experiential Learning Theory:
Previous Research and New Directions R. J. Sternberg and L. F. Zhang (Eds.), Perspectives on cognitive, learning, and thinking styles. NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2000.

Macgregor, Jean, Smith, Barbara; What is Collaborative Learning? retrieved from http://learningcommons.evergreen.edu/pdf/collab.pdf 2/10/10.

Siemens, George,Connectivism:A Learning Theory for the Digital Age, 2004, retrieved from Elearnspace, http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm).

Tapscott, Don and Williams, Anthony,Innovating the 21st-Century University: It’s Time!.  Educause Review, 45, 1.

Virtual world. (2010, February 7). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 00:24, February 11, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Virtual_world&oldid=342452412

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