(2033)LEARNING AS AN AVATAR: DESIGNING IMMERSIVE LEARNINGSPACES AND FACILITATING 3D LEARNING EXPERIENCES

摘要

3D virtual environments (3DVEs) are being used and enjoyed by individuals and organizations foreducating, meeting, training and gaming purposes. In addition to the convenience of anytime,anywhere action and the relative anonymity of creating their own avatar character, users can enjoyreal time voice and social interactions with other avatars in a simulated environment [1] [2] [3] [4].Additionally, the player avatar in a 3D environment can benefit from the richness of voice andmovement, and in an immersive environment that replicates a “real life” place, such as a hospital,archaeological dig site, or shopping mall [2] [4]. The prevalence of 3D virtual platforms such asWebAlive and Second Life in learning and training contexts is more evident than ever before;;3Dimmersive worlds are an exciting venue for today’s distance and hybrid education providers.Consequently, in an effort to create more effective and engaging learning experiences, educators,educational institutions, and professional and governmental organizations are exploring this newtechnology. While these platforms are easy to use, the shift from instruction and training in a physicalor online space to a 3D immersive space is challenging. One difficulty for educators is knowing how tocreate scenarios that will promote learning in this new context. The transformation of materials fromthe physical classroom or boardroom space to the 3D context is not a straight forward task. DistanceEducation literature identifies learner traits and characteristics and multiple pedagogical theories andframeworks for traditional online course design and delivery [5]. However, to date, there are no clearpedagogical guidelines, recommendations or processes to support the movement from a physical oronline training or educational setting to a virtual, 3D immersive space. This paper will briefly identifythe benefits of 3D environments for learning and training purposes and profile the ideal user.However, the main objective is to review current literature for the purpose of identifying the process fortask development in a 3D context compared to a traditional face to face or online learning context.Further, the paper will describe specific examples of 3D projects. Based on these preliminaryexperiences, the authors will make concrete and feasible recommendations for task transfer andlearning scenario design, specifically as it pertains to language teaching and learning.