Education and three-dimensional virtual worlds : a critical review and analysis of applying second life in higher education
department or school: Education, Faculty of
department or school: Educational Studies (EDST), Department of
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCV
creator: Gong, Wenyi
issued: 2018-08-16T16:34:40Z
issued: 2018
description: Three-dimensional (3D) virtual world Second Life was launched in 2003 and has since become one of the most frequently used 3D virtual worlds in education. Educational practices supported by 3D virtual worlds might continue to be a part of the educational discussion in the near future. In the light of the increasing popularity of the 3D virtual world Second Life in higher education, a review of the existing literature appears to be necessary in order to provide educators with insights into their in-world and real-life educational practices. To that end, this study provides a clear summary of the previous research on the Second Life as a learning tool in higher education. It also explores its affordances, advantages and drawbacks. There is a growing body of research showing that Second Life can support authentic learning and self-directed learning, enhance collaboration, engage learners, create alternative space for educational activities, encourage communities for practice and foster cross-cultural competencies. Despite the issues concerning technology, cost, time, identity and culture, the benefits of application in education outweigh its drawbacks. Practitioners and participants in higher education need to be aware of the potential challenges when incorporating Second Life in education, and actively seek strategies to optimize their educational practices in 3D virtual worlds.
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/66787
note: Running head: SECOND LIFE IN HIGHER EDUCATION i EDUCATION AND THREE-DIMENSIONAL VIRTUAL WORLDS: A CRITICAL REVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF APPLYING SECOND LIFE IN HIGHER EDUCATION by Wenyi Gong B.A., Nanjing Normal University, 2013 A GRADUATING PAPER SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF EDUCATION in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Educational Administration and Leadership) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) August 2018 © Wenyi Gong, 2018 SECOND LIFE IN HIGHER EDUCATION ii Abstract Three-dimensional (3D) virtual world Second Life was launched in 2003 and has since become one of the most frequently used 3D virtual worlds in education. Educational practices supported by 3D virtual worlds might continue to be a part of the educational discussion in the near future. In the light of the increasing popularity of the 3D virtual world Second Life in higher education, a review of the existing literature appears to be necessary in order to provide educators with insights into their in-world and real-life educational practices. To that end, this study provides a clear summary of the previous research on the Second Life as a learning tool in higher education. It also explores its affordances, advantages and drawbacks. There is a growing body of research showing that Second Life can support authentic learning and self-directed learning, enhance collaboration, engage learners, create alternative space for educational activities, encourage communities for practice and foster cross-cultural competencies. Despite the issues concerning technology, cost, time, identity and culture, the benefits of application in education outweigh its drawbacks. Practitioners and participants in higher education need to be aware of the potential challenges when incorporating Second Life in education, and actively seek strategies to optimize their educational practices in 3D virtual worlds. Key words: education, 3D virtual world, Second Li…
has type: Graduating Project
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0371092
language: eng
peer review status: Unreviewed
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
is part of: University of British Columbia. EDST 590
subject: Educational technology
subject: Virtual reality
subject: Second Life
subject: Higher education
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/66787