O PEN S IMULATOR : M ANAGED L EARNING IN 3 D MUVE E NVIRONMENT David Angulo Rubio

A BSTRACT Maintain student engagement Shared Online Virtual Worlds (MUVE). There are more than a 100 VW applications available Academia in MUVE(Multi-User Virtual Environment) Challenges: Students Perceptions Privacy Ownership Access to practical work Associated virtual and institutional identities Achievement of learning goals for teaching and learning

MUVE : L EARNING THROUGH E XPERIMENTATION Doom,Madden NFL, EverQuest,SecondLife, OpenSimulator,etc. Experiential Learning D.A.Kolb,R.E.Boyatzis, and C.Mainemelis”Experiantial Learning Theory:Previous Research and New Directions” Concrete experience Reflective observation Abstract conceptualization Active experimentation

MUVE : P ROJECT -B ASED E XPERIENTIAL L EARNING Engage learners in the exploration Construction and manipulation of virtual objects or structures Metaphorical representations of ideas Novel and engaging approaches Supportive tool/ main platform for teaching.

A DVANTAGES Better demonstrations of complex scientific concepts Rich media content for learning Autonomy Facilitating collaboration between physically remote learners New dimension in technology-enhanced learning. Game-like entertainment factor into the learning activities.

R ELATED W ORK Second Life is the most prominent and heavily used MUVE. It is the virtual world of choice and research in UK academia. LindenLabs operates Second Life on a commercial basis. Client-access software is free(SL Viewer)

R ELATED W ORK B.A. White, “Second Life: A Guide to your Virtual World” Defines Second Life as: Internet multi- user,3D World Construction which emphasizes creativity, collaboration, socializing and self- government. World or Grid is composed of Regions Regions (aka Islands, Sims, or Simulators) Powerful Modeling Tools

E DUCATIONAL P ROJECTS AT THE U NIVERSITY OF S AINT A NDREWS MMS (Module Management System) LAVA(Laconia Acropolis Virtual Archeology) and WiFSL(WiFi Virtual Laboratory in Second Life Second Life Introduction and the LSL (Linden Scripting Language)

E DUCATIONAL P ROJECTS AT THE U NIVERSITY OF S AINT A NDREWS Usability is a major key in HCI courses. E.g. Dijkstra’s Algorithm Construct an user friendly learning resource

E DUCATIONAL P ROJECTS AT THE U NIVERSITY OF S AINT A NDREWS Limited guidance, increase imagination, creativity and novel implementations 3D Automated Content