Overview
Virtual environments have been increasingly used for a variety of contexts: teaching in classrooms, informal learning, distance learning, business, and e-commerce to name a few. This overview will highlight some basic definitions, distinctions, and applications of this rapidly growing area.
General Definitions
- From Wikipedia: a “computer-based simulated environment intended for its users to inhabit and interact via avatars. This habitation usually is represented in the form of two or three-dimensional graphical representations of humanoids (or other graphical or text-based avatars).”
- From Blascovich et al. 2002 (p. 105): “Synthetic sensory information that leads to perceptions of environments and their contents as if they were not synthetic.”
Synonyms and Distinctions
There are many words used to describe virtual environments. The following are some distinctions in terminology:
- Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVEs) or Multi-User Virtual Environments (MUVES) describe virtual environments that involve more than one user, with avatars interacting with each other. With increased bandwidth and more available Internet access, virtual environments that allow for greater multi-user interactivity have become more widely available in recent years.
- Immersive Virtual Environments (IVEs) perceptually surrounds the user, increasing the user’s sense of presence actually being within it. IVEs typically require special equipment including a head mounted display or a project equipment situated in a room or “cave.” IVEs track a user’s head and body position, facial expressions and gestures, and other information, thereby providing a much information about where in the environment the user is focusing his or her attention.
- Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs), Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs), Massively Multiplayer Online [Games] (MMOs) all describe similar things. MMORPGs often are based on fantasy themes (e.g. in online computer games such as World of Warcraft, Ultima Online, or Everquest II)
- Multi-user domains (MUDs) and MUD Object Oriented (MOOs), are primarily text-based environments that were the predecessors to today’s graphical virtual worlds.
Virtual Environments as Educational Platforms
As the technological barriers to creating CVEs have decreased, a growing number of researchers have created CVEs specifically as educational platforms.
Examples of Virtual Environments Used for Education
Approach 1: Virtual environments that reward offline behavior
- Quest Atlantis (Barab et al. 2005) is a “learning and teaching project that uses a 3D multi-user environment to immerse children, ages 9-12, in educational tasks.” Students (ages 9-12) travel to virtual places to perform “quests”, educational activities that require players to interview family members and peer, research community problems, or produce media. Privileges and points can be earned in the virtual world and by completing quests. Participants can talk with other users and mentors, and build virtual personae. (View more information on Quest Atlantis)
Approach 2: Task and reward embedded within the virtual environment
- River City (Clarke & Dede, 2005) is a multi-user virtual environment (MUVE) in which students investigate a town and develop hypotheses for why an illness is spreading within a place called River City. It is designed to teach learning scientific principles and hypothesis-testing. The environment created an immersive experience that allowed students to become shapers of a scientific experience rather than passive observers. Secondly, River City allowed students to shed their identities as a “‘student failing science’ and take on the identity of a scientist” (pg. 5). And finally, the immersive experience also encouraged critical thinking by actively engaging students. It is worth noting that these three features would not be present in systems using the first approach, because the reward structure in and of itself does not provide these features.
Approach 3: Use existing online environments for research
- Whyville is a 2D virtual environment in which participants can explore, interact, and earn clamshells (a form of virtual currency). UCLA researchers wanted to see if scientific inquiry could be promoted, including aspects of awareness and learning how epidemics spread. Working with the Whyville staff, a contagious pox illness was created into the world, randomly infecting a small number of players, and those infected would occasionally sneeze (their chat messages would be affected) and their avatars’ faces would show spots. Researchers found that the spread of the illness caused players to explore the medical libraries in Whyville and student interactions centered on scientific topics (in chat and message boards) increased dramatically (by 2000%). Whyville is an example of how virtual environments could be used to increase interest and inquiry in specific topic areas.
References
Barab, S., Thomas, M., Dodge, T., Carteaux, R., & Tuzun, H. (2005). Making learning fun: Quest Atlantis, a game without guns. Educational Technology Research and Development, 53, 86–107.
Blascovich, J., Loomis, J., Beall, A., Swinth, K., Hoyt, C., & Bailenson, J. (2002). Immersive virtual environment technology as a methodological tool for social psychology. Psychological Inquiry, 13(2), 103-124.
Clarke, J., & Dede, C. (2005). Making learning meaningful: An exploratory study of using multi-user environments (MUVEs) in middle school science. Presented at AERA, Montreal, April, 2005.