The Impact Of Multi User Virtual Environments On Classroom Social Network Structure

New emergent forms of online communication started to change teaching and learning processes. It brought about online learning that has gained more and more attention from educator, learners and researchers. However, although communication is considered an essential element of the learning process, little is known about how online learning environments shape students’ interactions. The current paper sheds light on the structure and properties of social networks formed in an online learning environment. Two instructional approaches were compared – one incorporating traditional lecturing and blogging, and the other including traditional lecturing, blogging, and a Multi-User Virtual Environment (MUVE) platform called Second Life (SL). 56 students in a large Mid-Wester university enrolled in an undergraduate-level psychology course participated in the study. In the control condition, the students received a lecture and were required to write a blog post every week. In the experimental condition, the students received a lecture, wrote a blog post each week and also participated in SL activities during class time. Students’ interactions on the blog in both conditions were coded and analyzed at two time points: at Post 1 and Post 12. Social network analysis was used to analyze the network density, centralization and to calculate individual node centrality indices. ANCOVA and Quade’s test (non-parametric ANCOVA alternative) were used to analyze network connectedness. The results revealed the following: (1) Students in the experimental condition made more connections with each other than in the control condition, potentially due to the more egalitarian nature of communication channels in SL and more opportunities for synchronous communication; (2) The network in the experimental condition was more distributed and less centralized. Peer network analysis showed that students in the experimental condition took more control over the information flow and dispersion. The instructor played a less significant role in experimental condition network. Second Life allowed for creating an autonomous, distributed learning environment that could form a more distributed interaction network; (3) The instructor’s influence in both class networks decreased over time; however, he remained a facilitator of the information flow in both conditions, although to a much lesser extent in the experimental condition as compared to the control condition. The implications of these findings, possible limitations and future research directions are also discussed.

Teaching through Multi-User Virtual Environments: Applying Dynamic Elements to the Modern Classroom highlights the work of educators daring enough to teach in these new frontiers of education. This timely publication is a must-read for all educators and practitioners, of any subject and at any level, who wish to incorporate a dynamic online element to their classroom. It is also meant for researchers of education, computer science, and instructional technologies. Teaching through Multi-User Virtual Environments: Applying Dynamic Elements to the Modern Classroom is a one-stop resource for practices, as well as research activities, within the domain on Multi-User Virtual Environments.

As a type of virtual learning community, multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) are not only sources of entertainment but are also places where learning opportunities and community development can be created and fostered. Some multi-user virtual environments that have emerged have been designed to serve students and teachers in the K-12 sector. Although learning is a goal in these contexts, this study focused on some of the community building and social networking components. The purpose of this study was to examine whether, to what degree and how nine elementary aged students projected themselves socially through this medium. The results could provide insight into the integration of such environments into K-12 educational contexts and could serve as a launching point for further research into the learning and community aspects of MUVEs. A case study approach was used in this research study. The researcher chose a class of nine students who were enrolled in an educational MUVE as part of their regular studies. Although these students completed assignments in the MUVE, only their social interactions were analyzed. The data was collected from student communication logs in the educational MUVE Quest Atlantis and from interviews with participants. Document analysis was used to analyze transcripts of student communications in Quest Atlantis as well as transcripts from text-based interviews. The results obtained demonstrate the types of communication and tool selection patterns of elementary aged students when using text to communicate in a MUVE and provide insight that can be used by teachers to inform the integration of MUVEs in their unique learning contexts. Findings indicated that frequency of communication varied substantially between participants but message content was similar and content volume varied depending on the communication tool. Gender differences were pronounced. Results also revealed that all participants were comfortable and enjoyed their involvement.

As innovation advances and grows, classrooms are able utilize more advanced technology to educate students. Through virtual learning environments, students can experience real-life tasks and situations more directly, promoting active engagement in education. Integrating Multi-User Virtual Environments in Modern Classrooms provides emerging research on the development of multi-user virtual learning environments and their potential role in education. Highlighting a range of pertinent topics, such as project-based learning, social learning theory, and interactive media, this book is a vital resource for educational researchers, school teachers, college professors, and instructional designers seeking current research on the benefits and integration of multi-user virtual environments in modern education.

There is a trend to offer courses by virtual means. This approach has definite advantages. For example, virtual programs target professionals who would otherwise have to leave their jobs to pursue the degree. An enormous proportion of universities are in the process of developing courses in a virtual environment. This book deals with virtual environments for teaching and learning. The chapters can be considered to be representative of the many approaches taken and the diversity of applications. The different perspectives and different solutions adopted are the result of intense research in various countries in the area of e-learning. Contents: Use of Virtual Worlds to Teach the Sciences (B M Slator et al.); Traditional vs. Technology-Integrated Distance Education (Z Erlich et al.); Facilitators and Inhibitors of E-Learning (J Liu et al.); Developing and Accessing Adaptive Internet-Based Courses (R M Carro et al.); Towards Intelligent Media-Oriented E-Learning Environments (M Kayama & T Okamoto); An Intelligent Tutoring System for Student Guidance in Web-Based Courses (B uzdemir & F N Alpaslan); Automatic Generation of Problems in Web-Based Tutors (M V Belmonte et al.); The Design of Internet-Based Interactive Learning Models Using Agents and Their Applications (T Ichimura et al.); Supporting Personalization in Distance Education Virtual Communities (E Gaudioso & J G Boticario); An Intelligent System for Capturing Presentation on Desktop Manipulations C Supporting for Video Contents Production (Y Nakamura et al.). Readership: Academics and researchers in education and computer science."

Technology has had direct impact on education in increasing the way that society continues to learn. Applications of immersive environments, virtual worlds, and augmented reality have significant implications for how teaching and learning are achieved in contemporary education. Immersive Environments, Augmented Realities and Virtual Worlds: Assessing Future Trends in Education brings together current research and performance in trends in education. While examining cyber behavior and the use of virtual worlds, immersive technologies and augmented realities aim to improve teaching and enhancing learning.

Online social media have transformed the face of human interaction in the 21st century. Wikis, blogs, online groups and forums, podcasts, virtual worlds, and social tagging are but a few of the applications enabling innovative behaviors that support acquisition, access, manipulation, retrieval, and visualization of information. It is, therefore, no surprise that educational practitioners and theorists have begun to explore how social media can be harnessed to describe and implement new paradigms for communication, learning, and education. The editors’ goal in publishing this book was to identify original research on the application of online social media and related technologies in education as well as emerging applications in Web technologies that could provide and shape future educational platforms. The selected contributions deal with questions such as how social media can truly enrich and enhance learning and teaching experiences in ways not otherwise possible; how learning can be integrated in a distributed and ubiquitous social computing environment; or what theories, paradigms, and models are applicable for the support of social computing in education. Researchers in education or educational software will find interesting and sometimes provocative chapters on paradigms and methodologies, virtual and mobile learning spaces, and assessment and social factors. Practitioners in these fields will benefit from an additional section devoted to case studies and first experience reports.

"This book provides interdisciplinary perspectives utilizing a variety of research methods to uncover the fundamental components of computer-mediated communication (i.e., language, interpersonal relations/communication and information technology) which will be discussed in the following section"--Provided by publisher.

This book has a multidisciplinary approach to Metaverse studies and the relevance of Metaverse with the current and popular topics that concern society and how it will change them in the future. In addition, academic texts are included since not much scientific content is available in this field. In short, there are sections in the book that everyone will find useful. Most importantly, the topics are grouped under four main parts. The first is the Introduction, where the main issues are explained. In the second section—Technical Topics, the technological infrastructure of the subject is explained, followed by section three where the social and human dimensions of Metaverse are explained. The fourth and final section is on Industrial Applications.

Modern technology has enhanced many aspects of life, including classroom education. By offering virtual learning experiences, educational systems can become more efficient and effective at teaching the student population. The Handbook of Research on Collaborative Teaching Practice in Virtual Learning Environments highlights program developments in the realm of digital worlds in educational settings. Featuring pedagogical methods and topics relating to cooperative learning, hands-on curriculum, and meta-cognitive dimensions, this publication is a critical reference source for pre-service and in-service teachers, school administrators, higher education faculty, and researchers interested in virtual reality incorporation in the classroom.