There is a growinginterest in bui ld inginternal 3-D vir tual

campuses as part of a v i r tual wor ld

to support learningand development.

trends

The Application of Virtual Worlds for Learning

Virtual worlds have become increasingly pop-ular around the world. Millions of people fromall demographic backgrounds meet daily inone or more of the 150-plus (and growing) vir-tual worlds.

Many companies are taking virtual worlds seri-ously, advertising products and services, build-ing virtual campuses, communicating withemployees and setting up virtual retail stores ata rapid pace.

Well-designed virtual worlds are built on a syn-thesis of Web 2.0 technologies, includingvoice-over Internet protocol, chat, blogs, wikis,simulation applications, application sharing,advanced search capabilities and nestedInternet browsers that connect to the 3-Dworld via XML.

Predecessors of today’s virtual worlds were com-puter games such as “The Sims,” which movedonline and became massive, multiplayer games.

The main purpose for virtual worlds shiftedfrom gaming to social networking and explo-ration. In the virtual world, people create a lifeas a different person, meet and socialize withnew friends from all around the world, andthey visit and explore new places.

Many enterprises have created their own virtu-al worlds for their customers. Virtual MagicKingdom is a virtual re-creation of Disney’stheme parks. At Coca-Cola’s Coke Studios,teens can create customized music mixes in avirtual music studio. Also, MTV is going digi-tal with Virtual Laguna Beach.

There is a growing interest in building internal3-D virtual campuses as part of a virtual worldto support learning and development. Theapplications include:

1. Virtual worlds allow employees to meet vir-tually with colleagues and subject-matterexperts, exchange information, collaborateand share new ideas. This can provide peo-ple with informal learning opportunities andsupport the way they learn the best: fromother people.

2. Virtual worlds can provide a powerful envi-ronment to get to know the enterprise andthe people. New-hire orientation programscan provide online settings in which you canvisit different company facilities, meet withbusiness leaders, watch videos of corporatemeetings, explore achievements and experi-ences with different people, take a look atthe latest advertising campaign and meetfellow new hires to launch a community.

3. Virtual worlds have been great for peoplewho like to build social networks and co-create content. Many Internet trends mergeand collide in 3-D virtual worlds. The suc-cess of MySpace, YouTube, Facebook andBlogger has shown there is a huge interest inbuilding communities and sharing informa-tion. Additionally, millions have becomeco-creators of (open-source) software,online dictionaries and other subject areas(using wikis and blogs). Internal corporatevirtual worlds likely will become part of thenext generation of learning and knowledgemanagement infrastructure.

4. Internal corporate virtual worlds can includea virtual campus, where employees go totake online learning, collaborate in live vir-tual classrooms, take online assessments,socialize with colleagues and share knowl-edge. Also, through the 3-D user interface,more advanced training can be offered.

5. Virtual worlds can be used to support virtualproject assignments, which others in the virtu-al world can review and critique. Such assign-ments could include designing a new informa-tion system, making recommendations for anenhanced business process or offering a propos-al for new communication collateral. Thiswould provide people with action learningexperiences in a global environment.

The current online environment and potentialapplications of virtual worlds for learning anddevelopment are very exciting and promising— particularly if you keep in mind that thenew generation joining the workforce hasgrown up with virtual worlds. It’s up to CLOleadership to turn this promise into reality.

Nick van Dam, Ph.D.

Nick van Dam, Ph.D., is the global chief learningofficer for Deloitte ToucheTohmatsu. He is founder

of the e-Learning For Kids Foundation.

He can be reached ateditor@clomedia.com.

August 2007 Iw

ww

.clomedia.com

IChief Learning Officer

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