Download ppt - The Role of 3D virtualisation Environments for providing flexible learning

Rich Knight

Depart. of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology,University of the Western Cape

Email: Knight.rich[at]gmail.comEmail: Knight.rich[at]ymail.com

Departmental Seminar, Biodiversity & Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape ,14 August 2012

Developing Environmental Leadership

Part of Environment and Sustain- ability Studies as a core principle.

Environmental Curriculum Leadership (EL) is usually Post- Graduate and mid-career focused.

Infusion of Environmental Leadership needs to be introduced into under-graduate curriculum.

Explicitly introducing Environmental Explicitly introducing Environmental Leadership contributes to UWC’s Charter Leadership contributes to UWC’s Charter of Graduate Attributes.of Graduate Attributes.


Flexible Learning Provides students with

increased choice, conveniences and personalities.

Provides for WHERE, WHEN and HOW Learning occurs.

Provides information access, leverages expertise, contributes to peer evaluation and correspondence with mentors.

Internet Technology and Virtual Learning Internet Technology and Virtual Learning Environments are blended with face-to-Environments are blended with face-to-face instruction.face instruction.


Role-Playing as a Teaching Strategy

Encourages co-operative learning.

Increases student interest and involvement with course material.

Increases use of experiential (enquiry-based) learning.

Replaces Passive with Active Learning.

Promotes empathy, an understanding of Promotes empathy, an understanding of different perspectives and social different perspectives and social responsibility within a safe environment.responsibility within a safe environment.


Introducing Role-Play into courses

Encourage creativity and allow mistakes Encourage creativity and allow mistakes to be made (adds experience)to be made (adds experience)

Uses students back-ground knowledge (schema).

Complements this knowledge with new information.

Requires re-design of assess- ments that require role-play (conferences, plays, and newscasts)

Use Storyboards to act out different roles (e.g. government officials versus protestors)


Four steps to Role-Play Preparation by the instructor to

define the activity.

Preparation by the students to enact gained knowledge (draft or storyboard presentation).

Presentation of Role-Play.

Debriefing including analysis of mistakes and options on future presentations of the role-play.

Role-Play requires an adaptive approach Role-Play requires an adaptive approach involving more than one iteration.involving more than one iteration.


Role-Playing as a Teaching Strategy


Second Life for Role-Play A “Cloud” 3D Virtual immersive

and interactive environment.

Developed by Linden Labs and launched in 2003.

Users are called residents and interact using Avatars.

Interactions include to socialise, educate, role-play, trade and have “relationships”.

Uses 3D modeling composed of sculpted “prims”, scripts, currency and land transactions.


Role Play: Commercial Environment Large Estates and Islands (65 536 m2) cost $1000

to purchase and $195 and $295 per month maintenance (=SIM).

One server is dedicated to 4 SIMS.

A maximum of 15 000 “prims” can be supported.

Land is re-released through Property Agents through smaller land parcel rentals.

Open Source Scripting language and IP rights are owned by author to share/sell (Marketplace).

Own Currency 230 Linden = $1 (need budgets).


Second Life: Research validation Stanford Prison Experiment (Zimbardo 1971):

Investigated psychological effects of prisoner- guard relationships.

A Mock Prison duplicated effects of enforced authoritarian measures (Students role-playing).

Excessive psychological torture prematurely terminated the “experiment”.

Highly controversial/Unethical (= un-validated)

SL Role-Play could validate these results.


Second Life eLearning Platform Chat (online): Synchronous Communication

Open channel (people nearby can receive it).

Instant Messaging: Synchronous (Online), Asynchronous (Offline) with stored email communications (Closed channel).

Note Cards: (Offline) Operates similarly to email using text-files and links (to graphical elements).

Groups and Group Notifications (with email notification). Allows Note Cards to be filed under the necessary Group (Assignment Submission).


Second Life: Avatar details Fully customisable (appearance, clothes,

behaviour controlled by scripts called Animation Over-rides or AOs).

Scripts can be obtained (purchased) for a variety activities (chatting, dating, listen, dancing through to doing medical procedures like midwifery).

Speech needs to be complemented with EMOTES.

Teaches student to analyse emotion.



Second Life: Assignment Design

Online debates with different roles (including using stereotypes).

Public Poster Displays (Globalisation: ESS132).

Autumn Film Festivals (Google Tours: ESS2121).

Landscape Environmental Storyboards (BCB321).

Environmental Play (ESS312).

Lecture Series: Conservation Biology (BCB312).
