Simulating Learning Environments

The College of Education (COE) Department of Educational Technology has launched Virtual COE in Second Life, a three-dimensional simulated learning environment populated by digital alter egos, or avatars. In Second Life, educational technology students meet in-world to study the educational potential of virtual worlds by designing virtual world instructional units and creating educational objects, such as virtual books, survey tools, and other interactivity tools for creating animation or sound effects.

With a courtyard, two floating skydecks, and a treehouse, the Second Life University of Hawai’i island features four buildings, including The Hawai’i Institute of Geophysics (current location of Virtual COE), Holmes, Sakamaki, and Pacific Ocean Sciences and Technology. Beyond the virtual island, students take field trips to other simulated environments (sims), such as the Sistine Chapel where they can navigate through the architecture and paintings.

Assistant Professor Peter Leong’s virtual rooftop classroom with its scenic ocean view and pillow seats may seem idyllic; however, it is anything but simplistic. Along the perimeters of a large grid, students sit surrounded by multimedia screens. At Leong’s prompt, “rez a prim,” or “create an object” in Second Life language, students respond by making objects appear at the end of a beam of light emitting from their hands.

Second Life is a natural progression towards an increasingly virtual world, one in which distance learning, multimedia conferencing, professional networking, and recruiting will occur more and more in virtual, rather than, real life. The aim of the program is to better engage digital natives who are already familiar with virtual environments; make programs more cost efficient; become a destination for meetings and conferences; increase interdisciplinary collaboration across campuses; and encourage community college students to continue in four-year institutions.

ETEC is currently working with the COE Office of Student Academic Services to use Second Life for student recruitment and advising. The college will be hosting its first Virtual COE Open House event on Thursday, November 19, 2009 from 3:00–6:00 pm. The Virtual COE project is funded by Educational Technology’s LEI Aloha Connections to Teaching Careers grant. For more information about Virtual COE or the Open House event, please contact Peter Leong at peterleo@hawaii.edu.