Immersive Virtual Worlds as an Educational Construct for

Authentic Social Learning Experiences

Jocelynn Mortlock

ETEC 511

Foundations of Educational Technology

Master of Educational Technology

University of British Columbia, B.C.

Instructor: Dr. Matiul Alam

December 1st, 2016

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Abstract

The emergence of technology as a construct for learning has begun to raise questions of which

technology tools are the most appropriate for a technology saturated world. Where students have

access to informational technology at their fingertips, it can be difficult to determine the best

course of action in educating them in technology without losing social interactions between

peers. Technology immersion into education gives students the opportunity to experience life-

like events, in remote or rural communities, where social interaction between diverse community

members may be limited. In considering the design strategies necessary for online education,

immersive virtual worlds provide authentic learning opportunities through a constructivist

approach by having peers collaborate on a social level to problem-solve and learn from one-

another. This essay will examine the Social Constructivist Theory as it relates to Educational

Technology, and evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of virtual worlds in education,

using several case studies, demonstrating the benefits of enhancing their social constructs and

experiences through the manipulation of virtual worlds. The essay will also take into account

future considerations virtual technology has to offer to the educational world.

Introduction

The emergence of technology as a construct for learning has begun to raise questions of

which technology tools are the most appropriate for a technology saturated world. Where

students have access to informational technology at their fingertips, it can be difficult to

determine the best course of action in educating them in technology without losing social

interactions between peers. Immersion into education has long been known to be an effective

design for students to participate in a comprehensive, realistic and social environment, such as

with Second-language immersion schools around the world. Technology immersion is no

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different, with the use of immersive virtual worlds, giving students the opportunity to experience

life-like events from behind the safety of a screen, in remote or rural communities, where social

interaction between diverse community members may be limited. When education is taken out of

the classroom, and placed in an online environment, such as Distance Education or simulated

environments, the Educational Design must be considered in great depth as to the effectiveness

of the activities being delivered. In order to maintain a degree of learning that is authentic to the

learners involved, social constructs must be respected and opportunities presented to allow for

social interaction. By examining current pedagogical approaches and the Social Constructivist

Theory as it pertains to Educational Technology, I will evaluate the effectiveness of immersive

virtual experiences, arguing that immersive virtual worlds provide authentic learning

opportunities for students in a distance education, by collaborating with peers on a social level to

problem-solve and learn from one-another.

Current Pedagogy of Immersive Technologies

With the emergence of new technologies often comes a shift in how information is being

taught, shared and accessed. According to Stacey Kluge and Liz Riley (2008), as technology

changes, education must follow, with teachers having to “rethink the what, where, when and how

students learn”. Rather than a model of a teacher as a “sage on a stage”, as Kluge and Riley

discuss, “educators need to move to a more pluralistic and entrepreneurial approach to learning,

where students take a much more active and independent role” (2008). Therefore, in order to

delve further into an inquiry-based education, having curricular content be less of the focus from

core competencies, where students demonstrate skills in communication, critical and creative

thinking, and social abilities rather than knowledge, immersive technologies provide

opportunities for students to engage in fun and creative ways. Many studies have been conducted
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at the higher education level, exploring opportunities for Health and Medical education (Boulos,

Kamel, Hetheringtin & Wheeler, 2007), as well as multiple perspective learning engagements

(Dede, 2009) and building on communal social constructs (Girvan & Savage, 2010; Hew &

Cheung, 2010; Savin-Baden, 2010). Currently, pedagogy within the immersive virtual world of

education points to social and community driven constructs, allowing learners to become a part

of a greater community whose level of understanding intensifies when learning is shared across

all members.

Social Constructivist Theory in Educational Technology

Social Constructivist Theory ties learning to a communal effort to build on one’s own

understanding of a concept through the socialization of like-minded peers, utilizing the

experiences of others to create new personal growth in understanding (Wilson, 1996). In

employing immersive technologies as a replacement for traditional classroom education, taking

the social constructivist approach has been beneficial to seeing advancements in facilitating the

implementation of such technologies as well as the growth experienced by its users. Warburton’s

in-depth examination of Second Life multi-user virtual world platform concluded that the

technical, immersive and social components of the virtual environment allowed affordances in

how teachers approach new content through an online lens (2009). The social aspects of the

game provide opportunities for learners to engage with one another, similarly to how they might

interact with the real world, demonstrating a situated learning environment with high levels of

social engagement (Dickey, 2005).

Implementation Practices of Immersive Virtual Worlds

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In an attempt to investigate the effectiveness of virtual world immersion in an educational

setting, several studies have been conducted using different platforms for students to engage in.

Second Life is a “mature and popular multi-user virtual world platform” (Warburton, 2009) that

allows users to interact in a simulated, life-like environment from the comfort of their home. The

attractiveness of the game to users is the accessibility of an unstructured 3-D space from which

the avatars of themselves can move around and interact. From a Medical Education perspective,

Second Life provides the opportunity to perform complex medical procedures without the risk of

injury or death to its patients (Boulos, Kamel, Hetherington & Wheeler, 2007).

Active Worlds is another virtual world platform being used in Distance Education both

synchronously and asynchronously, offering both experiential and situated learning

opportunities.

Finally, CAVE, a virtual reality platform designed for elementary-aged children as part of

the NICE project (Narrative-based, Immersive, Constructivist/Collaborative Environments for

children) was used to investigate how children might be able to take part in shared learning by

engaging in the same physical space as well as remotely with other children from different

communities (Roussos, Johnson, Moher, Leigh, Vasilakis & Barnes, 1999).

“The NICE project provides an engaging setting where children construct and cultivate

simple virtual ecosystems, collaborate via networks with other remotely-located children,

and create stories from their interactions in the real and virtual world.” (1999).

As technology becomes more and more accessible within the classroom as well as at home,

children and adults alike are given greater opportunities to experience learning from platforms

that simulate real-life, while remaining in rural or remote areas of the world.
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Evaluating the Impact of Virtual World Immersion on Student Learning Engagements

Through each of the studies outlined above, the goal of implementing new effective

practices for education in an online, virtually immersive environment was achieved. Each of the

participants in the studies engaged socially with each other, building on their prior knowledge

and understanding, to create new experiences and participate in various activities. Girvan and

Savage prove these learning improvements through their participants’ chat logs, learning

artefacts and post semi-structured interviews (2010). However, it is in Dede’s study of

Immersive Interfaces (2009) that true affordances to this new style of teaching are seen. Dede’s

study examined the virtual immersive experience of learners in how they relate to the suspension

of disbelief. The greater the suspension of disbelief, the quicker and more effective a learner was

able to build on his or her prior knowledge and create new understanding in a world where

physical interaction was at a minimum. Dede discovered that in order to create the level of

suspension of disbelief necessary, the design strategies needed to combine “actional, symbolic,

and sensory factors” to make the participant feel as though they were “inside” the world (Dede,

2009).

Similarly, the NICE project aimed to achieve true immersion through interaction, giving

students a set of goggles from which to visualize their new surroundings (Roussos et al., 1999).

By using technology to simulate a real environment, participants were more actively engaged

with others in the shared environment, interacting socially with peers from diverse backgrounds,

allowing for multiple perspective taking, situated learning through realistic and relevant tasks,

and the transfer of knowledge and understanding.

As well as through the design strategies already mentioned, learning also becomes most

meaningful when the tasks are “self-directed and accomplished through constructivist activities”
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(Roussos, 1999). By allowing the participants in a virtual world to interact with the world in such

a way as to have to problem solve through relevant tasks with their peers, to construct

meaningful, personal artefacts, students maintain a fascination with the content they are learning

and maintain a level of engagement necessary for the formation of long-term learning

connections.

Future Considerations

Virtual worlds can be an effective learning engagement, due to the accessibility across its

diverse membership, as well as the affordances it allows in education, where education is

growing exponentially towards inquiry-based learning as curriculum adapts to shifting

technologies. With that in mind, virtual world environments are also “generalized rather than

contextual”, as Kluge and Riley point out, “which allows virtual worlds to be applicable to

almost all disciplines” (2008).

In the classroom, authentic learning experiences are often difficult to achieve, resulting

largely in textbook-based activities as the foundation to most learning experiences. In an online

virtual environment, participants may interact with their peers in a second or additional language,

with users located in a different area of the world. From there, students can begin to discuss,

strategize and even implement, in their additional language, ideas towards a communal goal. For

students engaging in virtual online environments, the possibilities for learning engagements are

endless.

From an educator’s point of view, however, the implementation of such a practice

requires further consideration of the goals of the learning engagements, the intent behind

activities, and the appropriateness for the platform chosen. For the instructors of the NICE
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project, their goals were compounded by combining an exploration and understanding of the

complexities of the ecosystem with a story-telling social aspect. The CAVE platform provided

the necessary social affordances through ‘genie’ guides as well as the 3-D interactive world on a

fantasy island (Roussos, 1999). Children’s knowledge was scaffolded through the careful

planning of activities within the world, just as a teacher might plan the activities for a field trip.

As educators move forward in their teachings, authentic activities for scaffolded and

constructivist learning can be achieved through the immersion in online virtual environments.

Conclusion

By reviewing the current pedagogy towards immersive technologies in education, examining

social constructivist theory and evaluating the implementation practices and effectiveness of

design strategies across platforms, learners in many disciplines benefit from using immersive

technology environments to enhancing their social constructs and learning experience through

the manipulation of virtual worlds. Second Life, Action Worlds, and CAVE are all virtual world

platforms that offer highly engaging, 3-D unstructured worlds that connect users from around the

world. With the proper implementation and structuring of relevant learning experiences from the

part of the educator, learners participating in these online virtual worlds can effectively immerse

themselves in their environment. Immersion in a second-language classroom provides solid

opportunities for authentic learning environments, however, in an online, generalized

environment, various disciplines can benefit from increased learner engagement and interactivity

between peers to achieve common goals. These online immersive experiences allow educators to

teach students using learner-centered pedagogies, engaging students in innovative ways, and

broadening a student’s experiential interaction within a larger community of diverse learners and
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thinkers. Unlike learners in a traditional school setting, immersive virtual world learners build on

the collaborative and reflective aspects of learning that are so paramount to propelling their

education further.
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