The Play2Train Framework Lowering barriers for access to virtual training environments Rameshsharma (Ramesh) Ramloll [email_address] Virtual Worlds & Health Day @ Games for Health May 7 2008

What stakeholders care about Developers Users Communication Plasticity Interoperability Ease of use Culture What will users prefer to do if they have ‘free’ time available? 1. Use their disposable time to develop virtual content they ‘need’ 2. Use their disposable time to ‘do’ what they have always wanted to do in their own domain of expertise Reuse Community But to claim that such a line does not exist or will disappear is disingenuous Cost Caution: The line between developers and users is neither bright nor well-defined … Features

Once upon a time … 3D APIs – Java 3D (circa 2000)

3D APIs – Java 3D (circa 2000)

Old habits die hard… 3D Game APIs (circa 2002)

3D Game APIs (circa 2002)

‘Plastic’ virtual environments Second Life-Play2Train (circa 2007) In-world/In-situ editing in External tools / ‘level editing’ possibly out Collaborative building

Second Life-Play2Train (circa 2007)

In-world/In-situ editing in

External tools / ‘level editing’ possibly out

Collaborative building

Local context- Idaho State Target audience Emergency responders Healthcare providers Orientation, training the trainer Challenges Culture Infrastructure Hardware limitation Bandwidth limitation? Accessing SL through tight ‘hospital’ fire walls

Target audience

Emergency responders

Healthcare providers

Orientation, training the trainer

Challenges

Culture

Infrastructure

Hardware limitation

Bandwidth limitation?

Accessing SL through tight ‘hospital’ fire walls

Play2Train stakeholders Play2Train Custom virtual content developers Subject matter experts Students Technical assistants Administration

P2T knowledge networking (early 2008)

Example P2T interested parties

Conference demonstrations

Resource costs Infrastructure Current cost: Island 1000 USD per 16 acres (65,536 square meters); non-profit/educational=295 USD/2 Play2Train costs (3 years) = 3*1000 + (295/2)*36 = 8310 USD Custom content (70%)=20 000 USD In-world content (30%)=500 USD Total = 28810 USD Volunteer subject matter experts Tangible benefits: ability to develop pilots that can generate small grants, publications Play2Train staff 15 000 USD (3 years) Donation of off working hours to participate in content development, manage content development, produce machinima, establish relationships with potential collaborators etc…

Infrastructure

Current cost: Island 1000 USD per 16 acres (65,536 square meters); non-profit/educational=295 USD/2

Play2Train costs (3 years) = 3*1000 + (295/2)*36 = 8310 USD

Custom content (70%)=20 000 USD

In-world content (30%)=500 USD

Total = 28810 USD

Volunteer subject matter experts

Tangible benefits: ability to develop pilots that can generate small grants, publications

Play2Train staff

15 000 USD (3 years)

Donation of off working hours to participate in content development, manage content development, produce machinima, establish relationships with potential collaborators etc…

Why users choose Play2Train? Enable participants to experience table top exercises they can customize without having to develop virtual content on their own Short path to evaluations, hence, publications (Traditional e.g. Journal and Conference Proceedings and web 2.0 type of pubs) when looking at innovative learning practices in virtual environments Many have used Play2Train to showcase Second Life educational opportunities to ‘powers that be’ via virtual tours Significant online interest (blogs, mainstream media)

Enable participants to experience table top exercises they can customize without having to develop virtual content on their own

Short path to evaluations, hence, publications (Traditional e.g. Journal and Conference Proceedings and web 2.0 type of pubs) when looking at innovative learning practices in virtual environments

Many have used Play2Train to showcase Second Life educational opportunities to ‘powers that be’ via virtual tours

Significant online interest (blogs, mainstream media)

Play2Train services Training the trainer Virtual content maintenance Technical assistance Virtual tours Outreach and knowledge networking Pilot study support Evaluation services: Experiment design and data analysis

Training the trainer

Virtual content maintenance

Technical assistance

Virtual tours

Outreach and knowledge networking

Pilot study support

Evaluation services: Experiment design and data analysis

Funding and monetization ASPR (ex BTCDP) funding ends August 2008 Monetization for sustainability Educational conference services In-world advertising Membership/access fees Sponsors (federal and commercial)

ASPR (ex BTCDP) funding ends August 2008

Monetization for sustainability

Educational conference services

In-world advertising

Membership/access fees

Sponsors (federal and commercial)

Cost saving strategies? In house sim hosting Openlife TM grid (Second Life’s open source competitor) Keep an eye on viable alternatives Project Wonderland (Sun Microsystems) Downside: Maintenance costs goes up- Hosted services vs. In-house services

In house sim hosting

Openlife TM grid (Second Life’s open source competitor)

Keep an eye on viable alternatives

Project Wonderland (Sun Microsystems)

Downside: Maintenance costs goes up-

Hosted services vs. In-house services

The End QUESTIONS? [email_address] [email_address]

Panel Session Q1: There has been many projects implementing virtual training environments that were funded over the years. Many share the same set of training goals. Why is it that significant federal funding get spent to develop a training environment for one group, then a similar one for another group etc…?

Q1: There has been many projects implementing virtual training environments that were funded over the years. Many share the same set of training goals. Why is it that significant federal funding get spent to develop a training environment for one group, then a similar one for another group etc…?

Panel session Q2: Answer by a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’. Will we be using World of Warcraft in the future ( I presume for the kind of applications we have been talking about .)?

Q2: Answer by a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’. Will we be using World of Warcraft in the future ( I presume for the kind of applications we have been talking about .)?

Panel Session We have seen a lot of presentations today where it seems designers are ‘just throwing in objects in 3d worlds’. Why reinvent the wheel? We have been involved in ‘high end VR’ since a very long time? Why not go for those ‘high end solutions’? This morning somebody showed the ‘space navigator’, what’s the big deal? We’ve been doing these stuff for a very long time. Educators should ask us what they need and we will provide. They should ‘talk to us’.

We have seen a lot of presentations today where it seems designers are ‘just throwing in objects in 3d worlds’. Why reinvent the wheel? We have been involved in ‘high end VR’ since a very long time? Why not go for those ‘high end solutions’? This morning somebody showed the ‘space navigator’, what’s the big deal? We’ve been doing these stuff for a very long time. Educators should ask us what they need and we will provide. They should ‘talk to us’.

Panel session General question on what a virtual medium is, whether 2D or 3D matters, the importance or non-importance of fidelity, on the need to understand the target audience, on usage metrics.

General question on what a virtual medium is, whether 2D or 3D matters, the importance or non-importance of fidelity, on the need to understand the target audience, on usage metrics.