This document discusses students' responses to and challenges with using 3D virtual worlds (3DVWs) as an art medium and exhibition space in art education. It summarizes previous literature on educational uses of 3DVWs and identifies gaps in research on their application in art education specifically. The study investigated students' perceptions of 3DVWs as an art medium, exhibition space, and their willingness to adopt this approach in the future. Most participants had positive learning experiences after overcoming the initial technical challenges, and recognized benefits like global collaboration and interactive art forms. However, concerns were raised about practical implementation in K-12 classrooms.

1. 232 Lu / 3D Virtual Worlds as Art Media and Exhibition Arenas
3D Virtual Worlds as Art Media
and Exhibition Arenas: Students’
Responses and Challenges in
Contemporary Art Education
L I L L Y L U
Northern Illinois University
3D virtual worlds (3DVWs) are considered one of the emerging
learning spaces of the 21st century; however, few empirical
studies have investigated educational applications and
student learning aspects in art education. This study focused
on students’ responses to and challenges with 3D VWs in
both aspects. The findings show that most participants had
positive learning experiences and attitudes toward 3D VWs
as an art medium and an exhibition arena after overcoming
a steep learning curve. They recognized that creating virtual
art as well as viewing and critiquing it during art exhibits in
a global virtual setting were great advantages for concept
learning and art education. They also raised a concern about
actual implementation in K-12 classrooms.The data shed light
on how art educators and teachers can take advantage of the
affordances of 3D VWs for teaching contemporary art in a
digital age. Recommendations for future studies are provided.
Correspondence regarding this article may be sent to the author at:
lillylu26@gmail.com
Copyright 2013 by the National Art Education Association
Studies in Art Education: A Journal of Issues and Research
2013, 54(3), 232-245
“Virtual art/
virtual art
spaces as new
art medium/
art forms
expand the
concept and
form of art.”

2. Studies in Art Education / Volume 54, No. 3 233
​R
ecently, popular online 3D multi-
user virtual worlds (3D VWs) such as
Club Penguin (for kids), There (for teens
and adults), and Second Life (SL) (for teens1
and adults) have attracted different age
groups/users, including researchers, educa-
tors, and students. These networked virtual
worlds provide 3D virtual spaces where a
user, called an avatar (a visual representa-
tion of a human being), can easily show his/
her presence while meeting and conversing
with other users/avatars in remote locations
synchronously or asynchronously. Users are
required to have an updated computer with a
high-speed Internet connection and to install
a free browser after registering to become
residents in the selected virtual environment.
Combining the features of online gaming
(desktop virtual reality) and social networking
(social media), these popular 3D VW environ-
ments are characterized by hyper-real visual
imagery, unique immersive power, intensive
interaction, and user-created content (Lu,
2008). Such 3D VWs are alternative online/dis-
tance learning environments (Annetta, Murray,
Laird, Bohr, & Park, 2008; Gaimster, 2008;
Inman, Vivian, & Hartman, 2010) and emerg-
ing 21st-century learning spaces for the digital
generation (Smart, Cascio, & Paffendorf, 2007).
However, many educators, including art educa-
tors, lack knowledge and resources to apply the
new capabilities in specific content areas using
sound pedagogy (Annnetta, et al., 2008). Few
empirical studies have thoroughly investigated
the educational applications of such 3D VW
environment or addressed student learning in
the context of art education. These problems
should be investigated and resolved to fill gaps
in research and practice.
The main purpose of this cross-cases study
was to generate initial empirical data for art
education by investigating (1) art education stu-
dents’ responses to a 3D VW as an art medium
and exhibit arena, (2) their perceived learning
within 3D VWs, and (3) their willingness to adopt
VWs in future art practice. In this article, I present
the findings and make recommendations for
future research and practice.
3D VW Literature in K-12 and
Higher Education
Reviewing 15 empirical studies, Hew and
Cheung (2010) reported that educators in K-12
and higher education often utilized 3D VWs
as spaces for communication, simulation, and
experiential learning. They also found the main
research interests were centered on students’
social interaction, affective domain (attitudes
and satisfaction), and learning outcomes.
Studies showed that using a personal avatar
seemed to be a successful way for elementary,
secondary, and undergraduate students to com-
municate and interact with others (Dickey, 2005;
Edirisingha, Nie, Pluciennik, & Young, 2009).
Hew and his associates also reported that
most students in these studies had positive satis-
faction with and attitudes toward using 3D VWs
during their learning process.This finding is con-
sistent with two later reviews: one on 27 empiri-
cal studies (Inman, et al., 2010) and one on 53
empirical studies (Mikropoulos & Natsis, 2011).
Compared to the one-dimensional, text-driven
digital learning spaces, students liked using
such learning environments better because of
the ability to move freely around the 3D VW
space, to socialize with avatars, and to experi-

3. 234 Lu / 3D Virtual Worlds as Art Media and Exhibition Arenas
ence virtual field trips and simulation situated
in the learning content and context. Over half of
the student participants from Campbell’s (2009)
and Cobb, Heaney, Corcoran, and Henderson-
Begg’s (2009) studies said they would use this or
similar technologies in their future teaching.
On the other hand, these reviews also
reported some negatives about using 3D VWs
for education due to perceived educational
value, technical issues, steep learning curves,
and inappropriate content and behaviors. Some
students were unwilling to accept or adopt 3D
VWs for education because they did not see its
value as an educational tool (Lambert & Kidd,
2008) and did not take it seriously (FitzGibbon,
Oldham, & Johnston, 2008). Additionally, tech-
nical issues such as inability to access and run
3D VWs smoothly through older computers,
frequent software updates, and slow download
time often caused frustration and complaints
(Hew & Cheung, 2010; Inman, et al., 2010), espe-
cially for students who were impatient or not
tech savvy.
The steep learning curve is the main frustra-
tion and barrier (Berge, 2008; Inman, 2010; Perez,
2009) for beginners, especially those who are
not used to dealing with complex systems such
as online video games or building tasks. In his
study on gifted elementary students in 3D VWs,
Gerstein (2009) found that frustration was due
to misunderstanding the learning tasks, inability
to find objects and locations, and/or technology
problems. Sanchez (2009) identified interface
and technical difficulties, world [how to play]
expectations, and time consumption as compo-
nents of the learning curve. Crosier (2000) found
that less experienced users dealt with interface
acquaintance and navigational problems while
more experienced users were easily distracted
by the virtual reality. Both problems significantly
affected the users’attitude scores. FitzGibbon, et
al. (2008) and Luo and Kemp (2008) concluded
that the interface can be hard to master without
frequent use and that learning how to build
objects takes time and practice. Inappropriate
content (pornography) and behaviors (cyber
bullying/offering) annoyed users during their
virtual“in-world”time (Hayes, 2006; Perez, 2009).
A few studies found that student satisfac-
tion scored higher than learnability (Goncalves,
2005; Cobb et. al., 2009) and that no real cog-
nitive benefit was found (Minogue, Gail Jones,
Broadwell, & Oppewall, 2006; Patera, Draper,
& Naef, 2008). However, other study results
showed that 3DVWs helped students learn (Hew
& Chueng, 2010; Inman, et al., 2010; Mikropoulos
& Natsis, 2011) and that the sense of presence,
multisensory interaction, immersiveness,
dynamic models, simulations, and visulization
in 3D VWs were the factors that contributed
to student learning (Dede, Salzman, Loftin, &
Sprague, 1999; Mikropoulos & Natsis, 2011;
Webb, 2005).
Many empricial studies have examined stu-
dents’ affective, social, and learning aspects
in relation to the affordances of 3D VWs. Most
of them were focused on using 3D VWs only
as alternative online learning environments
to simulate and expand learning experiences,
facilitatate conversation, and encourage interac-
tion. The potential and application of 3D VWs as
a creation tool for students to build objects and
generate content, especially visual content as
the result of learning outcomes in-world, has not
yet been investigated. Particularly, few empricial
findings regarding students’ perceived learning,
satisfaction, and attitudes toward the use of 3D
VWs exist in the context of art education. Thus,
empirical studies on 3D VWs as art medium and
exhibit arenas in art education are needed to fill
the gap between research and practice. In the
next section, I review and discuss the current lit-
erature on 3D VWs in art education and identfy
the framework for this study.
3D VWs and Art Education
The field of 3D VWs in art and art educa-
tion is in its infancy. Early pioneer art educators
addressed the potential and application of 3D

4. Studies in Art Education / Volume 54, No. 3 235
VWs. Some contemporary digital artists (Doyle,
2010; Willis, 2007), art educators (Liao, 2008; Lu,
2008, 2010;Taylor, Ballengee Morris, & Carpenter,
2010), and general 3D VW users/residents (Ward
& Sonneborn, 2009) have experimented with 3D
VW as new media for artistic expression in two
ways. Identity creation through avatar custom-
ization has received attention in the art world
andinarteducation.Liao(2008)reportedseveral
contemporary artists use SL avatars to address
the western cannon of beauty, stereotype, and
identity. Ward and Sonneborn (2009) stated that
3D VW residents may personalize their avatars
and profiles as creative outlets for self-represen-
tation. Students can interpret and reflect on the
social, cultural, and metaphoric meaning of their
avatar characters in art classrooms (Carpenter,
2009; Liao, 2008; Sweeny, 2009; Taylor, 2009).
Lu (2010c) found that the anonymous iden-
tity of avatars leads to more open, direct, and
engaged art conversation among avatars. It can
also easily deconstruct and eliminate power
relationships and hierarchies that exist in edu-
cational settings. Gaimster (2008) observed that
students with anonymous identities critiqued
each other’s work in a more honest and critical
manner but noted that anonymity could result
in bullying, grieving, and harassment.
In addition to avatars, 3D VWs allow artist
and resident users to create art with multimodal
elements that may stand alone as well as blend
into the 3D virtual spaces. With the built-in
creation tools and “ready-to-use” scripts, users
can create static, animated, and interactive art.
Additionally, users can customize virtual art
spaces and avatars’appearances to film a movie
(machinima) as an alternative video art form.
What makes such contemporary art different
from other media art is its interactivity. Through
their avatars, audiences can explore and inter-
act with virtual art and within virtual spaces.
Although virtual artists can design and program
viewers’ possible experiences, audiences actu-
ally take ownership of choosing, creating, and
interpreting their unique virtual art experience
(Lu, 2010c).
I argue that the 3D VWs can offer contem-
porary art and art education the potential for
new challenges and for new creative, artistic,
and educational possibilities through using 3D
virtual spaces as a contemporary art medium, a
virtual art learning environment, and an exhibi-
tion arena (Lu, 2010b, 2010c). Virtual art/virtual
art spaces as new art medium/art forms expand
the concept and form of art. Virtual art can be
interactive and animated with multimodal ele-
ments that expand the ways viewers perceive
visual cues, acquire information, and under-
stand concepts. Audiences can play with the
interactive work to interpret the concept and
make meaning of their virtual art experience. For
3D VW artists, it is a new challenge to consider
and design interactivity between avatars and
their work as part of the virtual/visual experi-
ence with/within the virtual art form/spaces.
A 3DVW can serve not only as a creation play-
ground but also as an exhibit and performance
arena. 3D VWs can help global artists individu-
ally or collaboratively create a piece of virtual
art or an entire space and allow global audi-
ences to attend the exhibit and participate in
art events. A real-time art event can situate audi-
ence avatars on the created stage/virtual space
to view or interact/perform within the art per-
formance. Thus, global accessibility can involve
more art people in art activities and enhance
cross-cultural engagement and interaction.
3D VWs as art learning environments allow
instructors to provide a learning/cultural
context and to design learning experiences,
including creating learning objects or a learn-
ing space, having virtual field trips to different
art and cultural sites, and attending professional
meetings, learning events, and educational
conferences hosted in SL (Lu, 2011). Art educa-
tors have argued that making and critiquing art
helps students to think, interpret, understand,
and create meaning critically to support con-

5. 236 Lu / 3D Virtual Worlds as Art Media and Exhibition Arenas
ceptual learning (Efland, 2002; Freedman, 2003;
Marshall & Vashe, 2008). As discussed previously,
3DVWs can serve as a contemporary art medium
for students to create art with unique interac-
tive and multi-modal features. 3D VWs can also
offer great opportunities for students to learn
new concepts and construct knowledge as they
access art and have critical art conversations
with people around the world in global settings.
It is noted that empirical evidence to confirm
these benefits for art learning is still needed.
Lu (2011) developed an integrated model
that combines Lu’s (2008) 3D VW characteristics
(visualization, autonomy, interactivity, and inter-
action) and Lim’s (2009)“Six Learnings of Second
Life.” There are four learning stages and associ-
ated activities in this model (Table 1) that focus
on 3D VWs as an art medium, virtual art learn-
ing environment, and exhibition arena. Students
can expand their virtual experiences by creating
visual content for their virtual art and co-creat-
ing virtual art spaces with their own expression
of complex concepts as well as by interacting
with the global audiences during virtual art
exhibit events. This model is comprehensive
and relevant in art education contexts and, as a
result, can serve as a conceptual framework for
research and practice.
Although the application of 3D VWs has been
explored in art education, few empirical studies
have been conducted. Therefore, an empiri-
cal study that investigates how art education
students responded to and perceived learning
about affordances of 3D VWs is significant and
timely in the digital age.
Research Design
The original study was aimed at generating
empirical data to investigate art education stu-
dents’initial responses to 3D VWs as a teaching/
learning environment, art medium, and exhibi-
tion arena based on Lu’s (2010a) conceptual
framework and teaching model. This article
focuses on the latter two aspects. The three
research questions were:
• How do the students respond to a 3D VW
as an art medium and exhibit arena in art
education?
• What is the art education students’perceived
learning within 3D VWs?
• Will they adopt 3D VWs in their future art
practice?
Course Descriptions
I collected data for this study from four sec-
tions of two technology courses focused on inte-
grating emerging technologies in art education.
One was designed for undergraduate and grad-
uate students (two sections: one elective/one
required). The second was a graduate seminar
(two sections: both electives).
The 8- to 10-week 3D VW sessions were held
in a mix of both face-to-face and virtual meet-
ings in the classroom along with at least two
complete virtual meetings in remote locations.
Students went through Lu’s (2008) 3D VW cur-
riculum model and participated in the activities
(See Table 1). The virtual environment in SL was
Art Café2
where students met as cohort groups
to attend/host events and work on their in-
world projects.
Participants and Procedure
The participants in this study were 25 art
education students (14 undergraduates and
11 graduate students, including 7 in-service
art teachers) in an art education program at a
Midwest university in 2008-2010. No students
had prior knowledge or experience with SL.
During these weeks, participants made tran-
sitions from newbies to residents/builders/
creators/artists to event hosts. They explored
the affordances of SL and its embedded digital
visual culture individually or in a cohort group
inside and outside of class time, discussed
related issues, created artistic content (objects
and virtual art spaces), and hosted art events at
the Art Café in SL.

6. Studies in Art Education / Volume 54, No. 3 237
Research Methods and Data Analysis
This study was a mixed-method research
project using qualitative and quantitative
methods to collect and analyze data from
surveys, interviews, observations, transcripts of
onlinediscussionsandconversations,snapshots,
videos of events, and participant assignments
such as presentation slides, learning journals,
and project documentations. The focus group
interviews were conducted after each learning
stage.The data were analyzed with content anal-
ysis, utilizing clustering and counting methods
(Miles & Huberman, 1994). Multiple methods
(Denzin & Lincoln, 2000) and peer examination
were used to increase validity (Merriam, 1988).
To enhance reliability, a research team, including
graduate students, was formed to observe the
SL events and in-class workshops and to analyze
and triangulate the data.
Findings and Discussions
In this section I present a selection of findings
extracted from the qualitative analysis. Findings
regarding students’ responses and perceived
learning for the first two research questions will
be presented and discussed in two sections: 3D
VWs “as an art medium” and “as a creation and
exhibition arena.” The findings for the third ques-
tion are presented in“educational application.”
As an Art Medium
Using 3D VWs as an art medium was a very
new experience for all of the participants. They
“created”virtual art from 3D perspectives within
Table 1. Lu’s integrated teaching model for 3D VWs (2011).

7. 238 Lu / 3D Virtual Worlds as Art Media and Exhibition Arenas
the 3D VWs through onscreen avatars, which
is different from work created in real life and
imported as a digital copy into 3D VWs.
All students at the builder stage experienced
a similar learning curve, specifically interface
difficulty and time-consumption, as FitzGiboon,
et al. (2008), Luo and Kemp (2008), and Sanchez
(2009) identified. In the beginning, participants
found it challenging to learn how to create
and manipulate a 3D object with the SL inter-
face. They practiced, troubleshot, and asked
for help to overcome the steep learning curve.
They then could freely create and manipulate
objects’ shapes from raw shapes into interest-
ing/creative forms as they wished. Participants
(28.1%) reported mixed feelings such as “diffi-
cult but interesting”; “both fun and very incred-
ibly frustrating”; and “a little frustrating and
then… hugely addicting.” Participants (18.8%)
changed their attitudes from negative to mixed
feelings and from mixed to positive feelings. For
example, KB (2010S B10) said:
My building experience in SL has been
frustrating, rewarding, annoying, and
wonderful in turns. The days when hours
of not-frustrating building occur are being
to outnumber the frustrating days, which
is a pleasant relief… I really think one of
my most difficult challenges building is
actually one of the things that I enjoy the
most: the detail-orientedness that causes
me to spend hours trying to line objects
up exactly. (Bold added for emphasis.)
At the end of the courses, 9.3% of the partici-
pants still felt the building skills were difficult/
frustrating to learn or felt inadequate about
being able to execute them technically, but at
the end of the courses, 90.6% also considered
the building experiences enjoyable. Such atti-
tude change in perceived learning in the affec-
tive domain is consistent with Sanchez’s (2009)
findings.
What caused participants’ frustrations were
insufficient 3D VW experiences in the past, dif-
ficulty lining up and applying scripts, and chal-
lenges in conceptualizing ideas and applying
building knowledge/skills to create interactive
components. They felt it was hard to think from
3D VW perspectives and work on a computer
screen. The most difficult and frustrating part
was the conceptualization through the 3D VW
form with interactivity. Some reflected that
they actually learned better concepts by think-
ing how to represent their ideas on a 3D art
form with multimedia and interactivity capa-
bilities to communicate ideas with audiences
in VWs. Other participants commented that
3D VWs are a place to prototype concepts and
ideas because they can view and modify the
work immediately without taking the wait time
for rendering as with other 3D modeling pro-
grams. This is particularly useful for beginners
who start working on 3D art in an either physi-
cal or digital form.
As a Creation and Exhibit Arena
The virtual worlds can serve not only as a
creation ground but also as an exhibit arena.
Viewers can speculate on the idea through their
interactive and multimodal experiences with a
virtual art piece or space and formulate learned
concepts as their individual new knowledge
construction (Lu & Jeng, 2006). For example,
when visiting a Holocaust site, one student
explained how visitors could perceive and
understand the concepts through their immer-
sive experience:
It offers historical first hand accounts of
the atrocities encountered by the victims
of the holocaust. It delivers them in a way
that uses total audience immersion. As
the viewer, you experience a city scene
set in Nazi occupied Poland and control
the visual content by clicking on the
many interactive cues… it allows you to
role-play a similar virtual experience of
people at this time… students [visitors]
become more motivated to explore
the surroundings because the visual
look and sounds add to the overall
historical aesthetics and the dozens of

8. Studies in Art Education / Volume 54, No. 3 239
images, texts, and audio clues provides
multimodal instruction of aesthetics and
leave the learner fully engaged in the
context. (2010SP F22ME) (Bold added for
emphasis.)
After creating at least two individual virtual
art pieces and building a group virtual art space,
the participants hosted events to showcase their
work (Figures 1-4).
All participants seemed to enjoy such a
unique and interesting experience. As young SL
artists, they were excited, and some were nervous
at the beginning because they knew that the
audiences might be outside of campus or even
in other countries.They appreciated the opportu-
nity to see how the audience reacted to and inter-
acted with their work and whether the audience
understood the concepts.They were also pleased
to receive the feedback and critiques from the
Figure 2. Students and guests watched machinimas at the Student exhibit in Fall 2010.
Figure 1. Student exhibit in Fall 2010.

9. 240 Lu / 3D Virtual Worlds as Art Media and Exhibition Arenas
Top: Figure 3. Students (two Mermaids in the
middle) hosted the event in their recreated virtual
art spaces (The Atlantis Project, 2009).
Bottom: Figure 4. Guests navigated a virtual art
space recreated by students in their Introduction to
Cryptozoology project, 2010.
viewers. Many participants rated their event
hosting as their favorite part of virtual experience
in SL, such as HK (2010F E6) who noted that,“I felt
like the exhibit was the best part of second life. It
gave us a chance to show our work and to appre-
ciate it because we all have experienced what it’s
like to build on second life.”
As SL audiences, the participants really
enjoyed walking around and exploring other
pieces as well as talking about their work with
artists. Two participants commented:
I was able to share my opinions and
feedback with the artists and ask
questions about their work. I feel like this
is one of the areas in which SL shines.
(2010F E7 MT)
One thing that I really enjoyed about
the event was that our avatars could
walk on, fly around, or even lounge in
the pieces—which is something that we
couldn’t do in real life. I think that these
alternative forms of interaction with art
and learning objects are the greatest
benefits of Second Life art creation.
(2010S E7 KB) (Bold added for emphasis.)
Data showed that what made the virtual art
exhibition/event the favorite part was probably
the presence of audiences/avatars. The display
of their virtual art, the observation of how audi-
ences reacted to and interacted with their work,
and conversations with audience members vali-
dated the time, effort, and hard work the par-
ticipants spent. Such rewarding recognition and
experiences led to changes in some participants’
perceptions of their building experiences. After
the events and seeing audiences interact with
their work, some students who were previously
frustrated and challenged by the building and
scripting felt rewarded and unafraid of building:
[After the group event,] I became more
confident in my building skills… I have to
admit that after completing the massive
building project and conceptual space
that led to the event opening, I really
began to enjoy building in Second Life.
(2010S E12 JB) (Bold added for emphasis.)

10. Studies in Art Education / Volume 54, No. 3 241
The 3D VW platform made the real-time
exhibit in a global setting. Audiences with dif-
ferent cultural backgrounds provided different
perspectives for appreciating and critiquing
students’ virtual art. A couple of participants
envisioned that the ability of SL to bring people
in remote locations or from around the world
together to attend a real-time virtual art event
could be implemented in classrooms. These
activities expanded the audiences and allowed
students to exhibit their art and receive critiques
and feedback. Some students also noticed the
interpersonal conversation differences between
the real world and virtual worlds. This 3D VW
medium seems to enable users to remove their
social masks and talk freely and honestly with
their pseudo avatars. This finding is consistent
with two previous studies that focused on art
critique activities in 3D VWs (Gaimster, 2008; Lu,
2010c). A participant commented:
In a real life situation, when showing work,
I often become nervous and have the
distinct feeling of being exposed. During
this virtual art exhibit event I welcomed
visitors to my works and fielded any
questions they had. I feel that my avatar
is a faceless shell in which some social
awkwardness can be removed, allowing
true expressions to be heard…when
showing my works, I feel more comfortable
using the guise of my avatar. In a way, the
anonymous nature allows the viewer and
the artist to be more critical. (2010S E15 ME,
emphasis added)
The audience with an anonymous iden-
tity does not seem to be a barrier or concern.
Actually, the embodied anonymity resulted in
more open and honest discussion in 3D VWs
than in the real classrooms because there were
no real world identification and power hier-
archies during social interaction (Lu, 2010c).
Students could receive honest feedback and
critical critiques without feeling embarrassed in
the virtual setting.
The art exhibit event in the 3D VW seemed
to be a positive learning experience for the par-
ticipants because of the social interaction factor,
which is consistent with the 3D VW literature
noted above. When viewing each virtual art
piece, participants needed to critically think,
interpret, and understand the embedded con-
cepts by interacting with the art piece before
participating in the art critique/conversation.
All artists and audiences around the world were
socially engaged in the virtual art conversation
by discussing and commenting on the concepts,
ideas, and meanings behind the work from their
cultural perspectives. At the same time, they
were not only weaving together the collective
new knowledge as a group, but they also were
constructing their personal knowledge (Lu &
Jeng, 2006) based on the art dialogue and their
virtual art experience. It seems that hosting and
attending art exhibits, interacting with global
audiences, and having anonymous identity are
the effective virtual pedagogy found in this
cross-cases study. Thus, 3D VWs provide unique
ways for making, viewing, and critiquing art in
VW that can contribute to conceptual learning
in art education.
Educational Application
Although most participants saw the affor-
dances and potential of 3D VWs in the art
classrooms, participants in different groups
had slightly different preferences in terms of
VW adoption in practice. Some preservice art
teachers (undergraduate and graduate stu-
dents) wondered how much time they should
spend on VWs along with other art media in
the art classroom; others wanted to teach art
with 3D VWs to engage the digital generation.
One undergraduate preservice art teacher
commented:
I am well versed within Second Life; I feel
now that I will be able to teach these
skills to students in the near future… we
have entered the digital age, and we will
continue to travel through the digital

11. 242 Lu / 3D Virtual Worlds as Art Media and Exhibition Arenas
age; it only seems appropriate that we
as teachers can help guide our students
down that road. After taking this class I feel
like I will be a suitable guide. (2010F E5 GP)
Some in-service art teachers addressed
their concerns and the difficulties of the actual
application in schools. Consistent with findings
in previous studies (Goncalves, 2005; Hayes,
2006), the major concerns were lack of face-to-
face interaction, inappropriate adult content,
and cyberbullying. One in-service art teacher
responded:
Do nothing in extreme manners; virtual
environments create a new kind of human
interaction, just because it isn’t eye to eye
doesn’t mean it isn’t human interaction…
the most important thing we could teach
would be how to be critical of these
environments and how we can critique them
in terms of a comparison to real life. I think
this VW [platform] could benefit students
greatly! (2008SU 4GER, emphasis added)
In the context of learning and teaching,
certain affordances such as easy access, auton-
omy, and virtual identity creation of the 3D
VW can become problematic as inappropriate
content and misbehaviors. One way to work
around these issues, to maximize the 3D VW
affordances, and to minimize the issues as much
as possible is to adopt the OpenSim approach.
For example, working with K-12 schools in
cloned Second Life virtual worlds hosted on a
private server allow only the authorized school
teachers and students access. Students can still
take advantage of all the affordances except for
virtual field trips and socializing with anony-
mous global users who are not granted access
to the OpenSim server.
When participants were asked whether or
not they would adopt SL or similar 3D VWs if
access to inappropriate content and encoun-
ters with misbehaving adults were not an issue
or if using a similar 3D VW platform in a closed
environment such as OpenSim, over two thirds
of the participants reported they would use 3D
VWs in the future. Their reactions were consis-
tent with other general education preservice
and in-serivce teachers in previous studies
(Campbell, 2009; Goncalves, 2005).
Conclusion and Recommendations
For contemporary art education, 3D VWs
such as Second Life seem to offer a complex
combination of educational, art, exhibition,
and social media. This study sought to gener-
ate empirical data by investigating art educa-
tion students’ responses to 3D VWs after they
gained solid first-hand experiences as newbies,
residents, artists, and event hosts. The main
findings follow. First, although participants
moved through learning stages and experi-
enced frustration as part of the learning curve,
most overcame the challenges and had posi-
tive experiences, perceived learning, and devel-
oped positive attitudes toward 3D VWs as an
art medium and exhibition arena. Second, they
recognized the potential and affordances of 3D
VWs for art education practice. These virtual
learning experiences, including conversing with
art people/avatars, creating and appreciating
contemporary virtual art, and critiquing and
exhibiting art in a global virtual setting, greatly
contributed to their concept learning. Next,
participants were concerned about the actual
application of 3D VWs in the K-12 classroom
setting since schools block similar free virtual
worlds because of inappropriate adult content
and behavior. Last, hosting art exhibit events
to showcase work and to receive critiques and
feedback from global audiences was the most
unique and greatest part of participants’ 3D VW
experiences. These findings shed light on how
instructors can develop strategies to minimize
barriers and enhance students’VW building and
exhibit experiences in 3D VWs.
This cross-case study was focused on 25 art
education students’ 3D VW learning journey.
This study was limited to a small population
and also to their 3D VW experiences during the

12. Studies in Art Education / Volume 54, No. 3 243
courses. The first recommendation for future
studies is to investigate more art education stu-
dents’ virtual world creation and exhibit experi-
ences in terms of different users’ characteristics,
such as gamers vs. non-gamers, tech-savvy vs.
non-tech-savvy persons, 3D persons vs. non-3D
persons, or digital student artists vs. non-digital
student artists. The second recommendation
is to examine how previous art and computer
experience (self-efficacy, attitude, and anxiety)
are associated with or affect ways of dealing
with the steep learning curve and challenges
in 3D VWs. The last recommendation is to docu-
ment best practices regarding how to use 3D
VWs to teach virtual art and visual culture in the
context of contemporary art practice and digital
visual culture.
The findings and issues that emerged
from this study confirm the educational ben-
efits of 3D VWs with art education students and
revealed barriers in practice. The emerging 3D
VWs are becoming not only new learning spaces
but also new art creation and exhibition spaces
for a digital generation who have grown up with
avatars and virtual environments (Gaimster,
2008). One participant stated his vision of SL
for the future of art and his appreciation of the
opportunity to learn its potential:
I love the fact that Second Life offers a
uniquely creative environment that seems to
be focused on art and innovation… Second
Life has endless potential both as a display
medium as well as a network of artists and
designers whose collaboration and sharing
of skill sets could really push the digital arts
forward much faster than without such
a medium. I am in the belief that the [3D
virtual world] technology that is emerging
currently will shape the environment [in
which] we work and create art in the future.
I feel thankful to be at least aware of these
technologies and to understand their
potential. (2010F E7 MT, emphasis added)
It is the art educators’and teachers’responsi-
bility and challenge to educate students within
the new virtual art spaces in which they can
experience and learn about digital visual culture
and future art in 21st century art education. Also
needed are (1) more empirical studies to show
how the characteristics and features of 3D VWs
can be pedagogically and creatively utilized in
contemporary art education curriculum and (2)
an accumulation of excellent virtual art exam-
ples in 3D VWs that can serve as an aesthetic
challenge for students.
R E F E R E N C E S
Annetta, L., Murray, M., Laird, S. G., Bohr, S., & Park, J. (2008). Investigating student attitudes toward a synchro-
nous, online graduate course in a multi-user virtual learning environment. Journal of Technology and Teacher
Education, 16(1), 5-34.
Berge, Z. L. (2008). Multi-user virtual environments for education and training? A critical review of Second Life.
Educational Technology, 48(3), 27-31.
Campbell, C. (2009) Learning in a different life: Pre-service education students using an online virtual world.
Journal of Virtual Worlds Research, 2(1), 4-17.
Carpenter, B. S. (2009). Virtual worlds as educational experience: Living and learning in interesting times. Journal
of Virtual Worlds Research, 2(1).
Cobb, S., Heaney, R., Corcoran, O., & Henderson-Begg, S. (2009). The learning gains and student perceptions of a
Second Life Virtual Lab. Bioscience Education, 13.
Crosier, J. K., Cobb, S. V. G., & Wilson, J. R. (2000). Experimental comparison of virtual reality with traditional
teaching methods for teaching radioactivity. Education and Information Technologies, 5(4), 329-343.

13. 244 Lu / 3D Virtual Worlds as Art Media and Exhibition Arenas
Dede, C., Salzman, M. C., Loftin, R. B., & Sprague, D. (1999). Multisensory immersion as a modeling environment
for learning complex scientific concepts. In W. Feurzeig & N. Roberts (Eds.), Computer modeling and simulation
in science education (pp. 282–319). New York, NY: Springer-Verlag.
Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (Eds.). (2000). Handbook of qualitative research (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Dickey, M. D. (2005). Three-dimensional virtual worlds and distance learning: Two case studies of active worlds as
a medium for distance education. British Journal of Educational Technology, 36(3), 439-451.
Doyle, D. (2010). Immersed in learning: Supporting creative practice in virtual worlds. Learning, Media and
Technology, 35(2), 99-110.
Edirisingha, P., Nie, M., Pluciennik, M., Young, R. (2009). Socialisation for learning at a distance in a 3-D multi-user
virtual environment. British Journal of Educational Technology, 40(3), 458-479.
Efland, A. (2002). Art and cognition. New York, NY: Teachers College.
FitzGibbon, A., Oldham, E., & Johnston, K. (2008). Are Irish student-teachers prepared to be agents of change
in using IT in education?. In K. McFerrin, R. Weber, R. Carlsen & D. Willis (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for
Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference 2008 (pp. 1397-1404). Chesapeake, VA:
AACE.
Freedman, K. (2003). The importance of student artistic production in teaching visual culture. Art Education, 56(2)
38-42.
Gaimster, J. (2008). Reflections on interactions in virtual worlds and their implication for learning art and design.
Art, Design & Communication in Higher Education, 6(3), 187-199.
Gerstein, J. (2009). Beyond the game: Quest Atlantis as an online learning experience for gifted elementary
students. Journal of Virtual Worlds Research, 2(1), 4-18.
Goncalves, N. (2005). Educational use of 3d virtual environments: Primary teachers visiting a Romanesque castle.
In A. Mendez-Vilas, B. G. Pereira, J. M. Gonzalez & J. A. M. Gonzalez (Eds.), Recent research developments in
learning technologies (pp. 427-431). Badajoz, Spain: FORMATEX.
Hayes, E. (2006). Situated learning in virtual worlds: The learning ecology of Second Life. Proceedings of the
Adult Education Research Conference 2006. Retrieved from www.adulterc.org/Proceedings/2006/Proceedings/
Hayes.pdf
Hew, K. F., & Cheung, W. S. (2010). Use of three-dimensional (3-D) immersive virtual worlds in K-12 and higher
education settings: A review of the research. British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(1), 33-55.
Inman, C. W., Vivian H., & Hartman, J. A. (2010). Use of Second Life in K-12 and higher education: A review of
research. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 9(1), 44-63.
Lambert, J., & Kidd, L. (2008). The potential and limitations of teaching and learning in an e-learning 2.0 environ-
ment from a cognitive load perspective. In Proceedings of World Conference on Educational Multimedia,
Hypermedia and Telecommunications 2008 (pp. 6003-6008). Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement
of Computing in Education.
Laio, C. (2008). Avatars, Second Life, and new media art: The challenge for contemporary art education. Art
Education, 61(3), 87-91.
Lim, K. (2009). The six learnings of Second Life: A framework for designing curricular interventions in-world.
Journal of Virtual Worlds Research, 2(1).
Lu, L. F. (2008). Art café: A 3d virtual learning environment for art education. Art Education, 61(6), 48-53.
Lu, L. F. (2010a). Teaching 21st century art education in a virtual age: Art Café @ Second Life. Art Education, 63(6),
19-24.
Lu, L. F. (2010b) Art education avatars in action: Learning, teaching, and assessing in 3d virtual art learning
environments. In L. Annetta & S. Bronack (Eds.), Serious educational game assessment: Practical methods and
models for educational games, simulations and virtual worlds (pp. 201-220). New York, NY: Sense.
Lu, L. F. (2010c) Demystifying three-dimensional virtual worlds for art education. Journal of International Society
for Education through Art, 6(3), 279-291.
Lu, L. F. (2011). Art education avatars in action: Preparing art teachers for learning and teaching in a virtual age.
Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 19(3), 287-301.

14. Studies in Art Education / Volume 54, No. 3 245
Lu, L. F., & Jeng, I. (2006). Knowledge construction in inservice teacher online discourse: Impacts of instructor
roles and facilitative strategies. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 39(2), 205-224.
Luo, L. F., & Kemp, J. (2008) Second Life: Exploring the immersive instructional venue for library and information
science education. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 49(3), 147-166.
Marshall, J., & Vashe, M. (2008). Mining, bridging, and making: Developing and conveying concepts in art. Art
Education, 61(1), 6-12.
Merriam, S. B. (1988). Case study research in education: A qualitative approach (1st ed.). San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass.
Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Mikropoulos, T. A., & Natsis, A. (2011). Educational virtual environments: A ten-year review of empirical research
(1999–2009). Computers & Education, 56(3), 769-780.
Minogue, J., Gail Jones, M., Broadwell, B., & Oppewall, T. (2006). The impact of haptic augmentation on middle
school students’conceptions of the animal cell. Virtual Reality, 10(3), 293-305.
Patera, M., Draper, S., & Naef, M. (2008). Exploring magic cottage: A virtual reality environment for stimulating
children’s imaginative writing. Interactive Learning Environments, 16(3), 245-263.
Perez, L. (2009). Challenges and opportunities in using MUVEs in K-12 Environments. Identity, learning and
support in virtual environments. T. Sharon & C. Calongne (Eds.), Identity, Learning and Support in Virtual
Environments (pp. 45-56). Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense.
Sanchez, J. (2009). Barriers to student learning in Second Life. Library Technology Reports, 45(2), 29-34.
Smart, J., Cascio, J., & Paffendorf, J. (2007). Metaverse roadmap 2007: Pathways to the 3DWeb. A Cross-industry
Public Foresight Project. Retrieved from www.metaverseroadmap.org
Sweeny, R. W. (2009). There’s no“I”in YouTube: Social media, networked identity and art education. International
Journal of Education through Art, 5(3), 201-212.
Taylor, P. G. (2009). Secondlife.Com. Studies in Art Education, 50(3), 300-303.
Taylor, P., Ballengee Morris, C., & Carpenter, B. S. (2010). Digital visual culture, social networking, and virtual
worlds. In R. W. Sweeny (Ed.), Inter/actions/inter/sections: Art education in a digital visual culture (pp. 210-218).
Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.
Ward, T. B., & Sonneborn, M. S. (2009). Creative expression in virtual worlds: Imitation, imagination, and individu-
alized collaboration. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 3(4), 211-221.
Webb, M. E. (2005). Affordances of ICT in science learning: Implications for an integrated pedagogy. International
Journal of Science Education, 27(6), 705-735.
Willis, H. (2007). The unexamined second life isn’t worth living: Virtual worlds and interactive art. Afterimage,
35(2), 13-16.
E N D N O T E S
1 The Second Life teen grid was open to the public from 2005 to 2010.
2 Art Café @ Second Life was a research project sponsored by Northern Illinois University (2007-2008) and by
National Art Education Foundation (2008-2009), an affiliation of National Art Education Association.

15. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without
permission.