Delve into the Deep: Learning Potential in Metaverses and 3D Worlds

In-depth
Delve into the Deep: Learning Potential in
Metaverses and 3D Worlds
Authors Metaverses and 3D Virtual Worlds are increasingly being used in education and train-
ing to create learning experiences which are immersive, authentic and media rich. In
Maria del Mar Camacho
particular, they provide opportunities to structure remote learning in engaging ways
Marti
mar.camacho@urv.cat and are fast becoming part of the learning landscape in general. While there is a grow-
ing interest among practitioners and researchers in the training and knowledge sharing
Vanessa Esteve Gonzalez
vanessa.esteve@urv.cat potential of these unique learning environments, current virtual world technologies
offer a range of capabilities that need to be further developed.
Mercedes Gisbert Cervera
merce.gisbert@urv.net The aim of this paper therefore is to examine the potentialities of metaverses and 3D
Laboratorio de Aplicaciones virtual worlds and to discuss how they may serve as learning tools. The article takes
Telemáticas en la Educación, into account innovations that should be introduced to school education and considers
Universitad Rovira i Virgili the broad frameworks that have been developed to support the design and study of
http://late-dpedago.urv.cat/ learning in immersive worlds.
joomla2/index.php
We conclude that these environments help extend learning beyond the classroom.
Educators, practitioners and researchers are offered a wide range of recommendations
Tags and provided with basic key points for developing effective practices and for ensuring
the achievement of meaningful learning outcomes. The paper provides an overview of
metaverses, learning
different educational best practices that use Metaverses and Virtual Worlds as learning
tools, 3D Virtual Worlds,
collaborative learning tools.
environments

1. Metaverses and 3D Virtual Worlds
Generally, 3D Virtual Worlds are also known as Metaverses, a concept taken from the Sci-fi
novel “Snow Crash”, written by Neil Stephenson in 1992. Although the notions are not exact-
ly synonym, a detailed discussion about this topic is still alive in the existing literature. How-
ever, and agreeing with Castronova (2005) we will assume that Virtual World and Metaverse
can be considered the same.

A Virtual World is a simulation of a space, a representation in three dimensions of geographic
accidents, cities and digital simulation of real surroundings. Second Life, for example, is a 3D
environment that allows interactions between users, through a representation, which is de-
nominated Avatar. The main characteristics of Virtual Worlds are their simple use, their col-
laborative facilities or the attractiveness of the 3D features which provide a new and highly
immersive sensation in the user. All the mentioned traits that have made of Virtual Worlds
an interesting scenario to test innovative educational environments or to apply new data
mining techniques. Furthermore, participants in a successful virtual world have a deep sense
of presence in that world.

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Figure 1: The Metaverse Roadmap (Smart, Cascio and Paffendorf, 2007)

A Metaverse is a much more complex concept. In recent years, lifelog; Bruce Sterling “spimes”), or of human users (a user
the term has evolved after Stephenson’s 1992 vision of an im- lifelog).
mersive 3D Virtual World, in which aspects of the physical world • Virtual worlds. A digital version of narratives set in “oth-
such as objects, actors, interfaces, and networks that construct er realities” – these first existed in text form through text
and interact with virtual environments are included. based games and have evolved in many ways. Virtual world
based games are goal-oriented and take place within limi-
From 2007 to 2008, the Acceleration Studies Foundation (ASF)
tations of the rules of the game. Social-focused virtual
–a US-based not for profit with an international advisory panel–
worlds provide various levels of freedom in terms of avatar
and partners explored the virtual and 3D future of the World
(the digital representation of a participant) customisation
Wide Web in a first-of-its-kind cross-industry public foresight
and the ability to build and/or create.
project, the Metaverse Roadmap (MVR). (Smart, Cascio, Paffen-
dorf, 2007). • Mirror World. A literal representation of the real world
in digital form. It attempts to map (or mirror) real-world
The most important message that this picture is the four sce- structures, like geography, or the stock market, in 2D or 3D
narios which emphasize different functions, types or sets of form. GIS systems are often 2D mirror worlds. Google Earth
metaverse technologies: is an example of a 3D mirror world.
• Augmented Reality. Metaverse technologies enhance the Regarding the typology of metaverses and virtual worlds, the 3D
external physical world for the individual, through the use space for training, from the standpoint of learning processes,
of location-aware systems and interfaces that process and can be considered close to the constructs of what is called Web
layer networked information on top of our everyday per- 2.0. As an example, Second Life (SL) can be analyzed from the
ception of the world. perspective of a “theatrical metaphor” that develops (Tu, Blo-
• Lifelog. A digitally stored and electronically accessible cher & Roberts, 2008) from the four dimensions included in this
record of various aspects of the experience history (GPS, approach. An analysis of the main contributions of SL can be
time, and audio, visual, etc.) of physical objects (an object drawn from the from the standpoint of the training process:

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• Cognitive / scripts: Training processes need to spy for SL • Persistence: the program continues to run whether any-
to help students develop meaningful learning processes one is using it or not; it remembers the location of people
immediately and to be able to develop these mental proc- and things, as well as the ownership of objects.
esses in a social way.
The Founding Features of Virtual Worlds (Castronova, 2003)
• Social / actors: The avatars allow us to help students define
their digital identity and assume a role within the world of
SL. Teachers must also create their digital identity and as-
2. Enhancing the learning experience:
sume the corresponding role in this world that represents
Why virtual worlds matter?
the training environment (Dwyer, Hiltz & Passerini, 2007; The use of metaverses for learning can change not just what is
Tu et al., 2008). In the same way, standards of operation learnt but also significantly how we learn, it is for this reason
and patterns of behaviour must be created in order to en- that it is important to consider all the implications of adopting
sure the success of the teaching-learning process. them into the learning processes and to observe which are the
• Networking / stages: The same communication tools that possible drawbacks and pitfalls of this integration.
SL offers help create a climate suitable for communication
Virtual worlds can be used to create very effective learning spac-
at a time that will implement the various roles that the ac-
es. Since they are generalized rather than contextual, they can
tors (avatars) have taken during this training process and in
reach all disciplines. The social aspects of virtual worlds become
this 3D environment (Boyd & Ellison, 2007, Jin, 2010).
extremely relevant for educational purposes. These worlds lend
• Integration / acting: The educational process is basically themselves to role playing and scenario building, allowing learn-
a communication process that takes place in a social envi- ers to temporarily assume identities and tasks without incurring
ronment. For this reason the 2.0 tools, including SL, have real-world consequences. Both universities and industries have
such potential in terms of promoting the learning process. recognised the learning possibilities available in metaverses and
“Social acts that bring out identities, awareness, relation- 3D virtual worlds as spaces that offer both freedom and playful-
ships, connections and interactions among and between ness to create and collaborate while learning.
learners are necessary for interactive learning” (Thomans-
sen & Rive, 2010). Finally, the principles of social networks Metaverses and 3D worlds in education;
to design and develop space for university education need • provide a unique training and knowledge sharing environ-
also to be taken into account. ment
On the other side, professor Edward Castronova affirms (2001; • provide great opportunities for group interaction and allow
2005) that Virtual Worldss are 3-dimensional, digital environ- meta reflection to support activities and achieve learning
ments in which a great number of people interact one another outcomes
by means of an avatar – a digital representation of self (Cas- • enhance collaboration and communicative skills.
tronova, 2003). Therefore, the founding features of Virtual
• allow learners to transfer learning from a learning context
Worlds are:
to a real life context more readily.
• Interactivity: it exists on one computer but can be ac- • encourage learners to gain experience working in flat or-
cessed remotely (i.e. by an Internet connection) and simul- ganisational structures
taneously by a large number of people, with the command
• develop skills in building networks and communities of
inputs of one person affecting the command results of
practice
other people.
• promote problem-solving and negotiating skills
• Physicality: people access the program through an inter-
• help learners become goal-oriented and able to envisage
face that simulates a firstperson physical environment on
and work to achieve outcomes
their computer screen; the environment is generally ruled
by the natural laws of Earth and is characterized by scarcity • generate skills in producing knowledge
of resources. • promote learning through simulations and role-playing

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• support creativity, exploration and the development for Representation: Young learners are acquiring high levels of
identity through open ways for learning immersion and interactivity in virtual worlds. the represen-
• develop skills and social experience in understanding other tation is the level of immersion and familiartity of interface
cultures and people with the learning group and the world which has multiple
effects upon learning.
• offer unique possibilities for self-expression
Simulations and virtual worlds engage students in high-level
3. Frameworks for selecting and using cognitive thinkings such as interpreting, analyzing, discovering,
metaverses and 3D worlds in practice evaluating and above all problem solving.
The design, development and use of metaverses and immer-
sive environments in education are closely interwoven. These 4. Metaverses and 3D Virtual Worlds in
interactive technologies which are becoming more and more the classroom: some key points for an
participatory also have an effect not only in the way in which effective practice
learning activities are designed, developed and used in practice
According to De Freitas (2006), there are a number of key points
but also on the whole processes of learning. In order to sup-
that can be of help to educators, practitioners and other stake-
port and to ensure that activity theory and pedagogical ap-
holders when implementing their experiences using metaverses
proaches are mapped well it is important to have a look at the
and 3D virtual worlds:
frameworks and approaches that have been developed so as to
suport the design and study of learning in metaverses and im- 1. Ensure there is an alignment between learning objectives,
mersive worlds. Taking as departing point the framework model and the use of metaverses and 3D virtual worlds and as-
addressed to practitioners provided by Freitas and Oliver (2006) sessment so that the most effective learning outcomes
which picks up four generic principles: context, mode of repre- can take place.
sentation, pedagogic approach used and learner specification. 2. Ensure that the learning activities which take place within
This framework could become a starting point for practitiones the Metaverse are integrated with face-to-face learning.
who wish to start using metaverses and virtual worlds in their
3. Provide opportunities for reflection by means of dialogue
learning practices.
and discussion and feedback loops.
Context: Contextual factors include where the metaverse 4. Place aspects of learning within immersive environments
is used, the technical support that is needed, the require- so that learners can take control over and know how to
ments. The context of the metaverse and its use is crucial to get engaged with them.
the effectiveness of how it is used 5. Consider the level of immersion as part of the learning
Pedagogic model: According to Mayes and Freitas (2004, design to ensure that learning is most effective.
2006) learning processes are supported by associative (in- 6. Design role-plays to allow students empathise and reflect
structivist and often task-centred), cognitive (constructivist) upon situations from real life.
and situated (learning in communities of practice) models 7. Develop realistic scenarios to allow transfer from rehears-
of learning. The pedagogic model is notably important since al to real life contexts.
simulation or gaming are not learning experiences in them-
selves, rather they are integrated within a a set of activities 5. Metaverses and Virtual Worlds: Best
or processes according to the selected approach, in this practices in Education
sense, the role of debriefing is central in immersive worlds
when used to pursue educational objectives through discus- Virtual worlds are not mere 3-D multi-player games. The immer-
sion, reflection, etc... sive, rich experience that such environments offer combines
many of the features of Web 2.0, such as group instant mes-
Learner specification: integrates aspects such as age, stage, saging, voice chat, profiles and real-time social networking, and
learning needs, level of digital literacy... a unique form of online social interaction that involves sharing
various objects and creative collaboration on building and run-

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ning places and services in the virtual world (user-generated boards, and it has tested on the Smartboard, Activeboard, Inter-
content). writer, Polyvision, Mimio, eBeam, and the Wiimote Whiteboard.

We can make a classification about type of platforms and their Edusim is extendable allowing multiple classrooms to connect
relationship between Virtual Worlds and Education. their interactive whiteboards for collaborative learning session.
Edusim as a concept seeks to model a new way to engage stu-
Considering this, there are some examples of the educational
dent through “immersive touch” by leveraging 3D virtual en-
use of different Metaverses and Virtual Worlds server platforms:
vironments on the interactive surface or classroom interactive
whiteboard.
5.1 3D toolkit for creating collaborative virtual Website: http://edusim3d.com/
worlds server platforms
Simul@: an education experience in OpenSim
Open Open SIMUL@: “Evalu-
OpenSim
Wonderland Cobalt
ation of a Simula-
GPLv2 with
tion Technological
License the "Classpath" MIT License BSD License
exception Environments for
openwonderland. opencobalt. opensimulator. the Learning of
Website
org org org Transversal Com-
Education petences at Uni-
Alice 3 EduSim Simul@
projects versity”, with refer-
 ence EDU2008-01479, is a research project oriented to develop
In these platforms many educational experiences and projects transversal competences of university students.
in virtual worlds have been carried out. We present you a case.
Simul@ is a virtual world which blends in virtual learning envi-
Alice 3 ronment (VLE and LMS) like Moodle, through the SLoodle mod-
Alice is an innovative 3D ule.
programming environment
The main aim of this project is to prove the efficiency of the
that makes it easy to create
technological environments based on simulations in work-relat-
an animation for telling a
ed environments in the learning of transversal competences at
story, playing an interactive
University (concretely Self-management, and Teamwork) and
game, or a video to share
it is for this reason that experimentation with learning spaces
  on the web. Alice is a freely
based on technological tools of simulation becomes essential:
available teaching tool designed to be a student’s first exposure
design practices in virtual worlds.
to object-oriented programming. It allows students to learn
fundamental programming concepts in the context of creating This project is conducted by a multidisciplinary team coordi-
animated movies and simple video games. In Alice, 3-D objects nated by the University Rovira i Virgili (Spain) also involving the
(e.g., people, animals, and vehicles) populate a virtual world University of Lleida (Spain), University of Hamburg (Germany),
and students create a program to animate the objects. and the University of Minho (Portugal).
Website: alice.org
The main topic dealt in Simul@ is the analysis of the techno-
EduSim logical environments based on simulations in work-related en-
vironments in the learning of generic skills at university in an
Edusim is a 3D multi-user virtual world platform and author-
immersive world.
ing toolkit intended for classroom interactive whiteboard (but
equally powerful on the students laptop or desktop computers The experimentation with these spaces and tools for simula-
!). The EduSim prototype is designed to provide educators and tion will allow students to improve competences and construct
students with a way of linking 3D activities across multiple white knowledge. The information generated in the process will con-
trast and account for their efficiency in the acquisition of trans-

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versal competences. It also seeks to explore the affordances of ronment. It contains of native form backup of voice and interac-
this kind of 3D virtual world and examine ways in which stu- tive virtual shale, the possibility to share and to publish online
dents practice their future work in a simulated environment. documents and a scalable plan of rates according to the number
Website: late-dpedago.urv.cat/simula of users, (to five users, free a month, like evaluation), beginning
with a monthly plan that become a solution it ideal to initiate
5.2 Companies dedicated to give services in business processes.
Website: http://www.teleplace.com/products/openqwaq.php
environments 3D
Second Life
Active Worlds
The origin of, Second Life is social and of consumption, for that
The veteran platform to Active Worlds is maintained and be-
reason, Linden Lab, is creating derived platforms specialized
sides, is being promoted for the educational environment, add-
for business environment. The first project of this type, arisen
ing this possibility to its already consolidated experience in the
of the contribution they to Linden Lab and Rivers Run Red will
social areas and of play. Not, on the other hand, for the business
be called “Immersive Workspaces” and will present interesting
area.
characteristics as to be able to share the desk of the computer,
As advantages has that of the small size of its client and the interaction between and virtual environment and accessible,
content creation facility, as well as the possibility to acquire a external database way web, modules for presentations shared
more professional version, with the capacity to create a private and other tools oriented to environment of professional busi-
environment protected. ness (http://immersivespaces.com).
Website: http://www.activeworlds.com/edu/index.asp
SL is perhaps the most popular virtual world platform in use
OLIVE today, with an emphasis on social interaction. Second Life pro-
On-Line Interactive Virtual Environment (OLIVE) is an applica- vides a virtual home for some of the world’s most prestigious
tion belonging to FORTERRA, oriented to the exact reproduction universities and academic institutions. Virtual classrooms at
of the real world in the referring thing to the physics, character- MIT allow for online collaboration, while Notre Dame makes use
istics of the environment and avatars, including the NPC’s (Non of Second Life as a cost effective solution to distance learning.
Player Character). It is centered in being a good flight simulator Website: http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Second_Life_Educa-
of environments of the real world with accuracy the physics, a tion
spherical world and of the NPC.
Immersive virtual environments built on SAIC’s OLIVE platform 5.3 MMORPG: Massively Multiplayer Online
has developed specific applications for business environments, Role Playing Games
of Health, Education and simulations for Defense and security
Forces. Quest Atlantis
Website: http://www.saic.com/products/simulation/olive/ An educationally fo-
cussed 3D virtual world
ProtoSphere for kids. It uses a narra-
The platform of ProtoSphere is oriented to the learning, admin- tive programming toolkit
istration of the knowledge, global meetings, collaborative envi- to immerse children in
ronments and of formation, as well as simulations. meaningful inquiry tasks.
Combines technologies Web 2,0, tools of social networks as   QA combines strategies
wikis, and blogs with 3D immersive tools. used in the commercial gaming environment with lessons from
Website: http://protonmedia.com/the-product/ educational research on learning and motivation.

Qwaq Forums Website: http://atlantis.crlt.indiana.edu/
The environment Qwaq is developed explicitly as cooperative
platform around the exchange of documents and business envi-

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