Jace Hargis 3-D multicultural source providing cyber interactions Virtual close connection where digital groups construct own meaning Effective interaction for virtual & communal collaborative learning Informal learning & user engagement Andragogical & communicational design for positive interaction Literature & resources on assessment tools in-world Highly interactive, constructive learning environment, allows engagement, reflection & self-regulation Empowers creation of dynamic environments Explore assessment instruments & analyze interactions

1. Assessment in Second Life
Jace Hargis, PhD
University of the Pacific, USA
.
Nil Goksel Canbek, MA
Anadolu University, Turkey

2. Agenda
•
What is SL
•
Literature
•
Major Players
•
Main Objective is to explore assessment instruments &
analyze interactions by focusing on specific examples
•
Examples
•
Top Education Sites in SL
•
Advantages of SL

3. Second Life
•
Avatar-based virtual community
[avatara is Sanskrit, symbolizes the conception of a human (Snow Crash, 1992)]
•
3-D representation of a person using SL
•
Expressive of real identity & self-conception
(Wolfendale, 2007)
•
Millions of avatars on different islands

4. Brief Review of Literature
•
Informal Learning - museums, zoos, aquaria, Internet; internal
motivation, variable content, un-sequenced, attendance
voluntary, objects, all ages & diversity
•
Information Processing - code, STM-LTM, retrieved
•
Constructivism -autonomy, inquiry, dialogue, divergent, higher
level questions; reflection, abstraction and an integrated thought
process
•
Self-Regulated Learn-self-observation; judgment; response
•
Formative Assessment - redirect concepts; part of instruction;
needed to adjust teaching & learning; (rubrics) (think/pair/share,
one minute paper, SRS, concept map)

5. Major Players
•
Linden Labs
•
SLED
•
NMC
•
ISTE
•
Open University
•
Ivory Tower of
Prims

6. Linden Labs
Founded in 1999 by Philip Rosedale to create a new
form of shared experience known as Second Life®. The
Grid™ provides the platform where the world resides
and offers tools for educators to develop a virtual
presence. Headquartered in San Francisco, Linden Lab
has over 330 employees across the world.

7. Education in SL

8. SL for Educators (SLED)
https://lists.secondlife.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/educators
•
Linden Lab's Learning Inworld Blog
•
Second Life Researchers List
•
Virtual Worlds Ed Roundtable every Tuesday
•
Educators Archives
•
Calendar of Educational Events

9. SL for Educator Calendar of
Events

10. New Media Consortium

11. International Society for Tech in Ed
•
“advances excellence in T&L through
innovative and effective uses of technology;
•
Improving T&L learning by advancing the
effective use of tech.”

12. Open University
•
Initiative for open learning apps in SL;
•
Contributing to quality, accredited education
in South Africa;
•
Launched in 1997 for educating teachers;
•
Expanded into a business;
•
Model of customer service and support;
•
Over 60,000 learners in 15 years.

13. Ivory Tower of Prims
•
Modules explaining how to build
•
Easy to understand
•
Useful note cards

14. Main Objective
•
Explore current assessment instruments
within the scope of learner-course owner
interactions and analyze cyber interactions by
focusing on specific samples on SL
•
Non-existent, although need is apparent.
•
Currently, only a handful of methods to help
students assess progress in higher ed islands

15. Higher Ed Assessment Ex
"Assessment" in SL produced 39 results in July 2010. By Sep,
number was only 41.
•
Transforming Assess, U of Adelaide
•
The Assessment Group
•
EDTC 6325, grad students, U of Texas
•
EDUCAUSE Virtual Worlds Group
•
Central Higher Educator Cooperative
•
Global Learning Forum
•
Teaching and Learning Online

16. Central Higher Ed Cooperative
•
Experimental arena for assess of SL apps
•
Think tank of experiments and risk-taking,
which foster other risk and ultimately lead to
open source material

17. Ensemble Pavilion: Ed Co-op
•
Actively teach & research in SL, articles from a
variety of disciplines & approaches.
•
May assist skeptics of SL & other non-
traditional venues for learning.

18. Other Examples
•
Use-ability Lab
•
Science School
•
Genome Island
•
American Chemical
Society
•
Classic Greece
•
Globe Theatre
•
World Language
•
Sistine Chapel

19. U of Central FL Useability Lab
•
Students virtually walk up, respond to
questions -provides responses, assistance and
further questions

20. Science School
•
Formative Assessment
•
Large Molecules
•
Manipulate objects

21. Genome Island
•
Mendelian inheritance
•
Gene pool
•
Prokaryotic/eukaryotic genome
•
College biology
•
Hundreds of
interactive objects
•
Forty experiments
generate analyzable data

22. American Chemical Society
•
Quizzes
•
Interactive
•
Games

23. Classic Greece
Compare past/present
architectural structures

24. Globe Theatre
•
Be an actor in the time of Shakespeare
•
Theatre scene changes are instantaneous
•
Rehearsals, playbills, tickets…

25. World Languages
•
Authentic learning of world language with
native speakers
•
U of the Pacific has created a maze, where
students respond to questions in Chinese to
open doors.

26. Sistine
Chapel

27. Summary
•
3-D multicultural source providing cyber interactions
•
Virtual close connection, digital groups construct own meaning
•
Effective interaction for virtual/communal collaborative learning
•
Informal learning & user engagement
•
Andragogical & communicational design for positive interaction
•
Literature & resources on assessment tools in-world
•
Highly interactive, constructive learning environment, allows
engagement, reflection & self-regulation
•
Empowers creation of dynamic environments

28. Advantages of SL
•
Offers universal, global access
•
Ideal for distance learning
•
Create scenarios not possible in real world
•
Very Green
•
More than just delivering learning
•
Creates a base for high quality education
•
Applicable to a wide range of education

29. Thank You
Dr. Jace Hargis
Nil Goksel Canbek