The document discusses experiential learning and teaching in virtual worlds. It summarizes that (1) the experiential learning cycle can be applied in virtual classrooms through features like roleplay, (2) virtual teaching can be more interactive for students than traditional methods, and (3) virtual worlds are justified for courses like internship supervision that benefit significantly from the added interaction.

1. Experiential Learning Cycle
1. Concrete
experience
(feeling)
4. Active 2. Observation
experimentation and reflection
(acting) (seeing)
3. Abstract
concept formation
(thinking)
Source: Kolb, Boyatzis, Mainemelis 1999.
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2. The Teacher's Challenge Today
Personal experiences
Anecdotes
Practice 1. Concrete
experience Case Studies
(feeling)
Roleplay
Forum
Interview 4. Active Films, video 2. Observation
experimentation and reflection Links
(acting) Wiki (seeing)
Survey
Chat
3. Abstract Group work
Blog concept formation
(thinking)
Homework
Individual work
Source: Kolb, Boyatzis, Mainemelis 1999. Books Theories and models
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3. Virtual Worlds Today
Teaching in virtual worlds in 2010 on the rise:
More than 300 universities world-wide have virtual
campuses, many of them teach there project-based,
Since 2009, Germans spend more time in virtual worlds
than in social media at large (like facebook),
Large international community of educators organises
itself to research didactic issues
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4. Value-Add of Virtual Teaching
At the Berlin School of Economics and Law:
International students spend more and more time away
from their “alma mater“ losing contact with “home“
Students of “International Business Management“ spend
their internship and study year abroad – need supervision
In other courses, internship supervision often happens
after the fact, destroying the course's potential value
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5. Solution
 Rented 13 ha island in the virtual 3D world of Second
Life® since January 2010
 Taught Supervision Internship for 17 graduate students
located at different places across Europe
 Weekly virtual meetings (90 min) + Moodle as learning
platform + WordPress blogs for reporting
Photo: students' roleplay of
Internship situation in the
virtual world of Second Life
(HWR virtual island)
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6. Using Moodle
This practice supervision course runs
This practice supervision course runs
successfully with 20-40 participants since
successfully with 20-40 participants since
summer 2010. Meetings in Second Life
summer 2010. Meetings in Second Life
only, offline support via Moodle and
only, offline support via Moodle and
reporting via WordPress student blogs.
reporting via WordPress student blogs.
Used e-learning objects: forum
Documents, links, tasks, calender,
Chat, wiki, grading ...
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7. Summary of Results
 The virtual classroom follows the experiential learning
cycle. Many real classroom features can be transferred.
 Virtual teaching is markedly more interactive for more
students than in the traditional teaching situation.
 Some group learning techniques such as role play work
better when carried out by avatars.
 The effort required to put together an entire virtual course
is significant and is only justified when there is significant
added value (as in our case of the supervision internship)
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8. The Entire E-Learning Range
Virtual courses and courses offered off-campus
as part of a distance education programme
Support for off-campus learning: modularisation of
online and offline learning content.
Blended learning guided by scenarios. Use of
Web and new media as needed (didactics)
Classroom teaching as usual (with beamer etc)
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9. Next steps
 Teaching continues in Second Life with twice the number
of students – results still encouraging.
 Beginning to attract other lecturers by creating show
cases exhibiting the added value of virtual meetings
 One show case will be „virtual project management“, to
be used in teaching across different courses of study
Photo: student avatars vote
by moving around in the
'opinionator', a 3D virtual
Instant survey object
(HWR Virtual Islands).
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