Blended Learning Quality Criteria for Courses Implemented in Virtual Worlds

Quality criteria for Blended
Learning courses implemented
via Virtual Worlds
Tzimopoulos Nikos
BLAdEdu 539717-LLP-1-2013-1-IT-GRUNDTVIG-GMP

South Aegean islands
 The South Aegean Sea comprises of 41
inhabited islands
 Serious transportation difficulties
 Few and very difficult training opportunities

Training teachers
 There is a great need for training, since the teachers
are usually young and inexperienced
 There is a very great demand for training in new
technologies, particularly in Web 2.0 tools and
Internet security

Blended Learning
 The only solution is Blended Learning training
 But it is very difficult to organize face to face
meetings
 On the other hand, organizing meetings, using
alternative tools like Skype, ooVoo etc. does not
contribute to the quality of education

Searching for a solution, we must take
into account:
 The benefits of a Community of Practice
 The particular characteristics of adult learners
 The available free Web 2.0 tools
 The inclusiveness of these tools
 The demand for Open source softwares

Taking into account Quality Criteria in
Blended Learning
 Institution Quality
 The course development
 The Learning Environment
 Technical Issues
 Aesthetic Issues
 Pedagogical issues

Our proposal: Virtual Worlds , Open
Simulator
 The Virtual Worlds are digital environments in which
multiple users act, communicate and collaborate
through embedded representations (animate -
avatars) in divided environment

Unique features of the Virtual Worlds
are the freedom given to the users…
 to express themselves
 to experiment
 to shape their own avatar and
 to develop a kind of social life in the digital
environment

Virtual Worlds incorporate a number of
unique features, such as:
 feeling your own and other users’ “presence” in the
environment
 the three-dimensional real-time simulation
 multiple forms of communication and collaboration
among users
 possible content construction and interaction with it
 support constructive learning, allowing students to
develop their own understanding and actively
participate in the learning process

Training model
 blended learning training is appropriate to the
conditions of the remote islands of the South
Aegean sea
 for the asynchronous part, the e-learning platform
Moodle was used, where all the material and
activities were uploaded
 for face-to-facce meetings and interpersonal
relationships, Opensimulator software was used, ie
a virtual world

Implementation
From 1/2014 until 5/2015 three training courses were
held
 Two training courses on "Safety Internet" and
 One on "Teaching Differentiation in a contemporary
heterogeneous class"
 The courses were attended by teachers from the
islands of Santorini, Koufonisi, Donousa Iraklia
Thirasia, Naxos, Ios, Amorgos and Syros

The objectives of the 1st course were:
•Internet
• Spam - Fishing - Chain Mail
• e-Commerce and Cookies
• Social Networking and Social Games
• Digital Profile
• Problems of Internet use
• Useful websites
• Piracy software-Hacking- Cracking- Viruses

The objectives of the 2nd course were:
• Differentiated teaching- Principles-content-Elements of
differentiation-Case study of a school class.
• The implementation of the person-centered approach in
teaching- group work approach.
• Use of the Sociogram in the teaching practice.
• The design and the organization of the differentiated
teaching.
• Differentiated teaching examples in selected subjects.
• Alternative forms of student and teaching assessment.

Educational activities
• introduction
• Plenary discussion
• brainstorming
• Group forming
• Role game and
• Case study

Course evaluation: all the trainees were
satisfied
4
43%
5 very satisfactory
57%
How do you evaluate the course?
1 not at all
satisfactory
2
3
4
5 very satisfactory

When trainees were asked to write 3 positive
things about the course, the following answers
were received :
 Distance training
 interesting and contemporary themes
 satisfactory activities (with a special reference on role-play games and
theatrical games)
 question clarification concerning internet security
 consolidation exercises
 the innovation concerning the use of the virtual worlds
 the direct verbal communication among the trainees themselves and
between them and their trainer
 Each group’s working orientation, acquirement of new knowledge through
group work
 the excellent management
 the participants’ great motivation and activity
 the immediacy because of the real time procedures

When trainees were asked to state 3 things
for improving a next course, the following
answers were received :
 Technical problems, especially concerning the
sound
 The short course duration
 Need for better avatar zooming on points to focus
 Need for more interactive working screens

Cooperation with your trainer: very well
0%0%
7%
5 very much, 93%
How much satisfied you are with the cooperaton with your
trainer?
1 a little
2
3
4
5 very much

Evaluation of the educational material of
the course: very satisfactory
4
43%
5 very satisfactory
57%
How do you evaluate the educational material of the course?
1 non
satisfactory
2
3
4
5 very
satisfactory

Evaluation of the course activities: very
satisfactory
4
43%
5 very satisfactory
57%
How do you evaluate the course activities?
1 non satisfactory
2
3
4
5 very satisfactory

Which of the following issues do you intent to discuss with
your students? Trainees will present all different issues
e-trading 42,86%
Cookies; 28,57%
Spam, fishing,
chain mail, trojan
horses 50,00%
Social Networking
100,00%
Internet Addiction
100,00%
Digital profile 64,29%
Spam, fishing, chain
mail, Trojan horses
42,86
Search for help in case
of a trouble 78,57%
Internet Seduction
78,57%
Which of the following issues do you intent to discuss with your
students? e-trading
Cookies
Spam, fishing, chain mail, Trojan
horses
Social Networking
Internet Addiction
Dogital profile
Hacking, cracking, Viruses
Search for help in case of a trouble
Internet Seduction
the trainees were asked to answer more than one of the
following questions

Community of practice : Trainees are
feeling that they belong to a community
YES
79%
NO
0%
MAYBE
21%
Do you have the feeling that you belong to a community of
teachers that were involved with the internet security?
YES
NO
MAYBE

Virtual worlds : 64% believe that the meetings in
the virtual world could replace the face to face
meetings at a course
YES
64%
NO
36%
Do you believe that Virtual worls meetings could replace the F2F
meetings in a course?
YES
NO

The answers however differ as to whether
the use of Avatar can replace trainees’
presence in a face to face meeting
1 not at all
22% 2
0%
3
7%
4
0%
5
7%
6
0%
7
22%
8
21%
9
7%
10 very much
14%
Can the use of Avatar replace your presence in a F2F meeting?
1 not at all
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 very much

….. but avatars covered the need for communication with
the trainer and peer trainees during the meetings
1 not at
all
0%
2
0%
3
0%
4
0%
5
7% 6
14%
7
7%
8
14%
9
22%
10 very much
36%
Has the Avatar use covered your needs for communication with
your trainer and peer trainees during the meetings?
1 not at all
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 very much

Because of the fact the trainees are living in islands and therefore
face difficulties of commuting, their answers revealed their
preference in meetings using the virtual worlds than the F2F
meetings
A combination F2F
and Moodle platform
0%
Only meetings in the
Virtual World and
Moodle platform
21%
Only with the use of
Moodle platform
(asynchronous)
7%
A combination of
Virtual world and
Moodle platform
43%
Only F2F
0%
A combination of
Virtual world and F2F
29%
Would you prefer to use in this course …………………………
A combination F2F and Moodle platform
Only meetings in the Virtual World and
Moodle platform
Only with the use of Moodle platform
(asynchronous)
A combination of Virtual world and Moodle
platform
Only F2F
A combination of Virtual world and F2F

Usability of the virtual worlds and the
moodle platform
 To the question if the moodle platform is user
friendly, all of them answered positively
 The same applied to the question, if the platform
covered their needs for asynchronous meetings
 None reported any problems concerning the
platform.

 When asked if the virtual worlds were easy to be
handled, all the trainees answered positively
 Also positive was the answer to the question if
the virtual worlds covered their needs in
synchronous meetings
 The trainees were asked to report any arisen
problems concerning the virtual worlds. Few of
them reported sound problems or connection
problems. The majority didn’t report any
problems

Conclusions
 Virtual worlds could be used for the
realization of training courses with the
method of Blended Learning and replace
the face to face meetings in places like the
islands of the South Aegean, where face to
face meetings are very expensive and
hardly feasible

Thank you for your attention
Disclaimer:
 This project has been funded with support from the
European Commission.
 This publication reflects the views only of the author
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for
any use which may be made of the information
contained therein.

Blended Learning Quality Criteria for Courses Implemented in Virtual Worlds

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (15)

Similar to Blended Learning Quality Criteria for Courses Implemented in Virtual Worlds

Similar to Blended Learning Quality Criteria for Courses Implemented in Virtual Worlds (20)

More from Grundtvig Multilateral Project Quality in Blended Learning

More from Grundtvig Multilateral Project Quality in Blended Learning (13)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Blended Learning Quality Criteria for Courses Implemented in Virtual Worlds