Living digital: embodient in virtual worlds
The social life of avatars
What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy
What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy
Synthetic Worlds: The Business and Culture of Online Games
Synthetic Worlds: The Business and Culture of Online Games
Play Between Worlds: Exploring Online Game Culture
Play Between Worlds: Exploring Online Game Culture
Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments - Special issue: Virtual heritage
Coming of Age in Second Life: An Anthropologist Explores the Virtually Human
Coming of Age in Second Life: An Anthropologist Explores the Virtually Human
Gender, Simulation, and Gaming: Research Review and Redirections
Simulation and Gaming
Interacting through avatars: Virtual worlds as a context for online education
Computers & Education
Social media as online mentoring tools for STEM students with and without disabilities
UAHCI'13 Proceedings of the 7th international conference on Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction: applications and services for quality of life - Volume Part III
Hi-index | 0.00 |
A 3D multi-user virtual environment holds promise to support and enhance student online learning communities due to its ability to promote global synchronous interaction and collaboration, rich multisensory experience and expression, and elaborate design capabilities. Second Life^(R), a multi-user virtual environment intended for adult users 18 and older, is the most cited in educational literature, so it is important to explore how college-aged students are using it to form online learning communities. Previous research suggests that there is unbalanced participation between traditional college-aged men and women with regards to 3D multi-user video games, which closely resemble Second Life^(R). In this research study, we investigated in what manner women and men college students projected their virtual identities and engaged in interaction in Second Life^(R), and how this influenced their learning of course content. Analysis of multiple data sources revealed that conceptions of identity, beliefs of the nature of the virtual world, and technical skill were primary factors which affected group cohesion and learning within the community. Results from this study can provide insight into the class activities that can support all learners in accessing and contributing to the multi-user virtual environment learning community.