teaching and learning in second life as part of a blended approach: reflections and lessons learned
DESCRIPTION
This presentation “Teaching and Learning in Second Life as Part of a Blended Approach:Reflections and Lessons learned” was given at the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference 2012, on 16th March 2012, in the virtual world, Second Life. The authors are Sheila Webber, Senior Lecturer, Information School: the iSchool, University of Sheffield, UK and Ridvan Ata, PhD Candidate, School of Education, University of Sheffield, UK.TRANSCRIPT
Teaching and Learning in Second Life as Part
of a Blended Approach:
Reflections and Lessons learned
Sheila Webber, Senior Lecturer, Information School:
the iSchool, University of Sheffield, UK
Ridvan Ata, PhD Candidate, School of Education, University of Sheffield, UK
VWBPE-16 MARCH 2012
Sheila Yoshikawa
Ridvan Researcher
Slides copyright Sheila Webber and Ridvan Ata; sources for pictures listed on the final slide
Outline
• Who we are
• Ridvan’s research journey
• Context and basics of the class
• Approach to teaching & class components
• SL components of the class
• Our reflections on teaching the class
Where Sheila comes from
• Language: English
• Climate: Temperate
• Population: 60 million
• Faculty member
• Key areas of research & teaching are educational informatics & information literacy*
• *"the adoption of appropriate information behaviour to identify, through whatever channel or medium, information well fitted to information needs, leading to wise and ethical use of information in society." (Webber and Johnston)
1
Sheila & Second Life
Where Ridvan comes from
• Language: Turkish
• Climate: hot, dry summers with mild, winters; harsh, snowy
• Population: 75 million
• Religion: Muslim, 99%
VWBPE-16 MARCH 2012
2 3
Ridvan’s journey to the topic
• MA DTCE at the University of Manchester, the current status of VLEs in HE, Moodle in 2008/9
• Findings ; students prefer f2f,use VLE as repository, isolated environment rather than social
• Something is missing!
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4
Ridvan’s journey into PhD
• In 2009 , The University of Sheffield, UK
• The School of Education under supervision of Julia
Davies, Education Department, and Sheila Webber,
Information School.
VWBPE-16 MARCH 2012
Research Questions
Main Question: What pedagogical framework enables teaching in virtual worlds and f2f learning situations in HE?
• Implementations of teaching in SL/f2f situations
• Impacts of teaching in SL over tutors’ f2f pedagogy
• Becoming a SL Tutor
• Motivations of tutors for participating in VWs other than the requirement of a class activity
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5
Methodology
CASE STUDY
• Information Literacy module
Inf104
• Observations
• Interviews with tutors
Virtual ethnographic texture (Observations and reflections from my personal journey into Second Life during 2009-2012/13 )
• Educational Informatics module Inf6011
• Observations • Interviews with lecture tutors • Interviews with master students
Interviews with tutors from different countries
VWBPE-16 MARCH 2012
The context
• Information School, University of Sheffield (small UG
programme, larger Masters programme + PhDs)
• Core module in BSc Information Management programmes
+ a few other students (e.g. Hong Kong exchange)
• Inquiry-based approach
for key classes; for all
classes assessment mostly
coursework (not exams)
Images: University of Sheffield
Inf104 module: Information Literacy
• Information Literacy core level 1 module: aims – to progress students' information literacy in key areas (working
towards being an information literate citizen)
– to develop their understanding of information literacy & information behaviour theories and practice
• 43 students this year, 22 from outside UK; 19 female
• Using face to face, Blackboard, web resources
• Mostly students used SL together in lab with Ridvan and Sheila
Components of IL Module
Blackboard Module
Lecture
Handouts
Readings
Discussions
Assignments
VWBPE-16 MARCH 2012
Components of IL Module
Classroom
Lectures
IL Activities
Individual Feedback
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Components of IL Module
SL INFOLIT
Island
SL Familiarisation
Mini Islands
IL exercises
Interviews
VWBPE-16 MARCH 2012
The Rationale for using SL
• 50% coursework involves students
– carrying out research interview in SL
– analysing performance as interviewer
– analysing transcript in relation to research models
• Access to wider population; internationalisation
• Prompts reflection and comparison with RL
• As information managers, relevant to learn virtual
world communication skills
5th year Sheila has done this exercise, see…
• Webber, S. (2010) 3D virtual learning case study. University of South Australia. http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/3DVLE/siteassets/docs/3DVirtual_Case_Study_BScIM.pdf
• Webber, S. (2010) “Investigating modes of student inquiry in Second Life as part of a blended approach.” International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments, 1 (3), 55-70.
• Some tweaks & changes each year
Changes?
• Students
– more international this year
– still very little prior use of any virtual worlds
• Overall learning, teaching & assessment approach – has not changed much, still problem-based & inquiry focus
• Interventions – has varied a little e.g. last year student groups did oral
presentation of work in f2f class rather than SL exhibit
• Interviewees in assessment-related exercise – normally professionals e.g. educators, librarians etc. + a few
graduate students
– this year more undergraduate student interviewees
Infolit ischool
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1st week: Basics of moving, communicating etc.
4th week: Teams import presentation on info problem to SL + set up quiz ball
3rd week: opinionator exercise and further work on mini-island + work on info prob
2nd week: 9 teams of 4-5 students: each given own mini island + start info prob
SL: sequencing of activities (Ridvan will give details!)
Information problems
• Is the “Google generation” really bad at searching
for, and evaluating, information?
• How is Wikipedia reliable?
• Should Facebook users be concerned about their
privacy and safety on Facebook?
• 9 student teams, 3 tackling each problem
• PPT identifies search process and their conclusions
1st week: practice interviews f2f and in SL
Subsequently: a student carries out his/her own interview in text chat
SL interviewing focus
Mini islands and SL Familiarisation
VWBPE-16 MARCH 2012 by Ridvan Atolia,2011 by Sheila Yoshikawa,2011
SL Activities
VWBPE-16 MARCH 2012
The Opinionator exercise Students’ mini island
by Sheila Yoshikawa,2011
An example of students’ interview in SL
VWBPE-16 MARCH 2012
by Ridvan Atolia,2011
Reflections Through
Our Eyes
Data Collection;
• Tutors’ interviews,
• Students’ interviews,
• Observations, (both in f2f & inworld)
• Chatlogs,
• Inworld snapshots,
• And our own notes and records.
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6
Sheila’s reflection
• Assignment more challenging than ordinary essay:
some excellent responses to challenge
• Still find that mixture of learning environments
valuable
Short lecture and
handout about
interviewing Practice interviews
in triads (interviewer,
interviewee, observer)
Practice interviews
in triads in SL
Research
interviews
in SL
Blackboard
module
Lecture, exercises,
readings on research,
information behaviour,
data collection &
analysis, ethics
Individual feedback
/communication: email,
F2F, SL .
FAQs etc
Student’s
Assignment
Assignment
briefing
Email, IM etc used to
communicate with interviewees
Handouts
Discussions
Presentations
SL
familiarisation
Sheila’s reflection, continued …
• Wide variety of responses to SL (& contrast with
responses from educators!)
• Value of having “experienced” & empathetic
interviewees
Ridvan’s reflection
• SL was a favorable environment for utilizing IBL
with constructivist approach in which the students
collaborated, interacted, and experimented.
• Capable of having a greater presence inworld, one
student ; if she could die in SL , another student ; if
I read all the books in my office inworld.
VWBPE-16 MARCH 2012
Ridvan’s reflections continued…
• SL enabled students’ work to be visited by external
visitors,
• Many occurrences of the interrelationship of SL,
Blackboard and RL,
• the students benefited from the visual of Seven
Pillars of Information Model and The Opinionator
activity
Some things we have learned
• All materials in virtual world need to be perfectly functional and operating if the viewers were peers and tech savvy
• Basic SL skills such as camera control, manipulating with avatar at early stage might have a significant impact on students learning and involvement inworld
• It may be difficult to make mental connection between what they do and learn in SL for freshmen students
• SL might polarise the students much more than other educational tools.
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Sheila Yoshikawa /
Sheila Webber
Twitter: sheilayoshikawa
http://information-literacy.blogspot.com/
http://www.slideshare.net/sheilawebber/
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23396182@N00/
Netvibes: http://www.netvibes.com/sheilawebber
Ridvan Researcher /
Ridvan Ata
Image sources Pictures & Photos by Sheila Webber & Ridvan
Ata except the following
1. University of Connecticut Libraries’ Map and Geographic Information Center (MAGIC).
http://www.flickr.com/photos/uconnlibrariesmagic/6732354783/
2. http://www.virgintoursntravels.com/timeless_turkey
3. http://www.map-of-turkey.com/
4. snail. Amanito used under Creative Commons license: http://www.flickr.com/photos/amanito/513566490/
5. .The Unquiet Librarian used under Creative Commons license:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10557450@N04/6632470867/
6. gregw, used under Creative Commons license: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregw/4165889/sizes/m/in/photostream/
7. abakedcreation used under Creative Commons license:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/abakedcreation/3028287871/sizes/m/in/photostream/
Click here for a
notecard of their
talk