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Virtual Worlds for Learning

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Technology Enhanced Learning

Abstract

This chapter examines four papers that have been influential in the use of virtual worlds for learning, but also draws on a range of other research and literature in order to locate virtual world learning across the landscape of higher education. Whilst there is sometimes a misconception that research into learning in virtual worlds is very new, the field began to develop in the late 1990s and has continued since then. Typical examples of the first iterations of virtual worlds include Second Life, Active Worlds, and Kaneva, which have been available for up to 20 years. The second generation is currently being developed, examples being High Fidelity and Project Sansar. The chapter reviews the literature in this field and suggests central themes that emerge are: Socialisation; Presence and immersion in virtual world learning; Learning collaboratively and Trajectories of participation.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    https://www.khronos.org/webgl/.

  2. 2.

    http://unity3d.com.

  3. 3.

    https://www.unrealengine.com/what-is-unreal-engine-4.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Education, University of Worcester, Henwick Grove, Worcester, WR2 6AJ, UK

    Maggi Savin-Baden

  2. Centre for Excellence in Learning, University of Bournemouth Executive Business Centre, 89 Holdenhurst Road, Bournemouth, BH8 8EB, UK

    Liz Falconer

  3. Disruptive Media Learning Lab (DMLL), Frederick Lanchester Library, Coventry University, Gosford Street, Coventry, CV1 5DD, UK

    Katherine Wimpenny

  4. School of Computing and Intelligent Systems, Ulster University, Magee Campus, Derry, BT48 7JL, UK

    Michael Callaghan

Authors
  1. Maggi Savin-Baden
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  2. Liz Falconer
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  3. Katherine Wimpenny
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  4. Michael Callaghan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maggi Savin-Baden .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, Katholieke Universitiet Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Erik Duval

  2. Institute of Educational Technology, The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom

    Mike Sharples

  3. Graduate School of Education, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom

    Rosamund Sutherland

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Savin-Baden, M., Falconer, L., Wimpenny, K., Callaghan, M. (2017). Virtual Worlds for Learning. In: Duval, E., Sharples, M., Sutherland, R. (eds) Technology Enhanced Learning. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02600-8_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02600-8_9

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-02599-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-02600-8

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