Evaluating the Pedagogical Significance of an Instructional Strategy on Second Life as a teaching and
Learning Space for Students
Education has been steadily evolving and teaching methods are no longer limited to chalk on the
blackboard or lectures. Educators now are trying to reach a different group of students. Today’s
students have grown up with instant access to information via the internet, and a familiarity with
technology that began at an early age. In order to reach this new generation of students, teachers and
educators must find new and innovative ways to deliver the content they are trying to teach. Students
today can download their notes from the school internet site or e-mail rather than copy them down
with pen and paper. They can access their grades online rather than by the traditional method of
getting a paper report card. They can take entire courses or degrees from home on their computer
without ever setting foot into the school.
Two faculty members decided to explore the implications of virtual worlds and learning when a call
came from the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the University of Regina for innovative projects to be
conducted by teaching and learning scholars. The co-investigators had an interest in determining if
virtual worlds, such as Second Life, could enhance student learning and submitted a proposal for funding
to assist with the development of an interprofessional project.
This interprofessional teaching and learning project was designed with the potential to engage
education and nursing students and faculty in a variety of ways that are consistent with effective
learning. Each co-investigator ensured that the Second Life project was congruent with learning
outcomes of the specific course that they normally deliver to education and nursing students. After the
construction of a “site” on University of Regina land on Second Life, students had the opportunity to
experience interactions and instructional strategies in a simulation-based environment that built on or
enhanced learning outcomes from traditional learning environments. Students had access to
information and resources on this site that were consistent with the Second Life context. Second Life is
an immersive environment where students can, among other activities, interact and construct
knowledge that will impact their professional perspective. The purpose of the project was to promote
learning experiences that were designed to provide a balance among experiential learning, guided
mentoring, and collective reflection.
Literature Review
With the trend shifting towards offering more courses via distance or web-based learning, some new
strategies have been explored around the use of virtual worlds and how they can be applied to enhance
student learning. A virtual world that has started to get a lot of attention in the education world is
Second Life (SL). Kelton (2008) credits SL with bringing three dimensional virtual worlds into the
mainstream, pointing out that in 2007 SL had a population of about eight million people and just a year
later that number had exploded to over fourteen million. He acknowledges that it is certainly not the
only virtual world available, and the future direction in technology can turn on a dime, but for now SL
remains the most popular and widely used of three dimensional worlds. Some educators have adopted
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SL into their teaching curriculum to deliver content in a novel way or simulate selected learning
experiences (Skiba, 2007). The challenge is for the educators to become familiar enough with this
teaching tool in order to use it effectively with students and offer them a quality educational
experience.
What is Second Life?
Second Life is a three dimensional virtual world on the internet where people join up and make
“avatars” or digital representations of themselves and then the avatars (or characters) can interact with
one another. SL is an entire virtual world with its own virtual land and commerce; it was developed by a
company called Linden Lab which was founded in 1999 and offers a unique platform in which its
residents continuously add to the world and are part of the creative process. The residents of SL can
buy land and develop that land however they want and they have access to entertainment, housing,
shopping, and even education (www.secondlife.com, 2008). Hundreds of universities and schools
around the world are already using the SL Grid as a successful addition to their educational curriculums.
Linden Lab works collaboratively with educational institutions to offer them support while they
transition into the virtual learning world. They offer a pilot program for educators who are interested in
trialing SL as a teaching environment or tool. This pilot program allows them to join SL for free, meet
other educators, and take part in tutorials that teach them how to use this virtual world for teaching.
New educators joining up will find themselves with access to the International Society for Technology in
Education (ITSE), one of the many education communities in SL. ITSE offers new members live
assistance during “regular” hours, tours of the SL facilities, socials with other educators on SL for
networking and learning how other educators incorporate SL into their teaching as well as what tools
are available for using it as an educational platform.
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Advantages of Second Life
Networking
Second Life has been used by educators for classroom teaching, clinical or lab work, and research
projects with their students. Students can practice new skills in a safe environment where they can
learn from mistakes and prepare themselves for real life situations. It can enrich the learning experience
when used as a supplement to traditional classroom settings, and students or educators can network on
a global scale in the SL virtual world (www.secondlifegrid.net, 2008). Kelton (2008) says that one of the
main advantages that SL can offer to educators and students is the unprecedented ability to network
with other educational institutes around the world. He points out that Linden Lab keeps a current list of
educational institutes that are using the SL world and this list is available to all of the other educational
institutes, this provides all of its members with a type of collegial support that is just not possible in the
real world yet. Imagine that you can visit other institutes, teachers, or students with a touch of a
button! Skiba (2007) believes that it is extremely valuable due to its facilitation of shared knowledge or
knowledge construction that comes from students interacting with one another. She also points out the
potential for “global” classrooms, where students from all over the world could sit together in the same
class, something that would be impossible in the real world. Physical boundaries that usually confine
students are removed, and students are free to go anywhere nearly instantly. She envisions a global
nursing community where students across the world can easily collaborate and work together to
address issues that often are globally occurring issues. Students are no longer limited or confined by
time, space; the traditional boundaries of program or course, school or location no longer apply and
they are free to interact with one another without restriction (Bronack et al., 2008).
Accessibility
The use of virtual worlds has the potential to provide that sense of social interaction through the
interactions of avatars, which is currently lacking in the more traditional distance education courses
(Gorini et al., 2008). They state that it could also be a valuable platform to simulate interactions with
patients in the clinical setting, especially important when it comes to health studies students in remote
areas. Skiba (2007) agrees that students could use SL to practice clinical skills safely before getting out
into the actual clinical environment. Elfine (2008) talks about the increased accessibility using an
example of a support group made for patients afflicted with multiple sclerosis, a progressive medical
condition that has left some of them unable to leave their homes. One of the patients interviewed said
that if it was not for SL she would have no social interaction at all. Imagine the benefits to a student
who is in a rural or remote area and normally would not be able to interact with the other students in
his or her distance course.
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Challenges or Potential Barriers
Perception or Credibility
Skiba (2007) admits that when most people hear about virtual worlds, they are quick to envision dragon
slaying and role playing games rather than a legitimate teaching opportunity. Kelton (2008) agrees
saying that there is a pervasive belief that virtual worlds are all games, and though he admits that it can
make education fun, it still serves a purpose as a valuable educational tool. The challenge he believes
however, is for the mainstream population who may have a limited understanding of its capabilities to
see it as so. Some people are left wondering if students will be more distracted by the use of the virtual
world than anything, how much control would an educator have over what the students are actually
doing when they are on SL?
Technical Difficulties
Virtual worlds such as SL need incredible amounts of bandwidth and memory to function and grow, and
as with any technology there is bound to be kinks that need to be worked out (Kelton, 2008). Kelton
also points out that there will inevitably be issues with server downtime, and not all students will have
the high speed internet capabilities to support the SL graphics and function quickly. And he wonders
about the differences in students’ abilities to learn and adapt to the technology, there might be a gap
between students who are already familiar with the use of virtual worlds and those who are new to it
and have to learn how to navigate through them and use all of the tools. And how do educators who
may be new to this type of technology incorporate SL into their classroom? Another issue that has yet to
be resolved is the ability to work on a project collaboratively in the SL world. Kelton (2008) says that
there are still two major hurdles that SL needs to overcome with respect to its use in education. The
first is the development or improvement of tools for student collaboration, as it stands right now
students cannot synchronously work on a text document or power point presentation, and he points out
that this ability to collaborate is essential in an educational setting. The second hurdle he identifies is
the ability to operate between virtual worlds. Virtual worlds are almost like their own islands right now
without the ability to share information between them, this becomes an issue because although SL is
the most popular virtual world, it is not the only option and some educational institutions are using
other virtual worlds. This means that knowledge exchange is currently not able to occur between
certain educational institutions in the virtual world because they are not part of the same platform
(Kelton, 2008).
Safety Issues
As with the real world, the SL world does not come without its own problems. There have been cases
reported where people are being prosecuted for misbehavior in the virtual world and in fact there have
been divorce cases citing SL as the main issue of contention. There is a definite potential for people to
use SL to misrepresent themselves which could lead to dangerous situations, however unlike the real
world there is often a permanent record of everything that has transpired (Mulgrew, 2008). When
addressing the issue of the dangers of adults and youth interacting on the internet, the makers of SL are
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quick to point out that there is a separate virtual world for teens that adults are not allowed into, and
vice versa (www.secondlifegrid.net, 2008). However this brings with it some unique challenges; Kelton
(2008) wonders what happens to those students who are in high-school but turn 18 halfway through the
year, they are suddenly unable to enter the teen SL. He also points out that some college students who
have yet to turn 18 will be excluded and unable to enter the adult SL to attend classes or courses with
their peers. Adults who want to teach youth in SL can be allowed to do so within the teen SL in their
own educational institution or land, but they cannot leave that specific place and venture into the main
teen SL world (www.secondlifegrid.net, 2008). This makes one wonder how these educators who will be
working within teen SL are being screened.
Pedagogical Soundness
Bronack et al., (2008) point out that while technology can be a wonderful addition to the educational
field, it must be implemented carefully in order to be effective. Learning environments must be set up
to facilitate student learning and be somewhat analogous to the traditional face to face learning
environment. They maintain that proper guidance must be in place so that learners are free to focus on
the content and learning rather than working out how to use the delivery method. They state that as
with any teaching tool, if implemented properly with the student in mind SL can be a powerful space in
which effective learning can take place. They also remind us that even in the virtual world, the presence
of the educator or teacher still remain necessary for facilitating the learning experience. The virtual
environment is simply a tool and it does not replace the role of the educator. Forrest (2008) is quick to
agree that while virtual worlds like SL do have a place in education, it is important not to dismiss the
value of “real world” learning experiences
Overall, the literature indicates that further use and evaluation of virtual worlds is needed to support its
use as an instructional strategy. The co-investigators decided to explore the pedagogical significance of
delivering an interprofessional project to education and nursing students.
Evaluation Question:
What is the pedagogical significance of using an instructional strategy in a virtual world, such as Second
Life, as a teaching and learning space for students and faculty?
Project Description
The proposed interprofessional teaching and learning project was designed with the potential to engage
education and nursing students and faculty in a variety of ways that were consistent with effective
learning. Each co-investigator ensured that the Second Life project was congruent with learning
outcomes of the specific course that they or other faculty members deliver to education and nursing
students. Students and faculty had an opportunity to experience interactions and an instructional
strategy in a simulation-based environment that built on or enhanced learning outcomes from
traditional or blended learning environments. For example, a virtual classroom was developed on SL to
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illustrate the need for an optimal classroom environment for students with Sensory Integration
Dysfunction (SID).
The purpose of the virtual classroom was to provide the student-participants with an opportunity to
plan, in an interprofessional manner, an optimal classroom environment for students with SID, as well as
promoting sensory self-regulation for all children. The theoretical framework for the self-regulation
virtual classroom was based on Jean Ayres theory of sensory integration(***). Schaff and Miller (2005)
describe sensory integration based on principles from neuroscience, developmental psychology,
occupational therapy, and education. Fundamental to this theory is the understanding that 1)
sensorimotor development is an important substrate for learning 2) the interaction of the individual
with the environment shapes brains development 3) the nervous system is capable of change (plasticity)
and 4) meaningful sensory motor activity is a powerful mediator of plasticity.
If a school aged child’s sensory needs are not being meet it may significantly impede a child’s ability to
learn or function in the classroom environment (Aldrich and Shelly, 2006). Classrooms that decrease
distraction and over stimulation may use muted colours, draping and zones of low visual stimulation to
facilitate self-regulation. Using bean bag chairs, swivel or rocker chairs or exercise balls for student
seating can promote regulation in both hyper and hypo stimulated students. In the virtual SL classroom
participants were able to adjust the classroom environment with the click of the mouse.
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Students also had access to information resources that had the potential to create and support a
dynamic interaction between learning outcome, faculty member, and themselves. The research team
created a number of ideas for this project such as a larger than life brain that responded to participant
questions, a library of resources, a powerpoint on sensory needs content, and a quiz for participant to
check their comprehension about Sensory Integration Dysfunction. Participants could choose to do all or
some of the activities when online in the virtual setting. Although the team originally planned on having
education and nursing students come together in the Board Room for discussion and team planning, this
did not materialize due to a number of challenges related to student schedules and project timing.
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Specific Objectives of Project
Objective #1: Students and faculty will have an opportunity to experience interactions and an
instructional strategy in a simulation-based environment that builds on or enhances learning outcomes
from traditional or blended learning environments and is consistent with theory of constructivist
learning. Objective #2: This project will provide the evaluation of an instructional strategy designed
specifically for use on Second Life. The co-investigators will have an opportunity to determine if there
are differences in results from feedback from education and nursing students and faculty. Objective #3:
To evaluate and demonstrate the advantages of designing and implementing inter-professional
education sites on Second Life. Objective #4: To share information and exchange knowledge and add to
the current body of knowledge about the educational value of virtual worlds.
Formation of Team
The two co-investigators hired a computer programmer with expertise in designing and developing sites
on Second Life. In addition, the investigators hired a Masters of Nursing student to assist with the
literature review and with orientation for students. The team participated actively on all aspects of the
project and communicated by phone, electronically, and in person over the duration of the program.
Participants
The study sample included students and faculty from the education and nursing programs at the
University of Regina (Education) and University of Saskatchewan (Nursing). Students from the education
and nursing programs were recruited as volunteers for the project. All aspects of recruitment and
contact with potential participants were the role and responsibility of the research team. An initial two
hour ‘information’ session by the research team will be held at two sites (University of Regina and
University of Saskatchewan –Regina site). This session was designed to inform students about the
project’s components, objectives, commitments, and organizational aspects. Participants were made
aware that their commitment was approximately four months in duration. Students from both programs
were asked to sign the consents regarding participation. During these sessions, the research team
provided students with the information letter and informed the students that they could decline
participation without any consequences to their educational status. Students were provided with
headsets in order to participate online in Second Life.
Second Life Themes/Analysis Section:
Since educators around the world are integrating SL into their educational curricula, using SL as a means
to incorporate technology, support neo-millennial learning styles and enhance interprofessional
education appeared to be a feasible idea to achieve learning outcomes in both nursing and teacher
education. Existing literature and research, while pointing out the barriers of virtual worlds as an
instructional strategy, boasted many favourable attributes, offering guidance and optimism that SL
might indeed offer a unique approach to teaching and learning on-line. Analysis of the data suggests
that deeper examination of the merits of SL as an instructional strategy is warranted but not until
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appropriate “pedagogical nesting” has been achieved. Overall, the participants enjoyed the accessibility
of SL and were enamoured with the potential for learning but did not report significant knowledge or
skill growth. Interprofessional communication was impeded by several factors which is illuminated with
the general findings in the following section.
“Pedagogical Nesting”
Early indications in this study suggested that the participants involved with the project, “enjoyed”
learning on SL but there was a mixed response related to meaningful learning. As participants began to
drop out of the study and the ones remaining struggled to find an enhanced purpose for learning in this
way, inadequacies in “pedagogical nesting” began to emerge. While part of the appeal of SL is the
potential for constructivist learning and the space for co-designing and learning to occur, the context
and the circumstances need to be readied in such a way that learning can be meaningful and efficient.
Attentive to Kelton’s (2008) concern that there might be a gap between students who are already
familiar with the use of virtual worlds and those that are new to the experience, an orientation process
was developed to meet the needs of the participants who were largely technically savvy, but not users
of SL, nor familiar with virtual worlds for educational purposes. Even though the participants found the
orientation valuable and precise, it was inadequate in terms of fully preparing them for the challenges
that lay ahead. One student said, “I had never been on Second Life before and I spent at least 12 hours
trying to orientate it to myself. It would have been helpful to have more of an orientation. I thought
Lindenlab was some ESL (English as a Second Language) person trying to talk to me and I deleted all his
messages.” Unfortunately, the participants found the start-up stage difficult and time consuming which
mirrored the experience of the researchers who were also new to SL.
Although the project hired a highly-skilled technical expert for the team, some of the nesting difficulties
may have been avoided if the researchers had greater insight into the operation of SL. For example, one
of the participants described how she became distracted by the need to clothe her avatar. After several
minutes and failed attempts she remained bald, partially clad and missing a limb. Had the researchers
been more competent in SL, they may have had the insight to create default settings (ie for clothes) that
would have focused the participant’s time on the primiary learning objectives.
Technology Reverence
Even though 3 out of 4 participants said they personally would not want more educational opportunities
on SL, the novelty and affinity to “learning through technology” clearly appealed to them. It appeared
Education students were drawn to the concept of virtual world learning because, as one participant said,
“I think technology is the future for education so I want to be prepared for the future.” Coupled with the
inclination that, “kids are really into technology I think it would be a great way to learn, since they
already know about technology” it is clear that the participants saw learning potential in SL. At the same
time, there is a bit of a contradiction between what the participants say about the quality of learning in
their experience and their projection that students/children would benefit with SL. Perhaps it was this
attraction, if not reverence, to technology that helped participants keep an open-mind about the
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potential for teaching and learning in virtual worlds, despite their own personal frustration. Notably,
most participants defended SL as an effective way to learn but qualified that SL might be best used as an
adjunct or complementary teaching strategy. It is possible that specific weakness in this particular
project ie) the orientation and the activities resulted in this outcome.
While particular to Education students, one of the main disadvantages of investing the time and effort
to learn SL is the likelihood that they would not be able to transfer this instructional strategy into a
school. Due to the nature of some of the **locations and the people students could meet on SL, it may
not be a school board approved site. Therefore, investing significant amount of learning time in such a
site does not reap adequate benefits for pre-service teachers.
Access and Interest
After the initial start-up difficulties, participants found certain aspects of SL particularly advantageous.
The most commonly noted benefit of SL was the high accessibility factor, which is a benefit consistent
with other on-line learning opportunities (reference needed). Also, there were a number of learning
activities available for the participants on the site but clear preferences for particular activities were
cited. Most participants found the “brain” and the “transformable classroom” to be the most
educational. Even though they couldn’t move the classroom furniture exactly the way they wanted it,
nor were they sure about the credibility of the brain they perceived these two activities as meeting the
learning objectives in interesting and interactive ways.
Communicating and Collaborating On-line
Due to the low number of participants and the wide range of accessible hours it was difficult for the
students to serendipitously collaborate with each other on-line. Some students reported that they did
not make any effort to communicate with other avatars, while others were not in SL when other
participants were present. One participant stated that she communicated with someone for a short time
because “it was inappropriate – the way they were talking to me.” Significant communication and
collaboration between participants, therefore, did not occur even though it was a primary objective of
the research. Since SL does not have the capacity for synchronous work opportunities such as editing
power points, the participants struggled to find meaningful ways to interact with each other. **One of
the assigned tasks was to work with each other to co-construct a model classroom conducive to a wide
variety of health and learning needs, but they were not able to connect on-line. There was also a level of
discomfort described when the participants discussed the prospect of talking to unknown identities. One
participant said, “some people were helpful but some people were creepy”. Another participant adds:
I found communicating with others a little bizarre, though. I first wanted to verify who I’m
talking to, not that you can really do that when you’re in environments like this. Secondly, I
either want to see the real person or I don’t want to see them at all. I would prefer to make up
my own mental image of them. SL was a strange middle ground between both of my extreme
preferences.
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Another student commented that “there is a whole world of non-verbal communication that is missing
from the interactions”. Perhaps, for human service providers where traditional education has
emphasized non-verbal communication, this aspect of SL might be a particular challenge. Also, the
participants did not network with other institutions on SL and it appears that even though the physical
boundaries were removed, they were replaced by psychological barriers that impeded actively seeking
interaction with others. Without this low level of communication, more sophisticated levels of
interdependent collaboration was not possible.
In the future, it may be helpful to build in prescribed tasks that facilitate interactions with other avatars
as interprofessional collaboration did not naturally occur in this project. In retrospect, the learning
activities could too easily be completed without networking or interaction with other participants, even
though the intention was for the participants to communicate with each similar and other professions.
Limitations for Learning
Except for the luxury of accessibility, the participants struggled to identify improved learning
opportunities offered through SL. One student stated, “I found it too time consuming with little reward
or knowledge gain. I would prefer other delivery models”. In some cases the limitations of the program
may have actually impeded optimal learning. This participant stated, “With the power-point
presentation, I wanted to have the option to print it. Before going through it slide by slide, I wanted to
be able to do a quick visual can of it to get the overall big picture. I wanted to be able to highlight major
subtitles.”
Summary
The purpose of the evaluation project was to determine the pedagogical significance of a virtual
classroom for providing the student-participants with an opportunity to plan and interact within an
interprofessional context. After the construction of a “site” on University of Regina land on Second Life,
students had the opportunity to experience interactions and instructional strategies in a simulationbased environment that built on or enhanced learning outcomes from traditional learning
environments. Students had access to information and resources on this site that were consistent with
the Second Life context. The purpose of the project was to promote learning experiences that were
designed to provide a balance among experiential learning, guided mentoring, and collective reflection.
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