Evaluating a Second Life Course Experience
Learner: Dr. Alice Bedard-Voorhees
Avatar: MustangQuimby Messmer
Faculty: Dr. Lisa Dawley
Avatar: Mali Young
A Learner Evaluates and the Faculty Responds
Presented at AECT, November 2008
Background
 Reasons
for offering the course
 Reasons
for taking the course
Project Background



This is an evaluation of a learner’s
experience taking ED 597: Teaching and
Learning in Second Life, a semester-long,
graduate level course.
Blended, semester-long course:
Blackboard, In-World
Final Project: Learner chose to evaluate
the course experience with Badrul Khan’s
Flexible E-Learning Model.
Khan’s E-Learning Model
(Evaluation Model)
(Khan, 2008. Used with permission)
Why Khan’s Model
Systems model for e-learning that
considers how a new offering integrates
with various campus or organizational
units and services.
Unique ethical component.
Desire to test the model against a
newer e-learning application.
Institutional Considerations
Leader of the effort?
Instructional Readiness?
Institutional offering or partnership?
Financial Readiness?
Institutional Services?
( Used with Permission)
Institutional Checklist: ED 597

Online deliveries already being offered

BB orientation offered by campus



Statement of prereqs for SL were in marketing
materials
Dept. empowered to create course, and budget
for it
Chair/Instructor created policy and advised other
units (Dawley, Personal Communication, Dec. 9,
2007)
Management Considerations
People, Process, Product are key
and are further defined by oversight,
design, implementation, and ongoing
Updates (Khan, 2005b)
)
What people will do and what skills sets
are needed: oversee, make,
communicate, facilitate, maintain.
P3
(Used with Permission)
Management Checklist: ED 597

Oversight: Chair

Design: Chair, additional instructor

Facilitate: Chair, guests, grad assist.

Combined Roles: learners served as
designers, project managers, and builders
during various course assignments.
Technological Considerations
Software
Hardware
Support
Digital Literacy
Sharable Objects
Policy
(Khan, 2005b)
(Used with Permission)
Technological Checklist: ED 597
Blackboard Needs provided by Boise State (Boise, 2004)
SL Technological and pre-requisite skills appear in the syllabus;
Linden Labs provides tech support.
System: http://secondlife.com/corporate/sysreqs.php
http://blog.secondlife.com
Prerequisite skills:
• Use of camera controls
• Ability to fly, walk, and teleport
• Knowledge of communication tools (IM and chat)
• Basic building skills (create prims, add textures and content)
• Basic inventory management (can find items, wear
clothing, make a note card)
• It is recommended that participants have at least 10-20
hours of prior participation in Second Life before the
course begins (Dawley, Syllabus, 2007b. Used with permission).
Technological Checklist: ED 597 (Page 2)
 Permissions
objects.
 Dr.
allow for sharing digital
Dawley defined policy.
Pedagogical Considerations
Needs Analysis
Media
(Used with Permission)
Instructional Techniques
Motivation
(Provisions are made for blended deliveries.)
(Khan, 2005b)
Pedagogy Checklist: Ed 597
 Needs
analysis: Instructor’s prior
experience and learner negotiation
 Five
types of Learning:
“Participation, Reflective Action,
Teaching, Social Network
Participation, Final Synthesis Project”
(Dawley, 2007b, Assignments and
Grades).
Guest Presenter
Presentation Prior to Teleporting to Simulations & Debrief
Team Presentation
Constructivist Exploration in Literature Alive
ED 597: Pedagogical Checklist


Blackboard provided documents and communications and
discussions out-of-world
SL inventory allowed learners to store items and
informational notecards pertinent to use right in Second
Life

SL inventory permissions allowed learners to share items
with class

SL sandbox provided a synchronous area to practice skills,
rehearse presentations

BBoard was a more reliable platform, and SLife was not as
reliable (ie. voice, general grid).
Ethical Considerations
(Community Provisions)
Social and Political Influences
Cultural Diversity
Bias
Geographical Diversity
Learner Diversity
Digital Access
Etiquette
Legal Issues
(Khan, 2005b, p,. 293)
(Used with Permission)
ED 597: Ethics Checklist
Geographic diversity (time zones)
 Digital Access: Not all could access voice
grid
 Digital Access: Blocked Downloads of SL
 Etiquette: Turning off the mic when not
speaking
 Legal Issue: Disclaimer about exposure
to mature content

Interface Design
Content Design
Navigation
User Friendliness
ADA
(Khan, 2005b)
(Used with Permission)
ED 597: Interface Design Checklist



Uncomplicated, clear content in BB:
weekly overviews and assignments
While we used the chat for a hearingimpaired guest, screen readers don’t work
in chat
R and D groups are working on access for
visually and kinesthetically restricted
users. (Sierra, 2007; Foster, 2007)
Resource Support
(Used with Permission)
Materials and Services outside of the immediate class experience:
technical support
advising
library
object repositories
tutorials
ED 597: Resource Support Checklist
Evaluation Considerations
Overall Evaluation: How did it
go? Where are there problems?
Learning Assessment: How do
we know what they know?
Course Evaluation:
Learner Satisfaction with
experience and facilitation
Faculty evaluation
(Used with Permission)
ED 597: Evaluation Checklist

Overall: Immersive, constructivist activities and
interactions with others are the value

Grid could be undependable, inaccessible (ADA)

Assessment: Rubrics-defined performance; Project
based, reflective self-evaluation



Faculty Evaluation: Excellent facilitator and
communicator; demonstrated flexibility and
enthusiasm
Satisfaction: Learners self-selected the model and
learned “Plan B” thinking; valued interaction and
immersion
Improvement: Overview of Virtual Worlds
Student Comments
“Life changing”
 Each platform should be exploited for its
strengths
 Social networking
 “Fantastic learning”
 Workload was heavy
 “Guidance introduced me to an education
community”
 “Gained learning confidence”

Conclusions
 Value
of the Khan Model for future
development
 Other
Observations
References
Boise State University (2004). Information for enrolled students. [Online]
http://itc.boisestate.edu/orient/orient.htm
Dawley, L. (2007a) Persistent learning webinar. Retrieved on December 11, 2007, from
http://edtech.acrobat.com/p17101188/
Dawley, L. (2007b). Syllabus for EDTECH 597: Teaching and Learning in Second Life.
Boise State University. Boise, Idaho.
Foster, A.L. (2007, October 15). Thought-controlled avatars emerge in Second Life. The
Wired Chronicle. Retrieved on December 11, 2007, from
http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/article/2454/thought-controlledavatars-emerge-in-second-life
Khan, B. (2005a). E-learning quick checklist. Hershey, PA: Information Science
Publishing.
Khan, B. (2005b). Managing E-Learning Strategies: Design, Delivery, Implementation and Evaluation.
Hershey, PA:
Information Science Publishing.
Khan, B. (2003). The e-learning framework. Retrieved on December 11, 2007, from
http://asianvu.com/bookstoread/framework/
Khan, B. (2008). E-Learning Model Graphics. Permissions received October 8, 2008,
from McWeadon.com.
Linden Research, Inc. (2007). Second Life blog. Retrieved on December 12, 2007, from
http://blog.secondlife.com/
Madison Area College Technical College. (2005). Screen readers and blackboard for
students. Retrieved on December 10, 2007, from
http://matcmadison.edu/trc/blackboard/Accessibility/screenreaders_students.htm
Ohio State University. (2007). Ohio university Second Life campus community standards. Retrieved on
December 12, 2007, from
http://vital.cs.ohiou.edu/vitalwiki/index.php/Ohio_University_Second_Life_Campus_Community_St
andards
Sierra, M. B. (2007). IBM project: Second life accessible for blind people. Techpin: Daily Tech News. 24
2007. Retrieved on November 13, 2007, from
http://www.techpin.com/ibm-project-second-life-accessible-for-blind-people/#comment-1205
Contact Info
 avoorhees@coloradomtn.edu
 Lisa.dawley@boisestate.edu