Higher education in virtual worlds: the use of Second Life and OpenSim for educational practices

Abstract

This thesis explores the features of Second Life and OpenSim that affect the choice of academics who are planning to use a virtual world in order to meet the learning needs of their students. For the conduct of this study, what was taken into account is a preexisting framework which proposes the evaluation of virtual worlds against four dimensions: their contexts, the immersion encountered within each, their cost, and their persistence. The research aimed to validate, enhance or alter the framework on which it is based, and also highlight the similarities and differences between Second Life and OpenSim worlds, either internally or externally hosted ones, against these four dimensions. For the fulfillment of this objective, academics were interviewed and students were asked to fill in some questionnaires. However, the findings suggested that none of these options is "the best". On the contrary, the answer to the question "Which is the ideal virtual world for the conduct of educational projects?" is "It depends on each educator's needs". Nevertheless, this thesis provides clear guidance to academics who face the decision to use virtual worlds for educational purposes.

Date of Award	Mar 2013
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bedfordshire
Supervisor	Marc Conrad (Supervisor), Marc Conrad (Supervisor) & Mitul Shukla (Second supervisor)