Virtual education : teaching media studies in second life

David Kurt Herold

Research output: Journal article publicationJournal articleAcademic researchpeer-review

Abstract

Following the adoption of the virtual world Second Life by tertiary educational institutions worldwide, a limited study was conducted at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University to test the feasibility and desirability of employing a virtual environment to conduct classes. Thirty tutorials were held in Second Life over a period of five weeks in support of a course on Media Studies with sixty students. Feedback was gathered continuously from students and the lecturer via informal interviews, feedback forms, and participant observation. The results did not support most of the hypotheses, but supported the value of virtual teaching and learning in a wellsupported institutional environment. The paper emphasizes the need to integrate virtual environments into the educational framework of courses and for a careful consideration of the educational aims and uses of virtual worlds within specific courses.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3-17
Number of pages15
JournalJournal of virtual worlds research
Volume2
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2009

Keywords

  • Second Life
  • Higher education
  • Tutorials

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Virtual education : teaching media studies in second life'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this