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Wat weten we over het gebruik van 3D-werelden in het (taal)onderwijs?

Ervaringen en inzichten in het EU-netwerk ´Euroversity´

Kristi Jauregi (Universiteit Utrecht)

Ton Koenraad (TELLConsult)

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Overview

• The Euroversity project• Selected projects highlighted• Related local experiences• Focus on the NIFLAR project• Opportunities for personal 3D-

(educational) experiences

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Euroversity Challenges and opportunities in building the first pan-European

virtual world university.Coordinator:

Department of Modern Languages, University of Hull, UK

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The Euroversity network

• 3 year multilateral and transversal EU - LLP network

• Exploitation of existing synergies between & networks of related projects (Avalon, AVATAR, Niflar, etc.)

• 19 partners

• Austria, France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Cyprus, Portugal, Spain, UK, Netherlands, Italy, Israel

• Start date: December 2011

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Euroversity Partner Organisations

• 1) University of Hull UK • 2) CCI Jura FR • 3) Università Statale

Gugliemo Marconi IT • 4) University of Utrecht NL • 5) TELLConsult NL • 6) Molde University College

NO • 7) Umeå University SE • 8) Manchester University UK • 9) University of Strasbourg

FR • 10) Linnaeus University SE

• 11) Consorzio Forcom IT • 12) Talkademy AT • 13) Coimbra University PT • 14) Cyprus University CY • 15) Bielefeld University DE • 16) ICC International

Language Network DE • 17) Kiel University DE • 18) Stockholm School of

Economics SE• P1TC (Third Country Partner)

Technion, IL

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Aims of Euroversity• Collect examples of good practice

(subjects and (inter)national contexts

• Facilitate the transfer of core knowledge to new contexts

• Provide a framework for the creation of a pan-European virtual-world university

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Expected outcomes of Euroversity

• Increase the number of experts in virtual world education

• Create a policy of long-term sustainability of the network and its outcomes

• Design a model for the transfer of knowledge

• Host and promote dissemination events

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The Euroversity vision

• Become a European and international point of reference

• Create strategic formal alliances with major educational bodies for the delivery of education in virtual world platforms

• “Massification” of virtual world education • Provide EU certification of teaching and

learning for the recognition of HE credits

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Added value of virtual worlds

• Distance learning platform for telecollaboration• Synchronous communication• Multimodal communication• Highly immersive with greater potential for

learner engagement, participation and sharing of experience

• 3D rendering (joint building, design, simulations)

• Huge potential for transformation of knowledge

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Opportunities and advantages

• Reduce costs of education for all stakeholders

• Increase virtual mobility of learners and teachers

• Facilitate international collaboration and research

• Reduce barriers to education• Transform our understanding of the

delivery of education

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Euroversity challenges

• General teacher/learner acceptance• Access and technical barriers• Institutional barriers• Community misconceptions (i.e. virtual

worlds are for gaming only, avatars are dangerous, it is not real, etc.)

• Quality

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d

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Virtual Center for Entrepreneurship

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Professional Communication Course

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Some observations on available project data

• Educators: passionate about the 3D potential

• Common project features:

– limited number of participants– telecollaboration – discipline related communication (language +

intercultural dimension involved or objective)

– Comparative studies for platform selection– Limited Evaluation data (hardly any effect studies)

– CoP development

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Claims & Evaluations

• Immersion, • Simulation potential,• Game-aspect

• “It felt much closer as if you would meet someone in skype, because you share the same environment and you see it.”

• It was easier to listen to an avatar, because it was easier to see some kind of a person and not only hearing a voice.”

• “Though you just have limited gestures you do stuff and talk about it. There is a lot of interaction that won’t come if you are separated in separate worlds like in “skype” conferences; you are not in the same place. That makes it special like a close feeling and a game-like thing.”

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Is SL a good place for learning (Avalon, student evaluation)

Most participants felt “motivated”, “happy”, “comfortable” and “curious”. “Satisfied” and “exited” were also named quite often

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Participants

It was a pity we had so many technical problems: half of the lessons went with “can you hear me, can you hear me?

‘You can learn from everywhere and you don't have to travel to a school.

‘I was more motivated to learn English than I was in

school.’It was more a learning by doing process. And sometimes I would have liked to have a little bit more structure

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Interviews (Avalon-Business English course)

• Group work is the favourite learning scenario (fewer tech problems, more interaction, meeting people from different cultures)

• The majority enjoyed trying out something new and getting to know Second Life this way but after the course never visited SL again

• SL as VLE: “always access to native speakers if you want – just by teleporting”.

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• Avatar representation & learning / speaking

• “I liked the anonymity at the beginning, later I sometimes wanted talk with the people in real life.”

• “It was an advantage, because no one had to be afraid of his accent or look.”

• “I never felt really concerned because no one knows you.”

• “For those who are too shy talking in English it's easier to talk through an avatar because there is no direct eye contact.”

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Meer weten, doen?: SIGs

• Virtuality: SIG Serious Gaming, Virtuele Werelden en Simulaties...

Met de subgroep: EDUsim, OpenSIM for Education

• VirtualWorlds

• Euroversity

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Meer weten, doen?Training & 3D omgevingen uitproberen

• NL: 3DLes (de NIFLAR sims, Chatterdale, Parolay and …more GRID locations)

• Utrecht Summerschool 2012 NIFLAR Comenius course:in Utrecht (week 32) & Valencia (week 42)

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k.jauregi@uu.nl ton.koenraad@gmail.com

Thank you! Question Time?

Join us @ Euroversity CoP