Exploring Literary Texts

Through Virtual Worlds

Dr. Mary Balkun, English Department ChairMary Zedeck & Heidi Trotta, Instructional Designers

Copyright

Copyright, Mary Zedeck, 2008

This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author."

A Short Introduction to Second Life….

• An online 3-D virtual world developed by Linden Labs• Not a game but a space • People create a digital character to represent themselves • Interaction with people from around the world.

What is Second Life?

Unique Characteristics of Second Life

100% User Generated ContentBuilt in modeling tools - users can create almost anything they can imagineBuilt in scripting tools - users can create interactivity and immersive environments

In World EconomySupports an in-world currency (Linden Dollars) Enables users to buy and sell goods and servicesLinden Dollars can be exchanged for real US Dollars

Customization of AvatarsUsers can create highly customized digital versions of themselves

Sharing of MediaAudio and video can be streamed in-world

Communication:

• Chat • IM• Voice• Gesture

Second Life StatisticsAs of August 2007:Total Residents – 9 million

Approx. Regular Users – 1 million regular users

Approx. Business Owners in-world- 45 thousand

Approx $6.5 million US $ exchanged between users per month

More than 170 educational institutions in Second Life…

The New Media ConsortiumInternational, not-for-profit consortium 225 colleges, universities, and research centers, largest educational presence in SL

NMC Virtual Worlds – Land lease and development services to members

SHU’s Second Life

2006 - Pilot Industrial/Organizational Psychology2006 - SHU Science Faculty identified biosphere environments 2007 - Two Faculty Innovation Grands Awarded2007 - Lease of Full Island – various price structures and arrangements

“House of Seven” Project

Where I was…

Had already used several technology tools to try to enhance teaching and learning with mixed results:

•Course management system•Wiki•Multimedia•Student-created website

Where I wanted to go…

“More ambitiously conceived sites can help students enter the world of their subject. They can break unconscious, unexamined patterns of thought by offering new structures for learning. The more dynamic character of the web can help academic subjects break out of the boxes that contain them, and bring the life of the mind into the student’s daily practice of living.”

(from “Building Effective Course Sites: Some Thoughts on Design for Academic Work” by Michael O’Malley)

Origins of House of Seven Gables SL Project

• Had heard about Second Life in several quarters, including biosphere created by TLTC working with Biology instructor

• Approached by Heidi Trotta • Did research; experimented with Second

Life (created avatar, researched educational uses to date)

• Decided to apply for a Faculty Innovation Grant (FIG)

Reasons for Selecting Second Life

• Students create mental models and make interpretative choices that affect their comprehension and analysis of a text.

• Virtual Worlds, such as Second Life, can provide an environment for students to co-create their interpretation of a text collectively, providing opportunities for deeper exploration of themes and character study.

Project Goals

• Provide students with a forum where they can engage in hands-on application of material culture analysis of a literary text, specifically, The House of the Seven Gables, by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

• Give students the tools to turn their research into activities that will demonstrate their knowledge of the text and material culture theory, and help others learn these things as well.

Project Details

• All projects and materials at the House of Seven in SL are student generated (with the exception of the House itself)

• Students, working in groups, submitted detailed proposals that focused on a specific character/space in the house (kitchen, cent shop, Hepzibah’s room, etc.)

• Projects had to connect research about the cultural context of the novel and analysis of the text

The SL House of the

Seven Gables

Let’s take a look…

Challenges

• Providing students with the support necessary to complete their projects

• Overcoming anxiety about the technology• Making sure projects could be completed in the

existing time frame• The amount of support needed for the

instructor and the students– training– project support– assistance with assessment tools

• Technical Considerations

Assessment

Formal Survey•31 questions – combination of likert scale scaled and open ended questions•Topics – accessibility, learning effectiveness and student satisfaction•Data is yet to be analyzed by Assessment Director

Preliminary Data• Difficult to assess on many questions, students were divided• Clearly, they enjoyed the course and thought the face-2-face sessions working on their projects were helpful• Technology was a challenge

Lessons Learned• Engagement is greater when students

work through their own ideas in SL• Support is needed both at the outset

and throughout the project• Students should be encouraged to

spend as much time as possible orienting themselves to the SL environment at the outset

• Students should be given the choice of working alone, in pairs, or in groups

• Project proposals must be do-able given the constraints of time and technical ability

Dr. Balkun and Her Students Final Presentations – 12/17/07

SL Project: Part II

• American Gothic literature senior seminar• Students will build on the SL site and projects

developed in the fall semester• Students will be given the choice to work alone,

in pairs, or in groups• Students will be given a list of possible projects

with examples, although other ideas will still be encouraged

• Projects will explore additional benefits of SL such as in-world collaboration, organizing events and interviewing experts in the field of literature

Future of SHU’s SL• Spring 2008

– American Gothic Center (Dr. Balkun)– Business School/Law School – Whitehead School of Diplomacy– Public Health Administration

• Planning for 2008-2009– Psychology– Freshman/Transfer Orientation– Career Center– Library

Conclusion/Q&A

• As the model site O’Malley describes, this site allows students to engage in “playful exploration rather than navigation through a hierarchy of knowledge.”

• Students can certainly read a traditional version of the novel and then be asked to look at some pictures posted online, listen to some sound clips, and post comments in a forum of some kind; this site, however, enables students to engage with the characters in the context of the novel, do purposeful research, evaluate sources, and build an analysis of the text based on the objects and materials they choose to add to the SL site.