ascilite 2011 - He ara hou ka tū mai: NZ institutions of higher learning unpacking demands and facilitating change

He ara hou ka tū mai:

NZ institutions of higher learning unpacking

demands and facilitating change

AuthorsMerle HearnsManukau Institute of Technology

Scott DienerUniversity of Auckland

Michelle HoneyUniversity of Auckland

Judy CockeramUniversity of Auckland

David ParsonsMassey University

Erik Champion Massey University,

Gareth SchottWaikato University

Garry FalloonWaikato University

David Thompson University of Canterbury

Tim Bell University of Canterbury

Mick Grimley University of Canterbury

Richard Green University of Canterbury

Todd CochraneWellington Institute of Technology

Niki DavisUniversity of Canterbury

Donna MorrowUniversity of Canterbury

Deborah Corder Auckland University of Technology

Alice U-MackeyAuckland University of Technology

Tony Clear Auckland University of Technology

Anne Philpott Auckland University of Technology

Roy DaviesAuckland University of Technology

Swee Kin LokeUniversity of Otago

Clare AtkinsNelson Marlborough Polytechnic

Sue GregoryUniversity of New England

SCOTT DIENER, UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND

Welcome to:

TODD COCHRANE, WELLINGTON INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Welcome to:

MERLE HEARNS, MANUKAU INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Welcome to:

MIT Initiatives• Led the Foundation Pilot, part of the SLENZ research

project "Engaging with Second Life; real education in a virtual world"

• The build used to train students in interview skills• Students researching their career pathways have

displayed their research findings as THINC books• Literacy interventions with a Māori cohort of pre-

degree nursing students utilised the Red Mesa Native American sim

• Currently in the planning stages of the production of a literacy game to be built in JokaydiaGrid, OpenSim and on the New Zealand Virtual World Grid (NZVWG)

• Several departments currently considering using virtual worlds, eg. Computing & IT, Teacher Education, Social Services, ESOL, & Nursing & Health

Themes: Immersion

• MIT report that students involved in the SLENZ (Second Life Education NZ) Project reported a sense of immersion which was supported by anecdotal evidence

• Waikato Faculty of Education describe improvements in student social interaction, and the increased involvement of ‘peripheral’ students in general classroom activities

Themes: Doing what is impossible in RL

• The University of Auckland has simulations for maternal haemorrhage, paediatric bereavement, nursing and pharmacy

• The University of Otago has a virtual hospital in which medical students play the role of junior doctors/housemen - students are provided with safe and authentic learning experiences

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raArEReaj4g&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Themes: Sense of community

• Architecture students from the University of Auckland, Computer Science students at Canterbury University, WelTec, & NMIT are all able to pursue projects made possible by virtual worlds

• Japanese students at AUT are able to go to the Japanese sim (virtual build) to interact with native Japanese speakers for an engaging and very real experience

• Study in alternative corporeality includes Weltec & Instituto das Humanidades e Ciências Inteligentes, Lisbon, Portugal

Themes: Designing creative software solutions

• Massey University examining techniques of agile software development in a game based activity

• Massey’s Auckland School of Design researching interfaces that can be adapted for virtual worlds

• WelTec using virtual worlds as a development tool for creating prototype 3D interactive environments

• AUT Faculty of Design and Creative Technology has a continuing investigation of ‘Teamlink’, a prototype Java 3D CVE

• AUT’s VRSuite, CoLab is examining the use of interactive 3D technologies to aid industry

• NMIT students are creating applications in complex immersive MUVEs


Themes: Real-time problem solving

• MIT’s proposed literacy game will challenge students to solve grammatical problems

• Waikato University Faculty of Education use MARVIN in small group settings to support discussion, debate, critique, organisation & presentation of researched information through the exercise of higher order cognition

• The University of Canterbury requires surveyors to produce a traffic management plan for when they are working on a road


Themes: Working across sectors

• Waikato University Faculty of Education has used MARVIN in trials with two Intermediate schools (Years 7/8) in Hamilton

• The Computer Science Education group at the University of Canterbury the CS Unplugged project (csunplugged.org) which exposes students to advanced concepts in Computer Science without using computers - prototype Unplugged activities are on a local server as they are designed for the use of primary school children


Thank you for listening!

• Virtual worlds are changing education in NZ• Qualities of virtual worlds allow students to

become immersed in active, problem-based learning

• New Zealand has invested heavily in change with research and practice in virtual world teaching and learning