The traditional classroom has been considered the ‘ideal’ setting for teaching and learning, and innovations which challenge that structure are under a great deal of scrutiny. As the tools for online learning become more sophisticated, as in the case of 3D immersive worlds, it is time to stop using the brick-and-mortar classroom experience as the litmus by which all educational experiences are measured. This chapter will discuss some significant differences between face-to-face and online learning experiences, as well as some unique affordances provided by virtual worlds for constructivist learning experiences.
This chapter is based on survey research conducted between 2010 and 2017, involving 1053 graduate students using immersive online learning environments for their coursework. Investigators used course structural factors and student engagement factors to predict students' perceptions of community and presence in the online immersive space. Utilizing the Sense of Community II index (SCI-2) and the Community of Inquiry survey (COI) median scores as cut scores for predicted outcomes, researchers demonstrated that purely online environments which encouraged student engagement in the online immersive space can enhance sense of presence and sense of community. In addition, students in graduate programs that used online immersive delivery methods longer developed a stronger sense of community. Both dependent measures proved to have stable subscale structures for this inquiry based on a cursory confirmatory factor analysis.
A focus on interpersonal relationships and the creation of caring, democratic learning experiences may cause some to reject virtual learning environments because of a belief that physical proximity is necessary for the building of substantial relationships. Despite this concern, a carefully crafted 3D immersive learning environment can provide similar interpersonal experiences, and can foster the creation of caring relationships in ways that are often difficult in face-to-face settings. Based on more than nine years of work in Appalachian State University’s Appalachian Educational Technology (AET) Zone, this chapter creates a case based on Noddings’ framework for the ethic of care, and argues that virtual learning environments can meet and exceed these conditions.
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