Engaging Group E-Learning in Virtual Worlds

E-learning has seen tremendous growth in recent years. More and more, university courses are now available online to a potentially global audience. However, a significant shortcoming of e-learning technologies has been poor support for group-oriented learning. We believe that virtual worlds offer a potential solution. Unlike videoconferencing (for instance), virtual worlds provide a shared visual space for students to meet and interact (via avatars). Not only do students share the quasi-realism of a 3D environment where participants can see and hear one another, they also have the capability to manipulate artifacts together. These factors provide a strong sense of group presence, which leads to engaging group learning interactions.