Evaluating SL Course Experience: A Learner's Evaluation and Faculty Response

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Evaluating a Second Life Course Experience
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Faculty Dr. Lisa Dawley Avatar Mali Young
Learner Dr. Alice Bedard-Voorhees Avatar
MustangQuimby Messmer
A Learner Evaluates and the Faculty Responds
Presented at AECT, November 2008
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Background

• Reasons for offering the course
• Reasons for taking the course

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Project Background

• This is an evaluation of a learners experience
  taking ED 597 Teaching and Learning in Second
  Life, a semester-long, graduate level course.
• Blended, semester-long course Blackboard,
  In-World
• Final Project Learner chose to evaluate the
  course experience with Badrul Khans Flexible
  E-Learning Model.

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Khans E-Learning Model(Evaluation Model)
(Khan, 2008. Used with
permission)
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Why Khans Model

• Systems model for e-learning that
• considers how a new offering integrates
• with various campus or organizational
• units and services.
• 
  
• Unique ethical component.
• Desire to test the model against a
• newer e-learning application.

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Institutional Considerations

• Leader of the effort?
• Instructional Readiness?
• Institutional offering or partnership?
• Financial Readiness?
• Institutional Services?

( Used with Permission)
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Institutional Checklist ED 597

• Online deliveries already being offered
• BB orientation offered by campus
• Statement of prereqs for SL were in marketing
  materials
• Dept. empowered to create course, and budget for
  it
• Chair/Instructor created policy and advised other
  units (Dawley, Personal Communication, Dec. 9,
  2007)
• Registration Facilitated by Department

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Management Considerations
P3

(Used with Permission)

• People, Process, Product are key
• and are further defined by oversight,
• design, implementation, and ongoing
• Updates (Khan, 2005b)
• What people will do and what skills sets
• are needed oversee, make,
• communicate, facilitate, maintain.

)
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Management Checklist ED 597

• Oversight Chair
• Design Chair, additional instructor
• Facilitate Chair, guests, grad assist.
• Combined Roles learners served as designers,
  project managers, and builders during various
  course assignments.

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Technological Considerations

• Software
• Hardware
• Support
• Digital Literacy
• Sharable Objects
• Policy
• (Khan, 2005b)

(Used with
Permission)
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Technological Checklist ED 597

• Blackboard Needs provided by Boise State (Boise,
  2004)
• SL Technological and pre-requisite skills appear
  in the syllabus
• Linden Labs provides tech support.
• System http//secondlife.com/corporate/sysreqs.ph
  p
• http//blog.secondlife.com
• Prerequisite skills
• Use of camera controls
• Ability to fly, walk, and teleport
• Knowledge of communication tools (IM and chat)
• Basic building skills (create prims, add
  textures and content)
• Basic inventory management (can find items, wear
  
• clothing, make a note card)
• It is recommended that participants have at
  least 10-20
• hours of prior participation in Second Life
  before the
• course begins (Dawley, Syllabus, 2007b. Used
  with permission).

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Technological Checklist ED 597 (Page 2)

• Permissions allow for sharing digital objects.
• Dr. Dawley defined policy.

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Pedagogical Considerations

• Needs Analysis
• Media
• Instructional Techniques
• Motivation
• (Provisions are made for blended deliveries.)
• (Khan, 2005b)

(Used with Permission)
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Pedagogy Checklist Ed 597

• Needs analysis Instructors prior experience and
  learner negotiation
• Five types of Learning Participation,
  Reflective Action, Teaching, Social Network
  Participation, Final Synthesis Project (Dawley,
  2007b, Assignments and Grades).

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Guest Presenter
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Presentation Prior to Teleporting to
Simulations Debrief
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Team Presentation
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Constructivist Exploration in Literature
Alive
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ED 597 Pedagogical Checklist

• Blackboard provided documents and communications
  and discussions out-of-world
• SL inventory allowed learners to store items and
  informational notecards pertinent to use right in
  Second Life
• SL inventory permissions allowed learners to
  share items with class
• SL sandbox provided a synchronous area to
  practice skills, rehearse presentations
• BBoard was a more reliable platform, and SLife
  was not as reliable (ie. voice, general grid).

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Ethical Considerations(Community Provisions)

• Social and Political Influences
• Cultural Diversity
• Bias
• Geographical Diversity
• Learner Diversity
• Digital Access
• Etiquette
• Legal Issues
• (Khan, 2005b, p,. 293)

(Used with Permission)
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ED 597 Ethics Checklist

• Geographic diversity (time zones)
• Digital Access Not all could access voice grid
• Digital Access Blocked Downloads of SL
• Etiquette Turning off the mic when not speaking
• Legal Issue Disclaimer about exposure to mature
  content

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Interface Design
(Used with Permission)
Content Design Navigation User
Friendliness ADA (Khan, 2005b)
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ED 597 Interface Design Checklist

• Uncomplicated, clear content in BB weekly
  overviews and assignments
• While we used the chat for a hearing-impaired
  guest, screen readers dont work in chat
• R and D groups are working on access for visually
  and kinesthetically restricted users. (Sierra,
  2007 Foster, 2007)

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Resource Support
Materials and Services outside of the
immediate class experiencetechnical
supportadvisinglibraryobject
repositoriestutorials
(Used with Permission)
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ED 597 Resource Support Checklist
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Evaluation Considerations
Overall Evaluation How did it go? Where are
there problems? Learning Assessment How do we
know what they know? Course Evaluation
Learner Satisfaction with experience and
facilitation Faculty evaluation
(Used with Permission)
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ED 597 Evaluation Checklist

• Overall Immersive, constructivist activities
  and interactions with others are the value
• Grid could be undependable, inaccessible (ADA)
• Assessment Rubrics-defined performance Project
  based, reflective self-evaluation
  
• Faculty Evaluation Excellent facilitator and
  communicator demonstrated flexibility and
  enthusiasm
• Satisfaction Learners self-selected the model
  and learned Plan B thinking valued interaction
  and immersion
• Improvement Overview of Virtual Worlds

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Student Comments

• Life changing
• Each platform should be exploited for its
  strengths
• Social networking
• Fantastic learning
• Workload was heavy
• Guidance introduced me to an education
  community
• Gained learning confidence

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Conclusions

• Value of the Khan Model for future development
• Other Observations

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References

• Boise State University (2004). Information for
  enrolled students. Online
• http//itc.boisestate.edu/orient/orien
  t.htm
• Dawley, L. (2007a) Persistent learning webinar.
  Retrieved on December 11, 2007, from
• http//edtech.acrobat.com/p17101188/
• Dawley, L. (2007b). Syllabus for EDTECH 597
  Teaching and Learning in Second Life.
• Boise State University. Boise,
  Idaho.
• Foster, A.L. (2007, October 15).
  Thought-controlled avatars emerge in Second Life.
  The
• Wired Chronicle. Retrieved on
  December 11, 2007, from
• http//chronicle.com/wiredcampus/artic
  le/2454/thought-controlled-
• avatars-emerge-in-second-life
  
• Khan, B. (2005a). E-learning quick checklist.
  Hershey, PA Information Science
• Publishing.
• Khan, B. (2005b). Managing E-Learning
  Strategies Design, Delivery, Implementation and
  Evaluation. Hershey, PA
• Information Science Publishing.
• Khan, B. (2003). The e-learning framework.
  Retrieved on December 11, 2007, from
• http//asianvu.com/bookstoread/framewo
  rk/
• Khan, B. (2008). E-Learning Model Graphics.
  Permissions received October 8, 2008,
• from McWeadon.com.

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Contact Info

• avoorhees_at_coloradomtn.edu
• Lisa.dawley_at_boisestate.edu