A Case Study on a Learning Aid within Different Domains

This study examines the different design and delivery options of learning content for blended MULE (in OpenSim/SL). It is not enough just to deliver the old content in a new medium; we must seriously reflect on how to design and deliver education according to the new medium [67]. Also Voos has indicated that "It is likely not the ‘blendedness’ that makes the difference, but rather the fundamental reconsideration of the content in light of new instructional and media choices" [184]. These views from related work suggested conducting a further study, examining the nature of educational content when MUVEs get integrated with the existing e-Learning environments. Therefore, a case study comparing the two versions of the same learning aid, one as a web based aid and the other with OpenSim was carried out.

For this purpose, two distinct implementations of the link-state Internet routing protocol OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) [192] simulations as learning aids were selected. OSPF uses Dijkstra’s Shortest Path algorithm [193] as its mechanism to build and calculate the distances to all known destinations. Importantly, understanding Dijkstra’s Shortest Path algorithm can be a challenging task for an unaided student due to its complex nature. Like many algorithms, it can leave some students bored and disengaged, therefore, demonstrating a user-friendly learning resource to help students who would otherwise lose interest has always been a demand in computer science education.

The first attempt was to implement a web-based learning resource with animation support. This implementation also had a certain level of interactivity with feedback to self-assess user’s understanding of the algorithm behaviour. A working instance of this learning aid demonstrating Dijkstra’s algorithm is shown in Figure 4.6 [194].

Figure 4.6: An operational instance of the interactive web based OSPF algorithm simulation learning resource

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Although this Web based OSPF learning resource was a useful complement to the static textual explanations of OSPF in textbooks and lecture materials, several obstacles to student learning were identified associated with its domain limitations. The learning affordances a MUVE can provide as defined in [66] were missing in this aid, i.e., the difficulty of depicting 3D simulations, poor support for real time multiuser collaboration, poor support for experiential learning and lack of user immersion were observed. However, with the intrinsic support for textual content of the platform, this version of OSPF animation provides useful text based learning content and dynamic activities such as formatted routing table, node – arc summary are displayed at each step and textual user input and feedback are supported for self-assessments. It also provides links to additional external resources external for an enthusiastic student to refer to for further study. A possible disadvantage on student learning with this learning aid can be students may tend to visualise the network topologies and algorithmic behaviour believing that the possible networks are limited to the 2D arrangements, although such view is not theoretically correct. If students are affected by this limited support for correctly grasping the underlying subject matter, they may only be able to demonstrate the first three levels of the SOLO taxonomy [103] in an assessment.

Accordingly, another learning resource for simulating OSPF behaviour has been developed in a locally installed OpenSim island [94]. The web-based OSPF learning resource demonstration has been replicated with the 3D content and scripting for the required animation; however, it is only a small part as an introduction to the island, when compared to the extended scale and broader subject matter it presents. Therefore, further extensions and engaging learning use cases have been associated with this MUVE learning aid.

An important advantage with this implementation is the extensive facilitation for collaborative group activities. Certainly, it is one of the MUVE learning affordances; as emphasised throughout, learning resources should be carefully designed to exploit it, however. Student collaboration on network topology creation, setting various weights and resources, and observing and commenting on others’ use of the learning aid are new use cases that have been introduced compared to the 2D web aid. In fact, these use cases of learner collaboration are essential for a broader understanding of a complex concept, which would otherwise be limited to individual insights. User collaboration occurs through interaction between learners while interacting with the MUVE, through the learning interface that provides support rather than barriers to learning [78]. Students have been given the opportunity to use OpenSim communication channels (chat, voice, IM) to share their ideas while engaged in their learning. The 2D web version could have been augmented by chat and/or vice, and could have allowed for student defined topologies, and could even allow for multiple concurrent presence, but the end result would have been highly complex and unwieldy.

Students can easily practice the highest level of SOLO, Extended Abstract responses; an example of what can be achieved in Extended Abstract level learning engagement is shown in Fig. 4.7. It shows a hypothetical Internet core as a hypercube of degree 4, which has been collaboratively constructed; a difficult concept to draw or visualise in 2D. These capabilities are an excellent opportunity for students to reflect on what they have learnt and to collaboratively overcome individual concerns on liminal spaces related to a threshold concept of their learning [195].

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The main emphasis given in this OSPF simulation implementation was to depict the associated concepts in 3D visuals as much as possible instead of the textual alternatives. Although experiential learning opportunities based on simulated 3D worlds can be implemented in other ways, without using a MULE, users are likely to feel that the environment is too contrived and not rewarding in terms of immersive learning [78]. Therefore, a reasonable amount of textual content and activities have been appropriately redesigned and mapped to 3D content to explore the MUVE learning affordances. By doing so, however, certain learning use cases that are primarily associated with textual content cannot be satisfactorily mapped on to 3D content. For example, the use of MUVE raw text channels to display routing information was one of the options considered. But lengthy textual descriptions of state updates and routing information are neither aesthetic nor easily readable as they scroll out of view. Indeed, this strengthens our argument for using complementary systems for blended learning. An appropriately designed web-based e-Learning resource can provide rich textual content and complements MUVEs if there is sufficient integration. Moreover, as discussed in the previous section, such a resource could be accessed interactively through in-world or external browsers, while participating in MULE based learning activities.

Figure 4.7: A collaborative activity in the Routing Island – the construction of hypothetical Internet core as a hypercube of degree 4

Another challenge with a MULE learning content is the provision of external resources of the same calibre for further studies. Being a novel and growing technology for learning, MUVEs possess a reasonable amount of 3D learning resources to be referred to for a particular area of study. Even if there are 3D contents available from external sources, accessing and execution of those content can be challenging due to the heterogeneous content ownership management policies and platform constraints. An innovative solution may be to display video and interactive content from an external source using the media display-on-prim functionality in OpenSim, which can help to share learning resources in MUVEs.

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This case study provided a further view on using MUVEs with existing learning infrastructure. Importantly, it reiterated the value of considering learning affordances of each environment can offer and select the best fit for the learning need; moreover, learning content development should also follow the same approach in which MUVE content and e-Learning content should complement each other for productive blended learning with 3D support.