3. Immersive Virtual Learning Environments
3.1. Immersive Virtual Environments and Virtual Worlds
3D immersive virtual environments add 3D visualization and the ability of the user to navigate 3D virtual spaces, in comparison to 2D environments. The user immerses into the 3D virtual environment being represented as an avatar.
Other users are represented as avatars as well. It is possible to meet other people or educators from distant locations online, collaborate with them, discover new places instantaneously, or even play games. A distinctive characteristic of immersive environments is visual collaboration abilities supported by multi-modal communication (Dalgarno & Lee, 2010; Schmeil, Eppler, & Gubler, 2009).
As per example, remote users communicate via text or voice chat while they share the changes in the 3D scene. This visual characteristic has an important impact on collaboration tasks given the sharing of the visual scene dynamics.
Schmeil et al. (2009) demonstrate, with experimental evidence that 3D virtual environments bring a real value to collaboration. The research confirmed evidence on improvement of retention in collaboration in those environments in comparison to a pure text-chat only environment (Schmeil et al., 2009).
The visualization of the space, and interacting with other avatars who can be learners, give new possibilities of computer-aided learning scenarios not existed before in a game-like environment. That opens the doors of creativity and imagination to the user.
In immersive 3D virtual environments, the user immerses into the 3D environment where he/she will be able to visualize experiences, attend events, or interact with 3D objects alone or in collaboration with others. The user will identify other potential collaborators of the virtual environment with a representation, a virtual character for example named an avatar. In contrary to ITS where a character is assigned to a tutor only, immersive environments give each participant an actor identity, contributing to vision of Dillenbourg (2000, point 4 of Table 5).
Immersive virtual environments inherit properties form a Virtual Reality (VR), as Oxford Dictionary defines VR as: “the computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional image or environment that can be interacted with in a seemingly real or physical way by a person using special electronic equipment, such as a helmet with a screen inside or gloves fitted with sensors”1. Burdea and Coiffet (2003) indicate that the virtual reality is immersive and define it as “a high-end user-computer interface that involves real-time simulation and interactions through multiple sensorial channels. These sensorial modalities are visual, auditory, tactile, smell, and taste. ” (Burdea & Coiffet, 2003, page 3). Thus generally VR assumes the senses through various devices such as Head Mounted Display (HMD) units or attached sensors to the human body. Lee and Wong (2008) rather argue that the immersion level of a VR could be varying depending on number of engaged user senses. For example a fully immersive VR assumes attachment of all the senses through various sensors and devices for the full immersion of the user (Lee & Wong, 2008; Carter, 2012). In contrary, in none full immersive environments, the 3D display and control could be given by a regular screen unit and regular computer control devices such as the keyboard and the mouse.
A virtual world attempts to resemble real world with possible virtual additions or abilities that also include the immersion in the environment through the term avatar. While the avatar represents visual user actions in the 3D environment such as walking, running, and providing several gestures, it can provide imaginary functions not possible in reality such as flying, violating rules of gravity, and teleportation. The avatar is not the only concept that characterizes a virtual world from other environments such gaming ones. While different definitions for a virtual world are attempted in literature, Bell (2008) combines those definitions to form it as “a synchronous, persistent network of people, represented as avatars, facilitated by networked computers.” Thus, virtual worlds are not necessarily designed for learning purposes. But rather, several of which evolved from Massive Multi-Player Online
1 See http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/virtual-reality
Games (MMOG) taking implementation lessons or utilizing their gaming and 3D animation engines. Virtual worlds depict a real software implementation as a product that works with networked computers. In other words, it is viewed that virtual worlds utilize available technologies and standards to realize immersive environment concepts. Example virtual world implementations are Open Wonderland (2012) and Second Life (2013). Figure 5 shows a 3D scene from the Open Wonderland environment where the display is in 3D and each user is represented in the environment by an avatar.
Figure 5: A 3D scene in the virtual world of Open Wonderland. Users are represented with avatars, such as
“msoliman” user. They can communicate through voice or text chat while performing activities in the 3D space.
Research has highlighted motivational factors from games, visualization and Human-Computer-Interaction aspects that can greatly motivate the nowadays’
digital native who likes games, Prensky (2001). This is exemplified in a 3D visual learning environment that utilizes virtual world gaming environments. Those environments give the abilities to other parties to build their own places and therefore they evolved as virtual worlds. Taking the example of Second Life, participants have the ability to build new models by themselves forming new possibilities and scenarios. As long as it is a guided built by the crowd, the environment is scalable and has great potential for adding new educational services day after day. Several educational bodies and education researchers have recognized this importance for education and are seriously considering them for learning.
3.1.1. Avatar Impact
Users of immersive environments have a distinct characteristic compared to other environments as the representation of their existence with avatars. The
avatar purpose is for embodiment and representation of the user identity (Boberg, Pippo, & Ollila, 2008). The user has control over the avatar shape and movement in the immersive environment. Other users can obtain information based on what they see of other avatars. Information obtained about other users can include the location of the avatar, the activity the user is doing, and perceptions about the personality based on gender, shape, dress colors, etc. It further gives the sense of others’ presence in the environment thus providing opportunities of multi-modal communication with other users regardless of their physical location (Hamilton, 2009). That sense of presence adds to the social aspects of the environment, through co-presence, to increase and enrich possibilities of activities and increase its utility towards better user engagement (Hamilton, 2009). In contrary, the feel of an uninhabited environment discourages users to be engaged in its activities. With avatars, there are two possibilities. The user can control the avatar if he/she is online. Also the avatar may provide offline functions. The user has the option to create multiple identities. Thus avatar-to-avatar interactions might occur based on the different modes and situations.
The avatar is a representation of existence of the user in the virtual world.
Therefore its appearance reflects actual user desired changes. For example, upon conversation with another remote user, the avatar shape reflects speaking. The virtual world tool implements a set of possible animations to reflect such changes such as walking, talking, flying, etc (Open Wonderland, 2012; Second Life, 2013).
The use of avatars in such environments provides a form of personalization from different perspectives. First, the user has choice on the appearance of the avatar in terms of embodiment, clothing, skin color, and more. Second, the view of the virtual world, the user experiences is from the avatar perspective, in contrary to a Web site for example that is static to all users. In the search for environments that put the user as a first class entity, it is found that Virtual Worlds are strong candidates, given the changes of the 3D scene upon user interactions and the user-oriented surrounding services.
3.1.2. Evidence of Immersion Impact on User Behavior
The Proteus effect (Yee & Bailenson, 2007) states that: the behavior of the user in a virtual environment changes in accordance to its digital representation. For example, in a firefighting training scenario in a virtual world, firefighter avatars should have a compatible costume that represents them in the environment. And similarly the available avatars to educators should be limited to educationally compatible ones.
No wonder why companies make policies for employee dress codes in virtual worlds.
In relation, negative cognitive effects of virtual environments also exist.
Jorge, Jeffrey, and Nicholas (2009) report that “avatars with negative connotations affect
users’ cognition in line with the associations they raise” and “aggressive connotations can negatively affect users’ cognition”. This mandates the need for a control of the environment specially when being used for learning so that it improves learning results and attitude towards learning.
In another effort of obtaining evidence on behavior effects, Christopher (2011) reports that immersive virtual environments create behavior change in the physical world resulted by research at Stanford University (Ahn & Bailenson, 2012). Users were asked to cut a tree in an immersive environment forest that resulted in difference in behavior compared to non-immersive environment users. The one(s) who participated in cutting the virtual tree seeing it falls down felt more accountable for the occurred damage. Furthermore, Gardner, Gánem-Gutiérrez, Scott, Horan, and Callaghan (2011) reported that the use of avatars increased opportunity for participation by shy students and allowed to explore new identities.
With those characteristics mentioned above and the increase in popularity, and attention especially for new generations of users, immersive environments have benefits and new possibilities for virtual learning.