Scenario III – Training through Development

In this scenario of usage, the VHD project is arranged to facilitate research projects of honours and postgraduate students (SCQF levels 10 – 12 [198]). The main objective is to let students use the VHD environment as a platform for exploring their ideas about research into disaster management models and methodologies.

This scenario has SR-High characteristics (EM-High and EM-Low), since the students in the VHD environment must show a higher level of self-regulated learning behaviour. Depending on the learning task requirement, the land parcels can be common to every student and act as basic sandboxes. Students access parcels without ownership but are allowed to create content and build learning constructs, which corresponds to EM-High type management needs. On the other hand, if the learning activities that come into this scenario include environment change, land editing and land ownerships at the parcel level, students are given more flexibility in VHD. This arrangement follows the EM-Low type management policies. However, in both approaches, students have a narrow margin for misusing the opportunities, as they should complete their learning tasks with overall responsibility and positive engagement, which requires High-SR interactions. A selected set of example policies for this scenario are shown in Table 5.9.

Category Management Policies

Land Mgt.

Students may terraform the learning environment Students may change their working locations Student may change land settings on assigned lands Avatar

Activity Mgt.

Student mobility with no restrictions Students should not distract others’ learning Students should not misbehave in the environment User

Mgt.

User names should map real identities

Users should be given required role privileges Users can change their given home locations Content

Mgt.

Students may alter/move learning content Students may create content objects

Students may alter/move the environment content Group

Mgt.

Students may change settings of their assigned groups Students should not change their assigned groups Students may alter group owned objects or land

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Comparatively, the scenario 1 of VHD use differs from this scenario. The first scenario allows the students to complete the quizzes in Sloodle, which then updates their Moodle records, and the rest of the student activities in-world are not accounted for their grades. In contrast, this scenario allows the students to explore almost all the benefits of using a MULE as a dynamic, engaging and user created learning platform. It also gives the students the opportunity to create their own scenarios in accordance with environmental, human and financial resource requirements. Thus, by engaging with the VHD tool, students are encouraged to reflect on the knowledge and understanding that they have gained throughout the module, which corresponds to higher levels of learning, while also making the student experiences about their learning more realistic.

Figure 5.17: An example usage of an allocated land parcel with content and land alteration Fig. 5.17 shows an example test case conducted by one of the VHD project researchers, to evaluate the guidance tool for help in configuring parcel ownerships, various land settings and content creation. The test case was based on a dilemma situation with a water supply through a natural source (river or lake) and how its geographical location can impact the choices of designing the refugee camp, supply routes and the external influences through the un-fenced pathways. Being close to a natural water source may be beneficial to the refugees, and assist the work of the aid workers but at the same time can introduce more threats for the security of the tenants and create health risks through waterborne disease epidemics. This is a challenging dilemma that a research student can examine with various solution models through exploratory implementations as test cases with the support of the given virtual space in OpenSim. The VHD researchers and lecturers tried various parcel and region level land management settings to test the impact of those with the assistance of the function network in Gephi that was provided.

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Figure 5.18: A selection of a complex ego-network for land management

For a detailed study about this scenario, land management (a more complex and broader management area) is selected as an example to evaluate the significant benefits that VHD staff obtained from using the OpenSim function network guidance. As per the requirements of this learning scenario, academics involved in the module had to provide land ownership, ideally at the parcel levels to the students with access rights for the land management.

Fig. 5.18 shows a section of the ego-network of land parcel management as part of the function category Near Field Spatial Management, obtained through the tool. The image shows the ego-network filtration depth at 3 levels indicating the overall complexity of the selected function area; in practice, sub-networks and depths of 1 and 2 were mainly used for VHD policy implementations. The ego-network indicates the related functions and settings that define a range of activities available for students inside their given parcels. With appropriate filter settings the network topology presented the ego-networks of 6 major functional areas associated with land parcels that facilitated user engagement in the environment. By becoming the owner of a land parcel, a student can explore these functions; depending on the policy, VHD researchers and lecturers decided the level of control over these functions. However, if the students are given land parcels for their research with tight control in place at the estate and regional levels, such provision may not facilitate the expected ILOs. In a complex situation like this which has ambiguity of EM control mechanisms the function network and tool support can significantly reduce the time taken to implement management policies and increase the accuracy of aligning those with the ILOs and TLAs. This benefit was highlighted and agreed by the VHD staff involved in the study.

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Depending on the policy implementation conditions (with parcel ownership or group owned land) VHD staff practiced controlling mechanisms at the estate and regional levels to prevent any unsuitable changes by students to the implemented policies through override or block of those proactively. Moreover, in this scenario, the VHD researchers suggested that even if the proactive policy mechanisms are not feasible due to the required level of flexibility (EM-Low arrangements), reactive strategies, such as restarting the region, disabling scripts, etc. can be quite helpful in an unforeseen event. Even for such usage, VHD staff felt that they had benefitted from the guidance tool since they can evaluate the situation and consider appropriate actions at run time, as the ego-networks are self-explanatory.