Virtual World be the Best Place for Learning
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| Virtual World |
A research team at North Carolina State University led by Mitzi M. Montoya has developed a new way of measuring how “real” online virtual worlds can be. This is a critical advance for the emerging technology. Many true believers think this is the wave of the future for workplace learning because development of applications and collaboration techniques begin to appear to support the idea.
What is meant by virtual world?
The measurement scale developed by the researchers for the virtual world is called Perceived Virtual Presence, or PVP, and compares how users interact with the virtual environment and factor in with their work in that environment, as well as with other users.
“Now that we have developed the PVP scale, it can be used to determine what PVP levels are most conducive to training, collaboration, or other applications,” Montoya explains.
The PVP scale can be used to design a virtual environment that has the degree of reality that will best cater to a company’s specific needs. Montoya developed the PVP metric with Anne P. Massey, a professor of information systems at Indiana University.
What are the examples of virtual world?
The rising cost of travel and increasingly tight budgets have left companies exploring the possible use of virtual worlds to train employees and foster collaboration in areas such as research and development. But until now no one has had a way to measure just how “real” those worlds are.
The researchers focused on developing a measurement tool specifically for business applications in the virtual world. They noted that the productivity and effectiveness of workers interacting among online environments is closely linked to how well the workers are able to feel as if they are in the virtual realm.
Discussion of PVPs
It seems perfectly natural that the first discussion of PVPs would take place in cyberspace. Within hours of the announcement late last month, bloggers were fired up and jumping into the discussion. A blogger named David Miller wrote: “It seems that they are looking at how immersive the virtual world is to employees.How easy it is to ‘suspend disbelief’ and feel as though it is a live encounter. I know that for me, it is very easy to feel a ‘real’ affinity with an avatar I am speaking with. This is somewhat true of even instant messages, but much more so of being near an avatar.
“I even make it a point to be certain that my avatar is looking at his face. It’s all too easy to be looking away, but I identify quite closely with my avatar. This will seem weird to anyone not in virtual worlds.”
But even among the most avid of virtual world believers, some bloggers remained cautious, if not skeptical.
Last week, a blogger called Amilie joined a string of conversation on the topic: “We are only more productive in virtual worlds for certain activities that we cannot perform in (real life). For example, a collection of two-way phone conversations and emails over the course of a week to bring a team of workers up to speed on a task is never as productive as a meeting with all of them in the same room.
If you can have that meeting in a virtual world, then you are already more productive than in the (real world). “I am not sure that comparing same to same would put virtual worlds out in front. There are many advantages to meeting face to face and calling your boss Mr. Smith in a real boardroom, rather than meeting with him anonymously in a virtual board room.”
Online Environments
“Using different forms of realistic online environments, even those as simple as remote desktop connections for help desks, have already shown to save large corporations literally millions of dollars annually,” writes Rick C. Hodgin on the website TG Daily.
“Virtual classrooms, meetings, and presentations (have) been (employed by) users around the globe with stunning success—saving tens of millions of dollars,” Hodgin adds. “In addition, previous meetings, educational worlds, and demonstrations can all be recycled, copied, and reviewed at any time in the future.
Having either the original presentation, or a playback of a recorded version of the original presentation, one given in its exact form, is as easy as copying a file. And that is one of this technology’s greatest benefits.”
Montoya adds, “This is an important issue because we believe that if users feel they are ‘present’ in the virtual world, they will collaborate better with other members of their team—and the more effective the virtual world will be as a setting for research and development or other collaborative enterprises.”
In addition, Montoya notes that “an increased sense of presence in the virtual world leads to better comprehension and retention of information if the technology is being used for training purposes, and trainees are happier with the process.”
Adds Hodgin: “Education, demonstration, and collaboration are the future of the business needs of online virtual worlds. Specific tools like Montoya’s PVP may help develop these virtual tools far more rapidly.
And while games, sim worlds, and other ‘fun things’ will undoubtedly push the technology, performance, and coding methodologies as far as they can go, it will ultimately be the business ends which benefit the most from the application.”
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