Session Title: Avatars in E-Learning: a Good Idea?
Session Number: 151
Room: Coronado P
Day and Timeslot: Monday - 9:45am to 11:45am
Formats: Discussion
Listen to a Preview PodCast
Session Description: This session will focus on the benefits as well as pitfalls of using avatars in both traditional and virtual e-Learning (i.e. CBT courses and collaborative and shared virtual environments such as Second Life). We will draw upon personal experience and will explore the psychological implications (whether they represent ourselves or symbolize an authority figure such as an educator) as well as the technical aspects of using avatars and why/when they are effective (and not effective).
- Understanding avatars and exploring their relation to corporate training and e-Learning
- Exploring human psychology as it relates to "identifying" with avatars and experiencing situations in which avatars can influence behavior
- Does using avatars in an informal learning setting improve the retention and delivery of information?
Led by: Montse Anderson - MASIE Learning Fellow
Montse Anderson, a new media and marketing professional with a Master of Arts in Organizational Management, is busy exploring the educational implications of collaborative and shared virtual environments. She is also faculty at both Arizona State University and Axia College of University of Phoenix. When she is not indulging her passion for education, Montse is busy working as Director for It's Oque, a full service company that develops virtual communities in Second Life for corporations. In her spare time, Montse greatly enjoys photography and painting. She has exhibited her work at the Alwun House in Phoenix.
Led by: Elizabeth Nannery - Novant Health
Elizabeth Nannery, an avid educator for 18 years, is currently working as an IT Training Specialist for Novant Health. She is focused on providing both classroom instruction on computer applications, and revising/creating/updating/enhancing instructional materials with the use of new technology. Her goal is to advance training within the healthcare system to include exciting, comprehensive, and user-friendly technology-based training to meet the changing needs of the staff making it accessible anytime, anywhere. Elizabeth has a varied background in education as a middle/high school teacher, Corporate Educator, Computer Analyst on CBT projects, Instructional Designer, Business Developer for Training Solutions, and Project Manager for e-Learning Military Contracts. Her passion lies in educating others on how technology can enhance the learning experience. When Elizabeth is not working, she enjoys being a wife, and a mom to 3 very active children, all outdoor activities, and watching movies with her husband.
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As Multi-User Virtual Environments (MUVE) gain more acceptance in business, collaborative work, and education, understanding how avatars, digital representations of the user, function and influence people will become increasingly important.
Avatar shapes and appearance can be customized in countless ways such as non-human, animals, robots, inanimate objects such as products and even concepts.
Using Avatars in a 3-D MUVE, such as Second Life, for education, business, and collaboration has been proven by many researchers to be highly effective for encouraging interaction with other people and the environment. Communicating with other people can be accomplished through the use of voice technology, countless emotive gestures in addition to public and private chat.
Avatars play a significant role in these functions simply because they embody the user in a shared space, opening multiple possibilities for different experiences as well as support multiple learning functions in fully customizable environments. MUVEs have several properties that contribute to their effectiveness:
- multi-user: supporting multiple, geographically dispersed users
- synchronous: enabling people to interact with each other in real time
- navigable: allowing user to freely navigate the 3D space
- embodied: representing users through the use of avatars
- spatial: providing a shared 3D interaction context
Avatars alone are worthless; it is the humans behind those avatars that create the possibilities for enhancing the various functions described above.
My goal for Novant Health training is to take existing instructor-led training and convert to an online format that will embed avatars. Some of the courses will have “expert” avatars to provide a level of confidence and trust that the information is accurate. Other courses will contain a “coach” avatar to encourage practice and guide through procedures. Still other courses will use a “patient” avatar to role play or develop scenarios that require the learner to interact with the avatar. As we begin to implement these changes, there are many challenges to overcome. The biggest is convincing the decision-makers that the upfront investment will reap big rewards.
QUESTIONS:
How do you define avatars?
What are the levels of avatar use?
When does the use of avatars become non-productive?
When is it appropriate to use avatars?
Will virtual worlds become our business platform?
How do you overcome the learning curve to get to the content?
How much of a barrier is the interface (as it relates to Second Life)?
Next generation (digital natives) vs traditional learners (digital immigrants) - should there be a difference?
So many uses for avatars in training and education, how do we choose?
How do you balance enhancement vs replacement?
Are you struggling to meet the demand for training with very few trainers?
Do you need a new way to motivate your learners?
Have you been using avatars in training – and would be willing to share the pros and cons?
Are you curious about avatars, not used them, but interested in incorporating them in your training?
What, if any experience do you have working with avatars?
What, if any challenges did you have to overcome (technical or other) when using avatars?
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