Naomi Dreher

3D virtual worlds as collaborative communities enriching human endeavours: Innovative applications in e-Learning

3D Virtual Worlds are potent Digital Ecosystems because the 3D interface simulates real-world environments and the community of users creates a dynamic, real-to-life economy and in-world culture. Some Virtual Worlds such as Second Life empower users to generate in-world content through object building tools and programming languages; indeed the content in Second Life is entirely user-generated. This promotes a rich culture of innovation surrounding this emerging technology that continually develops the capabilities of the 3D Digital Ecosystem. The collaborative culture spans both the 3D in-world environment and 2D ecosystems: for example, Web 2.0 applications such as wikis and blogs facilitate support, discussion, and documentation for user-generated innovations. Innovation in 3D Digital Ecosystems such as Second Life are applied to all domains of human endeavour that exist in the real-world, including recreation, socialisation, commerce, and education. This paper shares the authors’ professional experience using Second Life in tertiary Information Systems/Science education. Case studies describe the specific applications. They are followed by discussion of the benefits of 3D Digital Ecosystems for education and suggestions for future research, development, and practice.

3D virtual worlds enriching innovation and collaboration in information systems research, development, and commercialisation

The increasing rate of technological development is changing how we interact socially, commercially, and politically, making this an exciting yet challenging time in which to live. As the pace of development is destabilising the status quo, it is increasingly important for individuals and organisations alike to adapt. Research, development, and commercialisation are important tools in facilitating innovation for organisations engaging in the modern knowledge/networked economy. As an emergent player in the networked economy, Digital Ecosystems have great potential for innovation. In particular 3D Virtual Worlds offer exciting opportunities for Information Systems research, development, and commercialisation. By their very structure, 3D Virtual Worlds such as Second Life provide a powerful context for innovation and collaboration: Second Life users are immersed in a 3D environment and empowered by a menu-based object-builder and a programming language; in-built text, voice, and body-language communication tools enrich communication, collaboration, and help provide a rich contextual presence. The community of users apply themselves to all realms of human endeavour, from recreational socialisation to systems development and entrepreneurial ventures. The current paper describes a university research commercialisation systems development project (of an Automated Essay Grading system called MarkIT), that utilises a 3D Digital Ecosystem for both promotion and implementation. Subsequently, this paper discusses the benefits, limitations, and suggestions for future innovation in research, development, and commercialisation of Information Systems incorporating 3D Virtual Worlds.

Avant-garde Pedagogical Practise Utilizing Virtual Environments and Machinima in Systems Development

Inspired by the success of the Students @ Work project [1] run at Hamburg University, Curtin University (Perth, Western Australia) has recently concluded the running of a pilot course in Second Life with their Information Systems Project (ISP) students. The need for a change was evident as student motivation and engagement in the Final Year ISP course was strikingly low. Left with such a tall order for improvement, the ISP teaching staff looked to find suitable options for change. Staff combined new and interesting tools in an effort to boost and maintain student interest, specifically the Second Life virtual environment and a screen capturing technique known as Machinima.