EJEL: Virtual Gathering Platforms in Academic Teaching: Potential and Applications
Vol. 22 No. 3 (2024): Special Issue: Extended Realities (XR) for Learning
Authors: Sophie Foster, Larissa Barth, Zaryab Chaudhry
My recent study into Virtual Gathering Platforms has now been published in the Electronic Journal of e-Learning in their special issue on Extended Realities, Volume 22 Issue 3.
The paper outlines the testing of Virtual Gathering Platforms Topia and WorkAdventure to see how effectively they could be adapted to various academic teaching and learning settings. These examples of the 2D metaverse aim to improve communication and interactivity in a fun and engaging way, allowing users to create immersive worlds for socialising, and collaborating. Using Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), Technological Self-Efficacy (TSE) and distributed scaffolding frameworks as a guide, we created adaptable templates of both platforms that not only introduced users to how they work, but also included features flexible enough to suit various academic disciplines and promote social engagement and collaborative learning. We then implemented a case study and invited educators teaching international courses at various universities in Thuringia to adapt the templates and assess them within their own learning settings.
The paper can be read here.
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