Immersed in Learning: supporting creative practice in virtual worlds

Abstract

The Immersed in Learning project began in 2007 to evaluate the use of 3D virtual worlds as a teaching and learning tool in undergraduate programmes in digital media at the University of Wolverhampton, UK. A question that the research set out to explore was what were the benefits of integrating 3D immersive learning with face‐to‐face learning for students who were already comfortable inhabiting the digital realm? The purchase and development of Kriti Island on the Second Life grid saw the online virtual space rapidly assume a sense of real presence, and become a focus for collaboration, nationally and internationally. The successful submission of the Kritical Works in SL project to the International Symposium for Electronic Arts (ISEA) in Singapore 2008 meant that Kriti Island hosted 10 international artists’ work produced in and for Second Life, with a further exhibition, Kritical Works in SL II, launched at ISEA 2009 in Belfast. With the ongoing research new questions have emerged. There is now a deeper focus on the use of the Second Life platform for creative practice and the exploration of concepts that are impossible in real life. This article reflects on the development of an island for research and to support creative practice and creative collaboration and comments on its current and future use in the School of Art and Design.

Keywords:

• Second Life
• creative practice
• digital media
• collaboration

Notes

1. Statistics from http://secondlife.com/whatis/economy_stats.php (accessed January 2, 2009).

2. The term ‘Machinima’ is used to denote video captured ‘in’ the virtual or game world.

3. Information accessed InWorld and available at http://arsvirtua.com/about.php (accessed April 14, 2008).

4. This is an approximate cost of $11 based on the Linden dollar rate on 5 October 2008. http://secondlife.com/whatis/economy-market.php. Linden dollars translate into real world money and have a value of approximately 270 Linden dollars to a single American dollar.

5. An account of the relationship between art works in Second Life and the use of the avatar for represented presence in virtual space is explored further in Doyle (2008a).

6. A catalogue was published of the final exhibition (Doyle 2008b).

7. The presentations were filmed and are available at http://www.inspire.anglia.ac.uk/mml08