Daden Limited
Training in Virtual
Worlds
David Burden
Daden Limited
© 2010 www.daden.co.uk

Training in Virtual Worlds
© 2010 www.daden.co.uk
 Games, Simulations and Virtual Worlds
 Modes of Use
 Why Use Virtual Worlds
 Exemplar Projects
 Barriers, Issues and Planning

Games, Simulations & Virtual Worlds
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Serious Games
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 Often no avatar
 Usually single user
 One game = one task
 Often stand-alone PC
 Short duration
 Limited goals
 Limited actions
 Game-play & score
orientated
The Business Game – Pixel Learning
 No persistence

Simulations
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 Often no avatar
 Usually first-person view
 Single/multi user
 Scenario/environment
based
 Stand-alone or networked
PCs
 Short/medium duration
 Wider goals VBS2 – Bohemia Interactive
 Wider actions
 Real-life not game rewards
 Limited persistence

Sandbox Games
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 Avatar based
 Trailing camera/first-person
view
 Multi/single user
 Scenario/environment based
 Networked/Stand-alone PCs
 Medium duration
 Wider goals or storyline http://blog.media-freaks.com/other-horizons-different-applications-of-3d-animation/
Grand Theft Auto
 Wider actions
 Gameplay & score driven
 Limited persistence

Virtual Worlds
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 Avatar based
 Trailing camera/first-person
view
 Multi user
 Scenario/environment
based
 Networked PCs
 Medium/long duration
SL5B Conference Panel – Second Life
 Wide/no goals
 Very wide actions
 Money & reputation
 Persistence

Synthetic Environments
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Action
Scope
Virtual Worlds
“sandbox
games”
Simulations
Serious
Games
Goal
Scope

Application Platforms
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Virtual World
engine
Scope
Of
Action
Virtual
Worlds
Simulation
engine
Simulations
Game
engine
Serious
Games
Range/Number/Complexity of Goals

Synthetic Environments
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 Don't confuse application platform and user
experience/environment
 Limitations of technology and maturity of application tend to
currently link platform with experience/environment
 As technology and applications mature further:
– A virtual world application platform could deliver a
simulation and/or a serious game
– A simulation platform could deliver a serious game
– A serious game platform can only deliver a serious game

One Platform – Many Environments
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Vastpark as 2D user interface Vastpark as avatar-less game
Vastpark as simulation Vastpark as virtual world

Modes of Use
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 Remote/Social Learning
– Only using VW to overcome distance
 Exploratory Learning
– Use explores environment
 Visualisation
– Looking at data or processes from outside
 Simulation
– Immersive experience
 Not Possible in Real-Life (“'NPIRL”)
– “Grand Simulations”

Modes of Use
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 Visual-Aid
 Participative
– Synchronous
– Asynchronous
– Group/Solo

Why Use Virtual Worlds
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 Benefits of Virtual Learning
– Developing enhanced spatial knowledge representation
– Impractical and impossible tasks
– Creating micro-worlds – embodying abstract concepts/principles
– High motivation and engagement - due to high levels of
personalisation and being “in the flow”
– First-person non-symbolic experiences (cf third person symbolic)
– Contextualisation for greater transfer from learning to practice –
encoding specificity
– More effective collaborative learning
BJET Jan 2010 – Dalgarno & Lee

Why Use Virtual Worlds
© 2010 www.daden.co.uk
 Supporting Distance Learning, eg UFI
 Changing Learning Dynamics, eg St George's
 Subjective view – greater emotion and spatial cues to aid retention
and understanding
 Doing the Impossible, eg historical recreations, inside a furnace
 Supporting Different Learning Approach, eg read, watch, do, discuss
BJET Jan 2010 – Dalgarno & Lee

Better Learning - Metrics
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 Blitz Triage Trainer
– 28% vs 7% for tagging accuracy for
game trained students
 Imperial College Operating Theatre
Familiarisation
– Higher confidence from VW group as
against PPT or even RL group
 Loyalist College – Border Crossing
– Success scores raised from 56% to
98% in one year

Saving Costs - Metrics
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 Routine Costs - ACS/IBM
– Minimum $1000 per day per
participant, plus soft-costs
 Exceptional Costs - Highways Agency
– Saving £65,000 per day for Highway
Closure simulations

Exemplar Projects
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WTRI – Factory Sales Simulation
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UFI – NVQ Customer Service
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Derby University – Virtual Quarrying
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Learning by Walking
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ThinkBalm Data Garden
Italian SL Education Seminar

New York City – Emergency Management
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Barriers, Issues and Planning
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Barriers
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 Technical: PC and network performance, user interface
 Identity: Tension between work and play
 Culture: Codes and etiquette
 Collaboration: Building trust
 Time: To learn and do
 Economic: Set up costs
 Organisational: Staff and student buy-in
Steven Warburton: Liquid Learning Blog, Kings College, 2008
G Falloon: BTEJ Vol 41 No 1 2010

Issues to Consider
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 Which world – SL, OpenSim, Vastpark, other?
 How hosted – standalone PC, LAN or third party hosted?
 How presented – training using virtual worlds, or virtual
worlds including training?
 How are users represented?
 How is learning designed (and scaffolded)?
 How will user preferences be managed?
 What fidelity matters: environment, task, interaction?
 How secure does the environment need to be?
 What LMS/VLE integration is required?

Scripting/Content Models
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 Embedded
– High skill level
– Hard to maintain
– World specific
 Web-Linked
– Can get fragmented
– Corporate IT policies
– World limitations
 Web-based Authoring
– Central management/authoring of whole exercise
– Easy to maintain, change and re-configure
– Can deploy across multiple virtual worlds
– Can deploy to web and mobile

Planning a Project
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 Establish clear requirement specification
 Be clear as to organisational and learner benefits
 Develop a detailed exercise description form tutor and learner
perspectives – and any metrics needed
 Create the VW platform/environment
 Create induction path from web
 Build the 3D environment
 Script the exercise
 Arrange data capture, ideally with LMS link
 Create supporting documentation
 Test with team and refine
 Test with tame students, and refine
 Go live (with support)

Questions
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