Published: 2012-05-31

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii


PART I: INTRODUCTION

1. Emerging Vistas of Immersive Education: Introduction to Engaging the Avatar
Randy Hinrichs and Charles Wankel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3


PART II: FRAMEWORK FOR ENGAGING THE AVATAR

2. A Framework for the Design of Avatar-Based Collaboration
Andreas Schmeil, Martin J. Eppler, and Sara de Freitas . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

3. Architectural Evolution of E-Learning Virtual Worlds: Proposed Design Measures to Enhance the E-Learning Experience Within 3D Learning Spaces
Noha Saleeb and Georgios Dafoulas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49


PART III: STRATEGIES FOR ENGAGING AVATAR

4. The Eye and How We See: Physical and Virtual Worlds
Joseph N. Trachtman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

5. Strategies for Exploring Information Behavior in Second Life
John Marino, Natascha Karlova, Peyina Lin, and Mike Eisenberg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

6. Virtual Worlds and Workforce Education: Real Strategies for Engagement and Learning
Caroline Avey and Lyn Maize. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151


PART IV: IMMERSING THE AVATAR

7. Salt Marsh Dynamics ~ a Problem-Based Learning Scenario
Heidi Trotta and Marian Glenn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

8. Stuttering Support and Nursing Education: Two Case Studies in Second Life
Grant Meredith, Charlynn Miller, and Greg Simmons . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

9. Training for Technological Democracy: A Civic Engagement Class Example
Michelle K. Gardner and Thomas A. Bryer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

10. Genome Island: A Virtual Laboratory Environment in Second Life
Mary Anne Clark. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277


PART V: 360 DEGREE FEEDBACK

11. Using Virtual Simulations in Second Life for Teaching and Learning in Nursing Education
Michelle Aebersold and Dana Tschannen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311

12. Using Second Life to Teach and Research Virtual Economy
Teemu Surakka and Sami Ahma-aho . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339

13. The SimEscuela: An Innovative Virtual Environment for Teacher Training
Antonio Santos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365

About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391