VILLAGE—Virtual Immersive Language Learning and Gaming Environment: Immersion and presence

Abstract

is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy at the University of British Columbia. Her primary research areas are the design, blending and transfer of learning across physical, simulated and virtual environments. In particular, she is interested in designing and repurposing technologies for use in educational contexts. Her previous and ongoing research has focused on the implementation of educational technology innovations in teacher education and the integration of technological knowledge with pedagogical and content knowledge. Stephen Petrina is a professor (. He is a cultural historian with current projects on Meducation and Twentieth Century Learning in addition to long-term histories of technotheology and culture, media and technology. Stephen's expertise necessarily includes the philosophy of technology and the philosophy of research, as opposed to methodology. Francis Feng is a course author and instructor for ETEC 531 Curriculum Issues in Cultural and Media Studies. With a background in electronic engineering and computing studies, Franc has expertise in programming, computer hardware design, microprocessor design, webdesign, workplace training, business systems, consulting, multimedia, product evaluation, systems support and digital curating. Current research interests include science-technology-studies, meta-cognition, e-portfolios, assessment, chaos/complexity/systems theory, cultural studies, environmental ethics, globalization, philosophy, hermeneutics, phenomenology and the sociology of knowledge. He has recently authored chapters in (Post) modern science (education): propositions and alternative paths and Unfolding body and mind: exploring possibility through education, and published in Educational Insights. Abstract3D virtual worlds are promising for immersive learning in English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Unlike English as a Second Language (ESL), EFL typically takes place in the learners' home countries, and the potential of the language is limited by geography. Although learning contexts where English is spoken is important, in most EFL courses at the college level, EFL is taught by acquiring vocabularies, grammar and pragmatic features without contextual immersion. In this study, an immersive English learning environment in a 3D virtual world, OpenSimulator, was developed with two key learning artifacts, chatbot and time machine. A single-factor, independent measures design was used to examines learners' presence under four learning conditions: virtual learning environment without digital learning artifacts (VE), virtual learning environment with chatbot (VEC), virtual learning environment with time machine (VETM) and virtual learning environment with chatbot and time machine (VECTM). Three research questions emerging from the four learning conditions form the backbone of this study: (1) Does chatbot increase language learners' presence in the immersive virtual English learning environment? (2) Does time machine increase language learners' presence in the immers...

Immersive Virtual Reality as an Effective Tool for Second Language Vocabulary Learning

“…This technology can provide accessible environments that are engaging, highly immersive, and interactive. Previous literature has indicated the effectiveness of L2 learning platforms via simulated action videos (Jeong et al 2010) and online computer-based virtual environments (Berns et al 2013;Chen 2016;Ibáñez et al 2011;Lan et al 2014;Levak and Son 2017;Si 2015;Wang et al 2017). Uniquely, this study examines performance in adults learning Mandarin Chinese vocabulary through iVR versus explicit L1 to L2 word-word (WW) paired association learning.…”

Review of Research on Technologies for Language Learning and Teaching

“…Wang, Petrina and Feng (2015) [11] developed an immersive English learning environment with two key learning artifacts, Chabot and time machine. These two learning artifacts mainly aimed at facilitating learning verbs.…”

Cybersecurity, IT-aided Education, and TeLEs: Nexus, Vistas & Realities

“…The P2 model has since formed a significant part of the bedrock and blueprint for a number of modern virtual TeLEs, such as that proposed and / or experimented in recent researches by: Román-Ibáñez, Pujol-López, Mora-Mora, Pertegal-Felices, and Jimeno-Morenilla (2018); Liu, Liu, and Ren (2018); Doumanis, Economou, Sim, and Porter (2018); Gautam, Williams, Terry, Robinson, and Newbill (2018); Thomas and Schneider (2018); Becerra, et al (2017);and Wang, Petrina, and Feng (2017), to mention a few. All these researches have extensively incorporated the P2 model in the development of state-of-the-art virtual learning environments across various jurisdictions.…”