Virtual worlds

Abstract

Games, role-playing, and simulations as developmental tools have been used in education since the 1800s. An emerging form of collaborative game play is virtual worlds; however, the use of virtual worlds in leadership education has not been fully investigated. The purpose of this article is to (a) demonstrate how virtual worlds are a viable venue for leadership education, and (b) present a hierarchy of skills sets that can be developed in virtual world settings. In doing so, this article provides evidence that virtual worlds can be used as a new instructional delivery environment for leadership education as the appeal and intrinsic nature of virtual environments aligns well with the experiential framework of leadership education.

Simulaciones de Liderazgo Escolar: Una Visión Panorámica de sus Publicaciones y Evolución

“…Algunas de estas se encuentran diseñadas para desarrollar habilidades para la gestión del cambio organizacional (Hallinger et al, 2010Hallinger y Kantamara, 2001;Howard et al, 2014;Showanasai et al, 2013), o bien para fomentar el pensamiento reflexivo en los procesos de toma de decisiones para la gestión del cambio (Claudet, 2001(Claudet, , 2007. Finalmente, las que se enfocan en habilidades comunicacionales y de relaciones interpersonales, que buscan desarrollar habilidades para expresarse en público y participar en entrevistas de prensa (Friend et al, 2011;Guthrie et al, 2011;Piro y O'Callaghan, 2019), y para la interacción social en el mundo escolar real, ayudando a los participantes a lograr mejoras en el manejo de la ansiedad y la gestión emocional (O'Brien y Murphy, 2003;Storey y Cox, 2015).…”

Rolling dice and learning: Using role-playing games as pedagogy tools

“…Role-playing, a pedagogy where participants act or improvise a role within a prepared scenario or unstructured situation (McKeachie, 1986), has been acknowledged for its ability to mold scenarios into experiential learning where students can apply what they have learned (Guthrie & Jenkins, 2018). The practice has been used in educational settings since the late 1800s (Guthrie et al, 2011). It has been associated with encouraging participation, improving learning motivation, raising content retention, promoting teamwork, and potentially generating student interest and enthusiasm (Beidatsch & Broomhall, 2010;Bonwell & Eison, 1991).…”

Global Leadership Education: Upping the Game

“…Therefore, as growing number of Millennials enter leadership positions and require leadership development, leadership educators are looking into incorporating engaging digital technology (specifically, gaming) into leadership education curriculum. For instance, Guthrie et al (2011) suggests that a combination of theory and situated learning (Lave, 1988) with experiential learning (Kolb, 1984) provides a foundation for building virtual-reality/game based leadership development opportunities. Keeping this in mind, leadership educators must seek to customize gamified educational content to fit individual backgrounds and learning styles of today's learners.…”

“…Gaming appeals to individuals because it offers an opportunity to problem-solve, collaborate, work towards a goal, and be rewarded with a spectacular success within the storyline provided (NMC, 2012). At the same time, scholars caution against using technology for its own sake, particularly when there is no clear tie to educational content (Guthrie, Phelps, & Downey, 2011;Jenkins, Guthrie, & Endersby, 2015;Jones & Cuthrell, 2011;Lei, 2010;Moody, 2010). Specifically, scholars argue that, to be effective as a learning tool, a gamified experience should meaningfully align educational and cognitive components (Dickey, 2005;Gee, 2003;Wideman et al, 2016).…”

“…In addition to engaging educational content, the social aspect of the gamified environment should not be overlooked. Social interactions are recognized as an important component of situated learning (Guthrie, 2011;Lave, 1988). Accordingly, collaborative learning structures and social interactions are known to promote cognitive development and metacognitive skills (Dillenbourg, Baker, Blaye, & O'Malley, 1996;Hennessey, 1999;Lai, 2011;Martinez, 2006;Schraw, Crippen, & Hartley, 2006).…”