Training Using Virtual Worlds

Using virtual environments to teach, learn, and practice the physical and mental skills required to perform given tasks is the area known as training using virtual worlds. A version of virtual training gained momentum in the later portion of the 20th century beginning with flight simulators; training using virtual worlds now encompasses several types of virtual environments, task-specific subcategories, and technologies. Desktop multiuser virtual worlds, which gained popularity several years later, gave easier access to virtual worlds to the general population and have created a strong following with educators and professional trainers. Virtual worlds provided a desirable vehicle to provide accessible training to their contingencies, capitalizing on the popularity of these environments for casual and gaming uses. Popular virtual worlds such as The Sims (Electronic Arts) and Second Life (Linden Lab) can be used to teach rather than used only for enjoyment. This entry first discusses the types of virtual worlds used for learning and the types of training possible using virtual worlds. It then discusses the benefits of training using virtual worlds and the potential for future growth in the use of virtual worlds for training.

Educational research has been focused on the kinds of virtual environments that best support learning and under what circumstances this learning occurs. Broadly, the research literature generally supports positive learning outcomes for educational activities within virtual worlds. The levels of success, however, are contingent upon several factors that mirror those of learning in real environments with the added burdens of hardware, software, and network issues faced by advanced technological applications. Some evidence has suggested that virtual worlds hold certain benefits that are not possible when learning in face-to-face situations in real environments. Even so, effective instructional design is a common key factor in successful virtual-world training, when the goals of the activity, game based or otherwise, and the desired learning outcomes should be aligned. The design of effective virtual environments, including desirable attributes and best practices, has also been an area of development given much consideration by scientists and scholars.