Sharing Real Research in Virtual Worlds
Added: (Fri Oct 26 2007)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
Following rapid worldwide demand for the University of Wales, Newport’s innovative open source ‘Addressing Barriers – Enhancing Services’ diversity etraining resources the Institute of Digital Learning team were invited to inform a global ‘virtual’ audience about their research and development experiences in Second Life.
Each week TechSoup.org (America’s leading ICT support agency for the Not for Profit sector) invite key technologists and policy makers from around the real world to their forum held in a digitally created amphitheatre in Second Life to explore best practice and innovation that is advantageous to the world’s Not for Profit and Charity sector. The Newport team had explored collaboration opportunities with members of TechSoup.org at the International Serious Games festival held in New York in June and were glad to continue to network in the Second Life which can be used to replicate real world face to face meetings.
Matt Chilcott and Nick Savage (pictured left) whose digital characters are known as Casnewydd Maximus and Digital Paulse in Second Life indicated that their research and development practices were well received, particularly their serious games approaches designed to immerse frontline workers in problem solving situations that allow them to practice and play with inclusive service delivery approaches away from the frontline at their own pace.
Newport’s innovation in developing the UK’s first interactive etraining package for adults to raise awareness about Homelessness as part of equality and diversity online training was of particular interest to the audience members from America and Europe who expressed a desire in working with Newport in seeking to raise awareness about socially and economically excluded groups within their own countries.
Second Life is home to cutting edge virtual classrooms for University’s including Harvard and the Open University. It has one of the fastest growing economies in the world. It’s currency of Linden Dollars have value outside of the virtual world and can be bought and sold for real money online in trading venues such as eBay. It has millions of people using it every day for work and leisure. Many innovative companies, organisations and universities (including Newport) have set up a presence in this virtual world which also offers research and development teams new ways of collaborating and sharing their findings.
Matt Chilcott / Casnewydd Maximus informed us that “Second Life is a vibrant place that is bursting with a diversity of new ideas and creativity. Whilst the world’s press has picked up on the fact that Second Life has now created its first wave of real world millionaires; what is less well known is the fast growing number of entrepreneurial disabled people and members of other disadvantaged groups who are finding economic success in this virtual world - free of the barriers to employment they often experience in the real world. In keeping with the findings of the Institute of Digital Learning new media technologies can be used effectively utilized in addressing peoples barriers to learning and employment”.
“The Digital world of Second Life has rules of unity, respect and inclusion which makes it a very fitting venue for us to share our equality and diversity etraining research and development experiences. These rules are also in keeping with the safe havens of immersive reflective practice we have developed in our serious games.” added Nick Savage/ Digital Paulse.
Allan Fear, Associate Dean (Research and Enterprise) considers that “the University of Wales, Newport’s expertise in digital learning has been recognised on both a real world and virtual world international stage. The innovative approaches of the Institute of Digital Learning team help highlight how Newport can fully meet its mission as a Community University seeking to take learning to the heart of its communities, both regionally and internationally, in the digital age”.
The Addressing Barriers Enhancing Services series was developed through the Welsh Equal funded Equinex Developmental Partnership with RISE the Learning Network. For further information and to access the free diversity etraining resources visit the website hosted by the Institute of Digital Learning at http://equal.newport.ac.uk
Direct link to video short: http://www.idl-equinex.newport.ac.uk/second_life_news.html
Notes to Editor
The Equinex Development Partnership is a Welsh Equal funded partnership under round two of the European Community Social Fund Initiative. The partnership has been developed to address inequalities and barriers faced by disadvantaged people when trying to access employment, training and educational opportunities at domestic and transnational levels. The partnership is managed from the Centre for Community and Lifelong Learning at the University of Wales, Newport which has extensive experience in widening access issues. For further information about the Equinex Research and Development projects visit www.equinex.newport.ac.uk
The Institute of Digital Learning (IDL) is a key cornerstone in the University of Wales, Newport’s Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT). Based within the Newport School of Education the Institute (formerly known as the Education Development Unit) seeks to enable education research, development and enterprise in the digital age. The IDL hosts research and enterprise funded Learning Technologists, New Media and Video Developers, eResearchers and eCurriculum Developers. This team works collaboratively with Research Centres in the University of Wales, Newport, Cardiff University, University of Glamorgan, University of Wales Institute Cardiff and Swansea University utilising the latest new media technologies to enhance the learning experiences of students studying on Welsh Assembly Government Knowledge Exploitation Fund and other directly funded projects. The team also make a key contribution to Welsh Equal Equinex development partnership whose partners include the National Autistic Society, the South East Wales Racial Equality Council, Careers Wales and Newport City Council.
The IDL has a recognised specialism in applying the latest digital learning tools (including games based learning, video expert tutorials and interactive case studies) to develop blended learning curriculum across a broad spectrum of curriculum areas and delivery and accreditation levels. The IDL learning material outputs are accessed across education, service and manufacturing workplace setting throughout Wales.
The RISE Learning Network is a partnership of all those involved in lifelong learning, and the provision of learning, across South East Wales, and is a network of over 200 centres. RISE has been developed to give learners a voice, by enabling them to influence the facilities and provision that are available across the Five Counties, and to develop curriculum to meet these requirements. Being demand-driven will help to achieve greater engagement with learners, and assist in the cultural, social and economic regeneration of the region.
The RISE initiative is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG), and the ESF Objectives 1 and 3 with the aim of helping to promote the development and structural adjustment of a region that has fallen behind other parts of the European Community.