An Exploratory Study of the Impact of a Virtual World Learning Environment on Student Interaction and Learning Satisfaction
Year: 2009
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Research in online education has demonstrated that social presence and student interaction are important factors in learning. This study extends current research to the new learning environment of virtual worlds and explores their role in student interaction and learning satisfaction. We examined learning satisfaction in an online course using virtual world technology to assess sense of presence, social presence and student interaction. Data on multiple independent variables (measures of presence, social presence, and interaction) and dependent variables (learning satisfaction) were collected and analyzed. Our findings indicate that students did not perceive a high level of presence in the virtual world environment. No significant relationship was found between perception of presence and students’ interaction while students’ perceived social presence was significantly related to their perceived interaction and learning satisfaction.
Authors: Chi Zhang, Ilze Zigurs
Institution: University of Nebraska at Omaha
Language: English
Topic: Online and Blended Learning
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W211164513