The Effect of Supplementing Textual Materials with Virtual World Experiences on Learning and Engagement

This study investigated whether participating in an educational experience in the virtual world called Second Life enhances college student learning of introductory topics in the physical and behavioral sciences. Our research hypotheses were that students who complete a learning module which includes a virtual world experience and a text-based presentation will learn more than students who complete the text-based presentation alone and that they will also find this learning experience more engaging. Ten undergraduate students participated in the study. Five learned about tsunamis, first through a Second Life experience and then through a handout. They learned about schizophrenia through a handout alone. The other five learned about schizophrenia, first through a Second-Life experience and then through the handout. These students learned about tsunamis through the handout alone. Upon completion of each tutorial, participants completed an exam and two surveys. When students completed both a Second Life experience and a handout on a topic, they achieved higher exam scores (p<0.005) and rated the learning experience more engaging (p<0.005) than when they completed the handout alone. Participant ratings of the ease-of-use of the learning modules that included a Second Life experience were slightly lower than those for the modules that involved only a handout, but this difference was not significant. These results suggest that experiences in virtual worlds are a useful instructional supplement to academic readings.