The author provides a critical overview of three-dimensional (3-D) virtual worlds and “serious gaming” that are currently being developed and used in healthcare professional education and medicine.
there are some fundamental questions which remain unanswered.
it is beneficial to address while the race to adopt and implement highly engaging Web 3-D virtual worlds is watched in healthcare professional education
Therefore, Roger’s Diffusion of Innovations Theory [5] and Siemens’ Connectivism Theory [6] for today’s learners will serve as theoretical frameworks for this paper.
A 3-D virtual world, also known as a Massively Multiplayer Virtual World (MMVW), is an example of a Web 2.0/Web 3-D dynamic computer-based application.
applications that enable social publishing, such as blogs and wikis
the most popular virtual world used by the general public is Linden Lab’s Second Life (SL)
health information island
US agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health conduct meetings in SL to discuss the educational potential of SL
virtual medical universities exist all over the world
The term “avatar” is an old Sanskrit word portraying a deity which takes on a human shape
Trauma Center
Virtual worlds are currently being used as educational spaces [1] and continue to grow in popularity on campuses and businesses worldwide. Furthermore, access to versions of virtual worlds on the Web, such as “Croquet,” “Uni-Verse,” and “Multiverse” are predicted within two to three years to be mainstream in education
there are reported advantages to having students engage in these emerging technologies
By allowing students time to interact with other avatars (eg, patients, staff members, and other healthcare professionals) in a safe, simulated environment, a decrease in student anxiety, an increase in competency in learning a new skill, and encouragement to cooperate and collaborate, as well as resolve conflicts, is possible.
High quality 3-D entertainment that is freely accessible via Web browsing facilitates engagement opportunities with individuals or groups of people in an authentic manner that illustrates collective intelligence
Advanced Learning and Immersive Virtual Environment (ALIVE) at the University of Southern Queensland
Who would imagine attending medical school in a virtual world?
Problem-based learning groups enrolled in a clinical management course at Coventry University meet in SL and are employed to build learning facilities for the next semester of SL students. This management course teaches students to manage healthcare facilities and is reported to be the first healthcare-related class to use SL as a learning environment.
Another example of a medical school using SL is St. George’s Medical School in London.
Stanford University medical school
Another virtual world project developed by staff at the Imperial College in London, in collaboration with the National Physical Lab in the United Kingdom, is the Second Health Project
Mesko [35] presents the top 10 virtual medical sites in SL.
The development and use of 3-D virtual worlds in nursing education is increasing.
Some educators may balk at adopting this technology because there is a learning curve associated with the use of 3-D virtual worlds.
Let’s have fun, explore these fascinating worlds and games, and network with others while respecting diverse ways of life-long learning and current researchers’ findings.
there is an underlying push in higher education to adopt these collaborative tools and shift the paradigm from a traditional Socratic method of education to one possessing a more active and interactive nature
One may view online virtual worlds and serious gaming as a threat to the adoption and purchase of high-fidelity computerized patient-simulation mannequins that are currently purchased for healthcare-profession training. For example, nurses may login into SL and learn Advanced Cardiac Life Support at their convenience, and it costs virtually nothing for the nurse and perhaps a nominal fee for the developer.
The educational opportunity in SL may not be a replacement for the doctor- or nurse-patient interaction or relationship, but SL may serve as an adjunct or pre- or post-learning tool.
one recalls when critics questioned the validity and reliability of the stethoscope invented by Laennec in 1816 and how today it is second nature to use this assessment tool.
Second what? Second Life is a virtual
3-D world on the Internet. Think of it
as the marriage of online video game
technology and social networking tools,
like MySpace and Facebook, with
e-commerce potential. It is not really a
game and isn’t intended for children.
Public accounting’s presence in Second
Life is called CPA Island. CPA Island may
be a way to attract the next generation of
young professionals to careers in public
accounting.
Second Life is a global phenomenon.
Reuters estimates that only 31.2% of active
Second Life users are U.S. residents.
The majority of active users (more than
54%) are from Europe. Second Life usage
is so pervasive in Korea, for example, that
it is beginning to impact the country’s social
agenda, according to virtual world expert
Edward Castronova.
Videos more easily capture the
look and feel of Second Life. YouTube
(www.youtube.com) has a good introductory
overview video of Second Life
(search “Second Life Text100”) as well as
a video that illustrates its communication,
education and collaboration possibilities
(search “Second Life Ohio University”).
In a recent interview for National
Public Radio Weekend Edition
(www.npr.org, Feb. 9, 08), Bloomfield described
the basics of the Second Life economy
and the real financial losses from the
recent Second Life banking crisis. (The
currency used for economic transactions
in Second Life is called Linden Dollars.
Linden Dollars can be exchanged for real
U.S. dollars at a rate of approximately 260-to-1. Last year, Linden Lab banned online
gambling operations that had become popular
in Second Life. Early this year, Linden
Lab banned unregulated banking operations
in Second Life because several banks
were reneging on unsustainable high interest
rates on deposits.) Bloomfield attributes
his initial interest in Second Life to its
potential use as an economic simulator in
which reactions to new financial regulations
could be studied by FASB.
Professor Steven Hornik, of the University
of Central Florida, is another accounting
professor exploring accounting
education applications. He created a Second
Life location called Really Engaging
Accounting and maintains a blog about his
efforts at www.mydebitcredit.com. In his
financial accounting course, he uses the social
networking capabilities of Second Life
and interactive 3-D objects that he creates.
The objects demonstrate basic accounting
principles. One simulates the effect of
transactions on the basic accounting equation.
Another simulates the use of T-accounts
to record changes to account balances.
Students use their avatars to
manipulate the models. Videos of his Second
Life creations are available on
YouTube (search “second life accounting”).
SUMMARY
Second Life is an immersive and engaging
3-D virtual world with economic implications
and opportunities for the real world.
CPA Island is the current center of the public
accounting profession in Second Life, but
this won’t be the case for long as other CPA
firms choose to use it as a tool for meeting,
connecting, sharing and collaborating with
others. Where business activity goes, it
seems certain that CPAs will follow.