In this day and age, people are no longer surprised by technological advancement, instead, they expect it. So when you talk about technology-based programs and activities such as electronic learning using elearning development tools, people expect nothing less than the latest and the best in product version and update. This is the reason why a lot of educators and online learners are clamoring for the development and implementation of 3D virtual environments in the industry.
But until now, even with great applications like Second Life, experts adamantly believe that such technology is still not effective as development tools for learning. Although extremely intriguing and impressive at its current level, 3D technology is still in its beginning stages, whether you believe it or not. There are still a lot of kinks developers have to iron out in order for it to become a standard tool in the different industries today. It is for this reason that as elearning development tools, 3D environments are still a niche. Consider the following reasons why these virtual worlds still remain and will remain (at least for 3 to 5 years) in the experimental stage:
Virtual Worlds as Elearning Development Tools
1. Adoption will take more time because of various technological challenges. The implementation and use of virtual worlds is far from easy and is not as simple as your usual basic elearning online courses. It involves weeks—even months—of preparation and a lot of investment in management and maintenance strategies. Indeed, the learning curve is not kind to this technology and therefore breeds a lot of skepticism on the part of electronic learning companies. Businesses will continue to bypass its consideration as a tool because currently, there is nothing inciting the troublesome work involved in its use. Moreover, the extra effort outweighs the benefits it offers the industry today.
2. Despite the fact that virtual worlds are incredibly useful in providing users with an environment that mimics genuine real-life experiences in terms of character building, relationship management and other interactive activities, at its current state, 3D environments lack the necessary features and qualities necessary to create meaningful and effective learning experiences for the students. Experts like Delgado Kloos, head of UC3M Telematics Applications and Services Group predict that it will still take some time before it becomes effective as learning platforms. “This is a relatively virgin area which has to demonstrate its relevance, and which will grow as IT hardware capacity grows, and as new software interfaces are defined and new person-machine interface devices become more generalized.”
3. The lack of standards and best practices for the use of virtual environments in online learning contributes to its status as a niche technology. For education and training, it is important to have set standards to guide the creation and delivery of courses in order to guarantee all users quality learning experiences. Quality courses are dependent on accurate and consistent content and topic-relevant add-ons like media and other applications. As various companies merely try to “experiment” with its use, 3D environments are far from becoming mainstays in the scene of online learning.
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