http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

SWIFTSecond World Immersive Future Teaching

Dr. Paul D Rudman

Dr. Suzanne P Lavelle

Prof. Gilly Salmon

Prof. Annette Cashmore

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Real-world genetics laboratories

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Learning goals

Laboratory environment & equipment

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Learning goals

Carry out experiments & evaluate data

Laboratory environment & equipment

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Learning goals

Link to theoretical knowledge

Carry out experiments & evaluate data

Laboratory environment & equipment

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Learning goals

Carry out experiments & evaluate data

Laboratory environment & equipment

Team working & communication skills

Link to theoretical knowledge

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Learning goals

Team working & communication skills

Higher-level skills for experimental design

Carry out experiments & evaluate data

Laboratory environment & equipment

Link to theoretical knowledge

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Higher-level skills for experimental design

Carry out experiments & evaluate data

Laboratory environment & equipment

Time Resources SpaceInteraction

(student -teacher)

Constraints

Team working & communication skills

Link to theoretical knowledge

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

How to add extra laboratory experience?

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Virtual worlds (VW)

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Virtual worlds (VW)

Learning features:

Experience in context

Procedural skills

Group-based

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Virtual laboratory using Second Life® VW

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Learning goals

Laboratory environment & equipment

Phase 1 - Laboratory induction (pilot with first year Biological Sciences students).

SWIFT Phases

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Learning goals

Carry out experiments & evaluate data

Future Phase 2 - Investigation of case studies for genetic screening (first year medical students).

SWIFT Phases

Link to theoretical knowledge

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Learning goals

Higher-level skills for experimental design

Carry out experiments & evaluate data

SWIFT Phases

Team working & communication skills

Future Phase 3 - Problem-solving, experimental design

sessions in molecular genetics (second year Biological Sciences

students).

Link to theoretical knowledge

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Phase 1Laboratory induction

(pilot)

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Phase 1 - Laboratory induction (pilot)

46 attended SWIFT meeting

13 participants

Participants

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Class survey suggests participant are representative of cohort

Sample size 119

%

Sample size 15

Phase 1 - Laboratory induction

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

RW setupPhase 1 - Laboratory induction

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

VW TrainingPhase 1 - Laboratory induction

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

VW TrainingPhase 1 - Laboratory induction

Walking

Flying

Chat; Instant messaging

Friends; Groups

Landmarks; Teleport

Sit; Stand

Clothing

Camera

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Phase 1 - Laboratory induction Lab session

Meeting area

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Phase 1 - Laboratory induction Lab session

Outside lab

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Phase 1 - Laboratory induction Lab session

Changing into lab coats

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Phase 1 - Laboratory induction Lab session

Guided tour

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Phase 1 - Laboratory induction Lab session

Ethanol hazard

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Phase 1 - Laboratory induction Lab session

Group tasks

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Phase 1 - Laboratory induction Results

Students’ experience of the virtual laboratory

“It’s a lot more realistic than you’d imagine”

“Its really clean and very expensive looking”

“Cool! Really realistic and representative of a real lab in the university!”

“It looked very realistic; I didn’t think it would be quite that realistic, to be honest”

“It was just like playing a video game, like the SIMs or something … I do feel comfortable in it [VW]”

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Phase 1 - Laboratory induction Results

Students’ learning in the virtual laboratory

“There were a lot of things, like distilled water taps, that I’d never heard of before”

“And safety rules I think, that she ran over, which we do normally go over in labs, but I felt like I was learning it more.”

“When I first started labs in September I was really scared of going into the labs cause we did no [lab] work in biology in A-level ... and if we had of had this induction it would have really helped”

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Phase 1 - Laboratory induction Results

Students’ reflections

“If possible, next time we could do an actually experiment?”

“I was hoping to use some of the equipment I had never actually used before but all we did was look at most of them”

“There was, you know, inappropriate sort of content when I went to the welcome area when I tried it at home. But in the contained area it was really good.”

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Phase 1 - Laboratory induction Conclusions

1) Use the VW for its strengths (virtual location, remote collaboration; meta-data)

2) Be clear on learning aims3) Add detail according to need

Building in Virtual Worlds

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Phase 1 - Laboratory induction Conclusions

1) Most students had basic self-taught VW skills2) Flying and clothes were difficult3) Only teach critical skills

Virtual World Training

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Phase 1 - Laboratory induction Conclusions

The virtual laboratory

1) Effective as a laboratory experience2) Effective for learning and revising lab skills3) Especially useful if no lab experience

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Phase 1 - Laboratory induction Conclusions

1) Interaction between socialisation in the real and virtual worlds

2) Addresses real lab availability; new limit is student availability

Using Virtual Worlds

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Learning goals

Laboratory environment & equipment

Phase 1 - Laboratory induction (pilot with first year Biological Sciences students).

SWIFT Phases

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

Learning goals

Higher-level skills for experimental design

Carry out experiments & evaluate data

Team working & communication skills

Future Phase 3 - Problem-solving, experimental design sessions in molecular genetics (second year

Biological Sciences students).

Future Phase 2 - Investigation of case studies for genetic screening (first year medical students).

SWIFT Phases

Link to theoretical knowledge

http://www.le.ac.uk/SWIFT

SWIFTSecond World Immersive Future Teaching

Dr. Paul D Rudman

Dr. Suzanne P Lavelle

Prof. Gilly Salmon

Prof. Annette Cashmore