It's safe to say that one of the most discussed areas of virtual environments is the link between the 'real' and the 'virtual'. Like any philosophical debate, there's a minefield of perspectives, preconceptions, research and outright conflict. So to attempt an objective discussion on 'mapping' the parallels between the two spheres is quite an undertaking, and that's what Dmitri … [Read more...] about An endless map
research
Educators and Second Life: local research
Between August 2009 and February this year, Holmesglen's Kenneth Rankin (SL: Ken001 Silverfall) undertook some research in Second Life as part of his Master of Education studies at the University of Southern Queensland. It's a fascinating snapshot on the state of play in regards to educators and Second Life, and includes some substantive recommendations for the future that may … [Read more...] about Educators and Second Life: local research
Body image and virtual worlds: call for study participants
Jon-Paul Cacioli is a Doctor of Clinical Psychology student at Deakin University, and he's currently conducting a study on body image in virtual worlds. In his words: "I am looking for participants, male and 18+ to complete a survey regarding both their real world and virtual world body images and psychological states." He needs 300 or so participants to take the survey. It's … [Read more...] about Body image and virtual worlds: call for study participants
The agenda-setting challenges for virtual worlds: a discussion paper
The past couple of years have seen virtual worlds start to get on government agendas worldwide. From a policy perspective, agenda-setting is a widely researched area and it's very pertinent to virtual environments. To that extent, I've written a discussion paper that analyses the challenges to date in ensuring virtual worlds do end up as a policy priority for governments. … [Read more...] about The agenda-setting challenges for virtual worlds: a discussion paper
Interview – Evelyn McElhinney, Glasgow Caledonian University
(This story appeared earlier today over at Metaverse Health). Coming from a nursing background myself, I'm always fascinated by the work going on in virtual environments in regards to nurse education. To some extent it's a natural fit in that clinical simulation is a pivotal part of the education process for nurses anyway - using virtual environments is simply an extension of … [Read more...] about Interview – Evelyn McElhinney, Glasgow Caledonian University