Mikhail Morozov, Alexey Gerasimov and Mikhail Fominykh: "vAcademia – Educational Virtual World with 3D Recording," in Arjan Kuijper and Alexei Sourin ed. the 12th International Conference on Cyberworlds (CW), Darmstadt, Germany, September 25–27, 2012, IEEE, ISBN: 978-0-7695-4814-2/12, pp. 199–206.

1. vAcademia – Educational Virtual
World with 3D Recording
Mikhail Morozov and Alexey Gerasimov
Mari State Technical University, Russia
Mikhail Fominykh
Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
International Conference on Cyberworlds
25–27 September 2012. Darmstadt, Germany

2. 3D Virtual Worlds
• Multiuser
• Synchronous
• Persistent
• Facilitated by networked computers
• Each user is represented by a single avatar
• Three-dimensional graphical interphase
• Social Worlds/Game Worlds

3. 3D Virtual Worlds
• Multiuser
• Synchronous?
• Persistent?
• Facilitated by networked computers
• Each user is represented by a single avatar?
• Three-dimensional graphical interphase
• Social Worlds/Game Worlds

4. 3D Virtual Worlds
as learning environments
• Low cost and high safety
• Three-dimensional representation of learners
and objects
• Interaction in simulated contexts
• Sense of presence
• Variety of tools

5. Challenge

6. Synchronous - Asynchronous
Synchronous Asynchronous
Types of learning
(online) (offline)
Text books
Traditional
Face-to-face classes Video recorded
Learning
classes
Recorded
2D e-Learning Videoconferences
videoconferences
3D e-Learning
Classes in virtual
worlds ?

7. Synchronous/live Asynchronous/content

8. Transformation of synchronous to
asynchronous 2D e-Learning
live/online
Synchronous class
Face to face class
Videoconference
content
Asynchronous class
CMS/LMS

9. Proposal

10. Transformation of synchronous to
asynchronous 3D e-Learning
live/online
Synchronous class
Face to face class
content
Asynchronous class
VirtCAST

11. Synchronous - Asynchronous
Synchronous Asynchronous
Types of learning
(online) (offline)
Text books
Traditional
Face-to-face classes Video recorded
Learning
classes
2D e-Learning Webinars Recorded webinars
3D e-Learning vAcademia

12. 1. Starting a class in vAcademia

13. 2. Press Recording button

14. 3. Conducting a class in vAcademia

15. 4. Press Stop button

16. 5. New content – 3D recording of the
class

17. 6. 3D recordings – course content

18. Previous Work?
• Asynchronous Virtual Classroom (1999)
• N*Vector (2000)
• MASSIVE-3 (2002)
• Wonderland

19. Teaching tools
Real world vAcademia
Interactive
Chalk and board
white boards
Pointer Pointer for each
user
Slide show Slide show
presentations presentations
Web camera Web camera
sharing
Desktop Desktop sharing

20. Teaching tools
Backchannel
Clicker tools

21. Text, graphic, and voice notes
Users may share their comments and
impressions in the form of text,
graphic, and voice notes.

22. Collection
Educational resources for both
teachers and students may be
uploaded into Collection.

23. Environment design
Users can organize learning
space at any location of
vAcademia by arranging the
furniture in the way they like.

24. User’s 3D objects
Users can upload their own 3D
objects in Collada format, which
extends the possibilities for
creating learning environments

25. Time machine
R5
R4
R3
R1 R2 t

26. Parallel space
Real time class 1
Real time class 2
Real time class 3
Real time class 4

27. Parallel time
Real time class
R0
Recording
R1
Replay
R1
Recording
R2

28. Web-site support

29. New course

30. 3D recordings

31. 3D recording info

32. Scenarios of use
• Visiting a 3D recording
• by a group of learners
• actively working inside
• with almost the same presence effect
• Creating a new 3D recording being inside one
• guiding learners only through some parts of
the original class
• enhancing a class with additional discussions,
questions and comments
• using text, graphic, and sound notes

33. Visiting a 3D recording
Live class
t
R1 – 3D recordings of the class
R1

34. 3D recording without some of the parts
R1 – 3D recordings of the class
t
x x x R1
R2
R2 – shorter 3D recording based on R1

35. 3D recording with additional and
replaced parts
R1 – 3D recordings of the class
t
x x R1
R3
R3 – longer 3D recording based on R1

36. 3D recording with enhanced with notes
R1 – 3D recordings of the class
t
x x R1
R4
R4 – 3D recording based on R1

37. Current usage
• Several IT courses at the Mari State Technical University,
Russia

38. Current usage
• English for beginners at the Mukogawa Women's
University in Japan

39. Current usage
• High school advanced chemistry course in Yoshkar-Ola,
Russia

40. Future directions
• Additional functionality
• custom learning environments
• convenient environment and teaching tools
• Improving accessibility
• different operating systems
• mobile devices
• browser-based client
• New learning scenarios
• synchronous and asynchronous activities
• Virtcast – new type of user-generated content
• Collaboration in research

41. Thank you!

42. presented by Mikhail Fominykh
mikhail.fominykh@svt.ntnu.no
http://www.idi.ntnu.no/~fominykh/
http://www.linkedin.com/in/fominykh
http://slideshare.net/mfominykh/
http://vacademia.com/userprofile/show/id/808
Educational virtual world vAcademia
info@vacademia.com
http://vacademia.com
http://www.facebook.com/vAcademia
@vacademia_info
http://www.slideshare.net/vacademia