Editorial
Abstract
Pratical Experience
Problems
Simulations
VR in teaching
Multi-User VR
Multi-User VR in teaching
Assessment
Observation Study
Benefits
Data Capture
Ethical Issues
Conclusion
Acknowledgements
References
Case Studies Index
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Multi-User Virtual Reality Technology as a Laboratory for Learning
about Social Research: Issues and Prospects
6. Multi-user VR Research Methods Teaching Session
The research methods teaching sessions included students from one post-graduate
research method course and one post-graduate course on information technology
for social scientists. Ten students, four from one group and six from the
other, took part in the exercise. This consisted of two tasks which involved
interviewing users of the multi-user VR system Activeworlds (for images of
these worlds, see Schroeder, 1997: 5, fig.2 available online at
<http://www.socresonline.org.uk/socresonline/2/4/5.html>). For the first
interview, students were asked to find out 'as much as you can about the social
characteristics of the user "behind" the avatar through casual conversation'.
For the second interview, students were asked to carry out a structured
interview about the background of the user and about their use of Activeworlds
and computing generally (5 questions each).
The sessions lasted approximately two hours. Each session included a brief
introduction to the use of the system as well as the variable amount of time it
took for students to write down the material they gathered. After both
interviews were completed, students were asked to assess the usefulness of the
teaching session. To do this, they filled out a questionnaire with questions
about the difficulty of the interviews, about access, and about the advantages
and disadvantages of studying virtual people as opposed to real ones.
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