Social awareness is essential for effective learning. However, natural environments do not always provide optimal support for it. We analyze the potentials of Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVE) in this context and provide a set of requirements for educational CVEs based on the needs of learning communities. We also present a prototype based on these requirements.

In the recent years, the usage of 3D CVEs for educational purposes has increased. The metaphors behind the design of virtual places are quite diverse, from replication of real universities to art museums and scientific labs. The goal of this paper is to provide an extended characterization of place metaphors in educational CVEs. It will serve as a background for an extensive exploration of 3D educational words and corresponding place metaphors versus underlying educational goals.

Space is important for learning and socializing. Cyberworlds provide a new space for socialization and communication with a great degree of flexibility, allowing users to create and manipulate virtual land. This suggests considering virtual spaces as artifacts. In this paper we use different theoretical approaches on artifacts and experiences of usage of a virtual world we have created to revise the original design and to derive a new set of requirements for virtual places and spatial artifacts. 1.

Different types of cooperative technologies can be used to support the process of collaborative knowledge acquisition in a course. In this paper we report our experience with the creation of a FAQ for a computer science course in parallel by using a web forum and a 3D Collaborative Virtual Environment. The results allow comparing these two types of systems, but also raise some more general considerations regarding the support of the learning process. Therefore, based on our experience we draw some lessons learned of how cooperative technologies can be used to support the construction of knowledge in a university course.

In the recent years, the usage of 3D cyberworlds for educational purposes has increased. The metaphors behind the design of virtual places are quite diverse, from replication of real universities to art museums and scientific labs. Based on the results of a case study we have performed, this paper provides an initial set of requirements for a cyberworld representing an existing university. In this connection, we analyze place metaphors and associated design features of the Virtual Campus of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore in the context of related work. Finally, we discuss the correspondence between the identified metaphors and associated educational goals, providing directions for further development of the Virtual Campus. 1.

The goal of this PhD research is to explore how Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVEs) should be designed in order to support social awareness in educational context. The social nature of leaming is widely recognized in social science, therefore, learners need to be aware of the social situation in the leaming group or community. Empirical evidence shows that the physical organization of the universities and traditional tools such as ICQ do not provide enough support for social awareness. We argue that CVEs offer much potential for social awareness support. We have arrived at a characterization framework of CVEs and analyzed various spatial metaphors used in existing systems. We have also arrived at a set of requirements for educational CVEs for social awareness support and developed a spatial metaphor, "Archipelago" that satisfies these requirements. The prototype based on the metaphor is now under development using the Active Worlds technology.

This paper discusses the problems of teaching computer graphics and shape modeling in large and distributed classes using visual cyberworlds—shared media rich information worlds built on the web. Cyberworlds allow for providing personal mentoring to the students with different cultural and educational backgrounds. Virtual Campus of Nanyang Technological University is such a cyberworld, which is being used for teaching computer graphics and shape modeling. A part of this cyberworld is the Virtual Shape Modeling Laboratory. It is used by the computer graphics students for designing geometric shapes defined with analytical formulas. Augmenting the existing ways of electronic education with cyberworlds appears to be useful which was proved by the final exam results and overall attitude of the students. ORGANIZATION BACKGROUND "Nanyang " in Chinese means "south seas"—a reference to the Southeast Asian region. Back in the 1940s and 50s, many Chinese from mainland China ventured south to seek their fortunes in new lands. Malaya—now Singapore and Malaysia—was then known as "Nanyang " to the Chinese. After World War II, it was decided to start a university in Singapore that would provide tertiary education in Chinese in the region. On 23 March 1953, 523 acres of land was donated to the new Nanyang University, which was known as "Nan Tah " in Chinese. The modern Nanyang Technological University (NTU)

VEC3D is a language learning and teaching project that promises 3-D immersion, live voice interaction and social context. Building on goal-based instructional design, VEC3D learners embody avatars and meet each other in virtual spaces. VEC3D can be integrated into various educational settings, student needs, paces, styles and research goals. This article summarizes the VEC3D curriculum, system, and communication architecture for graphics and voice.

In the recent years, the usage of 3D Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVEs) for educational purposes has increased. The metaphors behind the design of virtual places are quite diverse, from replication of real universities to art museums and scientific labs. This paper reports the results of a case study where the students of our university, as a part of their course assignment, analyzed place metaphors used in a range of 3D educational CVEs vs. the corresponding educational goals. To the end, the students suggested a design for a virtual campus representing the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. The results of this study allowed to arrive at a number of lessons learned concerning the characterization of different design features in educational CVEs and the suitability of such features for different educational goals. Also, a preliminary set of requirements for an “ideal ” virtual campus representing a real university is provided.

Creating and maintaining a shared information space is an integral part of a learning community development. Computer-based tools such as web forums and discussion groups have been widely used for such support. The usage of 3D Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVEs) has also been advocated because these systems might better capture the three-dimensional nature of human memory. In this paper we describe our experience of creating a FAQ in a university course on a web-forum and a 3D CVE and provide recommendations for design of information spaces in 3D CVEs. 1.