Recent developments in virtual worlds and their potential impact on their use in higher education

Abstract

Educators have been quick to spot the affordances of virtual worlds (VWs) for authentic learning, distance education and for creating community among students. Though the affordances for many disciplines are obvious, there have been significant barriers to the widespread adoption of virtual worlds in the higher education sector. This paper examines some of the recent developments in VWs, user interfaces and company policy that may have a significant impact on the uptake of VWs. Some of these developments include simplification of user interfaces, increased options for VW hosting and changes in pricing policy. Future developments such as the advent of Microsoft's Kinect and the availability of VW apps for both Apple and Android devices are also considered.