"I have an avatar: How can she help me with my teaching?"

Your Name and Title:

 Sandra Bassendowski, Professor

School, Library, or Organization Name:

 University of Saskatchewan, Canada

Co-Presenter Name(s):

 Area of the World from Which You Will Present:

Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Language in Which You Will Present:

 English

Target Audience(s):

 Post-secondary educators with an interest in inter-professional education

Short Session Description (one line):

Full Session Description (as long as you would like):

In order to reach a new generation of technologically savvy students, educators from many professions are exploring new and innovative ways to deliver course content in inter-professional ways. Two faculty members from University of Regina (Faculty of Education) and the University of Saskatchewan (Faculty of Nursing) conducted an evaluation based on the following research question: What is the pedagogical significance of using an instructional strategy in a virtual world, such as Second Life, as a teaching and learning space for students and faculty? Second Life is an immersive environment where students can, among other activities, interact and construct knowledge that will impact their professional perspective. The purpose of the project was to develop inter-professional learning experiences for students from the two professions that were designed to provide a balance among experiential learning, guided mentoring, and collective reflection. A virtual middle years’ school classroom was created where student-participants had an opportunity to plan, in an inter-professional manner, a classroom environment for elementary aged students with Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SID), as well as promoting learning tools conducive to optimal sensory self-regulation for all children. Each co-investigator ensured that the Second Life project was congruent with learning outcomes of the specific course that they normally deliver to education and nursing students. The discussion will focus on the major evaluation themes arising from the student feedback as well as advantages and challenges of using a virtual world for inter-professional engagement of students and faculty.

Websites / URLs Associated with Your Session:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8mMCCzjnRU