Integrating a Social Network Group with a 3D Collaborative Learning Environment

Although extensive research has been carried out on virtual learning environments and the role of groups and communities in social networks, few studies exist which adequately cover the relationship between these two domains. In this paper, the authors demonstrate the effectiveness of integrating these two environments by creating a novel prototype and conducting a preliminary pilot evaluation session. For the prototype system, a Facebook Group was utilised as a repository for learning content and the Open Wonderland platform was selected as a mixed reality intelligent environment for 3D virtual collaborative activities. Since tacit knowledge can be gained via collaborative group-based activities and discussions, a new Wonderland module was developed to integrate this platform with the Facebook group. Similarly, explicit knowledge can be learned directly via the prepared materials which are provided within the group repository. We hope to demonstrate that this approach can provide greater accessibility to the learning content since it can be accessed from both the 3D world and the 2D Facebook Group. In other words, this system can support both synchronous interaction as well as asynchronous data retrieval. Finally, the prototype system was evaluated by means of a two-hour task-based assessment and user-satisfaction questionnaire. We present the key findings from this pilot study (which were very encouraging), and propose further ideas for the future refinement of the concepts presented in this paper.