The Benefits and Unanticipated Challenges in the Use of 3D Virtual Learning Environments in the Undergraduate Media Arts Curriculum - Teaching through Multi-User Virtual Environments - page 253

CONCLUSION 'digital native' population. This is consistent with

our own findings from the student evaluations,
which indicate relatively low up-take of Web 2.0
and 3D virtual world applications by students who
fit the 'digital native' profile.
Oblinger (2008) cautions that while 'digital na-
tive' learners show no fear of technology we should
not assume that they are technologically proficient.
She further suggests that while problem-based
learning approaches are effective, students may
be resistant because they are impatient and more
focused on achievement 'so they can get a good
job'. This was certainly consistent with our find-
ings in DIM and might explain the reasons that
so many students saw the problem-based tasks
associated with creating their online multi-user
games a waste of time, suggesting skills in Flash
would be more valuable for future employment.
Similarly, students in EPI showed little interest
in the tasks associated with building a portfolio
in Second Life , because they did not believe the
projections about business uptake in 3D virtual
environments.
Student comments about the inappropriateness
of the platform are perhaps also consistent with
Mulholland's (2008) suggestion there are two
categories of technology; those that are ' assumed '
and those that are ' student driven ' . According
to Mulholland, 'assumed' technologies include
the Internet, mobile devices, digital television
and traditional virtual learning environments,
whereas 'student-driven' technologies are those
that students 'discover' for themselves. Web 2.0
applications such as social networking and social
bookmarking sites, blogs and virtual worlds like
Second Life , in Mulholland's terms, are not yet
'assumed' learning technologies. Mulholland
further argues that the challenge facing educators
is to know when a 'student-driven' technology
becomes 'assumed' and when it is therefore ap-
propriate to make the transition.

3D virtual learning environments have the poten-
tial to engage students in enriching, collabora-
tive, constructivist learning experiences. These
environments also provide flexibility to enable
students unable to attend classes on-campus the
opportunity to participate with their peers through
a networked virtual learning community. It was
clear from our trials in Second Life that activities
which support problem solving and collabora-
tion can be particularly effective in developing
students' skills in teamwork and communication.
However, a range of technical issues experienced
by students in the courses reported in this chapter
clearly impacted on the extent to which the learning
objectives were able to be realised. Moreover, it is
clear that at least for some students, the mediated
communication and complexity of the interface
and interactions created a level of cognitive load
that detracted from what might have otherwise
been rich and engaging learning experiences. Fi-
nally, while we had assumed that our 'Generation
Y' students would have come into the course with
prior experience using Web 2.0 and 3D virtual
worlds, our evaluation findings suggest that not
all students are as connected to these technologies
as popular rhetoric suggests.
If we accept Mulholland's (2008) assertion
that virtual worlds such as Second Life are not yet
'assumed' learning technologies in our students'
eyes, then the challenge for us as educators is to
know what strategies we should adopt to smooth
the transition for our students. The findings from
our trials suggest the following strategies may
assist in this transition:

• Recognise the so called 'Generation Y'

population is not a homogeneous group.
While 'Gen Y' students might display sim-
ilar characteristics in some areas, do not
assume they are all comfortable with new
technologies.