New Life for Corporate Training - Teaching through Multi-User Virtual Environments - page 443

the human's input”( Artificial Linguistic Internet,
2009, para.1). Pandorabots.com is one website
developers can use to create an A.L.I.C.E. agent.
When ready, the chatterbot engine can be linked
with a bot in Second Life, again through the use
of scripts and intelligence is simulated.
Such bots are extremely useful working as
receptionists or other agents that give out basic
information (Figure 4). However, do not be de-
ceived, very complicated chatterbot engine can
be created and deeper conversations can be had.
For example, say a non-profit organization wanted
to train their philanthropy staff to increase com-
munication skills during home visits. In Second
Life a scene could be created in which the trainee
interacted with two bots simulating a home visit.
The bots' A.L.I.C.E. engines would be developed
to be ready for typical statements the trainee
should or shouldn't make and respond accord-
ingly. Never before was such powerful training
so easily simulated.

Taking a real-world example, Virtual Bacon,
the avatar of John Jamison at the Ounce of Pre-
vention Fund, created a bot to act like a 6 year
old child for a training simulation he created. His
goal “was to begin getting people thinking about
alternative approaches to online learning” and he
wanted to create something “beyond the 'click &
read' approach that most still use” (personal com-
munication, June 29, 2009). In small group testing
he found that learning engagement, time on task,
learner satisfaction and retention were all much
higher than traditional online e-learning. The use
of bots in developing training within Second Life
will surely help to revolution what is currently
being used by most corporations.
The final Second Life tool that most training
and development professionals should be aware of
is called a holodeck. Taking their name from the
holodecks of Star Trek fame, holodecks in Second
Life work much the same by allowing residents to
create multiple scenes or environments within a
limited amount of space. While there are different

Figure 4. Walter, a robot receptionist at ImagiLearning