USALSIM: Learning and Professional Practicing in a 3D Virtual World - 2nd International Workshop on Evidence-Based Technology Enhanced Learning - page 72

USALSIM: Learning and Professional
Practicing in a 3D Virtual World

Emiliana Pizarro Lucas, Juan Cruz Benito, and Oscar Gil Gonzalo *

Abstract. USALSIM was developed by the University of Salamanca (USAL) as a
response to the policy changes of learning and work placements in the new Euro-
pean Space for Higher Education. USALSIM makes it possible to face the in-
crease of the number of students who will participate in the different university
work placement programs and the increasing number of companies and institu-
tions necessary to host and train theses students. This project used a 3D virtual
environment (a work placement simulator) that allows developing a virtual repre-
sentation of different work environments. Representing a professional work space
such as a laboratory, for example, the student can simulate common tasks through
active learning. This virtual world is focused on a constructive pedagogy, where
students are directly involved in their formative development, establishing profes-
sional relationships, developing transversal and technical competencies and eva-
luating their knowledge. USALSIM is a funded project by the Spanish Ministry of
Education within the Program of Integral Attention and Employability of Univer-
sity Students (CAIE059).

Keywords: University of Salamanca, USAL, Service of Professional Insertion,
Practices and Employment, SIPPE; OpenSimulator, OpenSim, Metaverse, Educa-
tion, E-learning, Work Space, Practices, Virtual World, Moodle, Sloodle.

1 Introduction

There are different definitions of what constitutes a virtual world and what its
primary characteristics are. According to [1][2], a virtual world environment is “
[a]computer-generated display that allows or compels the user (or users) to have
a sense of being present in an environment other than the one they are actually in,
and to interact with that environment”.