A Metaverse Learning Model for Creating Participant-Centered Environments

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Introduction

My first foray into the metaverse was back in 2006 into the strange world of Second Life. It was a magical place. It had it's own currency, shops, interesting characters and the ability to create anything you wanted. Then I got a little more "corporate" and jumped into the metaverse of Proton Media's Protosphere. The founder of Proton Media was a pioneer named Ron Burns. At the time we thought that was the forefront of the web, I guess we were right but about 15 years or so too early.

One of my projects at that time was co-authoring a book with Tony O'Driscoll called "Learning in 3D". Our goal was to create a model for the design, development and deployment of learning with the 3D confines of the metaverse. One of the big deliverables of the book was a comprehensive model designed to create ideal learning environments within a metaverse. Today, I'd call the model the Metaverse Learning Design Model. At the time we called it the 3D Virtual Immerse Environment Model-3DVIE.

The Metaverse Learning Design Model

We fought a bit (well not really fought, discussed heavily on Skype at night, it was actually great intellectual discussions, I miss those evenings) over names, concepts and ideas for the model. After a great deal of work, we finally crafted a four layer model which we subsequently tested with a number of forward thinking efforts in a variety of metaverse structures popular in the early-2000's. We looked at how diversity was taught in a metaverse, how responding to highway accidents was taught, how conferences were run and how newly minted consultants who never stepped into a factory before could be familiarized with a factory environment.

We were giddy with anticipation of the future but also a bit worried.

One of my first forays into the nascent metaverse was beyond disappointing.

One of my first experiences in the 3D world of Second Life was beyond disappointing. I walked into a virtual classroom, sat on a virtual chair and watched virtual slides teaching people English as a second language. It was a complete waste of the power of a metaverse.

I thought to myself, with all this potential, why not put me in a virtual hotel lobby and have me book a room, or on a virtual subway and buy a ticket or converse with someone in a restaurant. All the places I could have been immersed into to learn the language and they defaulted to...a classroom.

We wanted to avoid this so we crafted an article for the eLearning Guild and then we designed the model. My hope in reviving the model created by Tony O'Driscoll and myself is that we don't fall into the same mistakes with the metaverse that we did in the mid-2000s.

Four Levels of the Metaverse Learning Model

A metaverse experience created for learning must be designed to create engaging episodic interactions that lead the learner along an optimal flow state of challenge and reward as they rapidly - but often not consciously - assimilate new learnings along the way. To ensure that learning occurs, a four layer model should be considered when creating an metaverse learning experience.

The goal is that the learning that occurs within the metaverse surfaces at the moment where the lack of knowledge, ability or capability of the participant intersects with the need to have that knowledge or capability to overcome a challenge or complete a specific task.

The learning experience should be engineered so that teachable moments surface at every turn. Those teachable moments are not the same for each participant. Instead, the content covered is encountered, applied and reflected upon based on the experience of the learner rather than the mandate of the teacher.?

Principle Layer

The metaverse learning experience should be grounded in solid instructional design approaches and require reflective synthesis at the individual and team level.

We started to conceptualize this model with a foundation of two principles. These two levels form the core and the perimeter within which the other principles are applied to develop immersive and engaging metaverse learning experiences. These two principles are "instructionally grounded" and "reflectively synthesized."

The other principles in the Principle Layer include:

–Participant Centered

–Contextually Situated

–Discovery Driven

–Action Oriented

–Consequentially Experienced

–Collaboratively Motivated

-Instructionally Grounded

-Reflectively Synthesized

These principles sit on top of Macrostructures.

Macrostructure Layer

Determining the best method of applying the principles to create a compelling metaverse learning experience requires an architectural blueprint. As one begins to design for a learning experience in a metaverse, following a specific architectural approach makes the process more effective.?

Since designing experiences within the metaverse is an emergent method of instruction within most academic and corporate settings, a comprehensive Learning Architecture is needed to guide Instructional Designers in the process of creating immersive and engaging metaverse experience.

The previously defined Principles fit logically into four larger Macrostructures: Agency, Exploration, Experience and Connectedness. These Macrostructures can be applied as a coverage model in the design of a metaverse centered learning experience. To achieve coverage, designers of these experiences should ensure that each Macrostructure is activated within the learning design.??

Archetypes

The four Macrostructures serve as an organizing framework for specific Metaverse Archetypes. In short, each Macrostructure houses a specific set of Archetypes.?

Archetypes are the basic building blocks in a metaverse for learning. Each Archetype achieves a specific set of learning outcomes and activates a specific Macrostructure. Tony and I identified eleven Archetypes but definitely expect more to be designed or discovered.

The Archetypes are:

• Avatar Persona
• Role Play
• Treasure/Scavenger Hunt
• Guided Tour (self or other)
• Co-Creation
• Group Tasks
• Group Forum
• Social Networking
• Operational Application
• Conceptual Orienteering
• Critical Incident

Once the Archetypes are overlaid upon on the Macrostructures, it is easily observed how each Archetype fits with a specific Macrostructure

Sensibilities Layer

The sensibilities layer provides the Gestalt learning experience within a metaverse. When woven together, the sensibilities create a powerful contextual learning experience that truly differentiates the metaverse learning experience interface from its 2D, flatland predecessor which the metaverse is set to displace.

The sensibilities identified are:

• Sense of Self
• Power of Presence
• Death of Distance
• Capability to Co-Create
• Sense of Space
• Pervasiveness of Practice
• Enrichment of Experience

Applying the Metaverse Learning Model

When considering designing a metaverse learning experience, we can't rely on the same old models and methods. We need to think on more than one layer. We can't use the same old linear design we have in the past, we can't think of the learner as moving in a linear fashion. Instead we need to consider nuanced layers within the metaverse. We must design an environment and an experience rather than a lesson or instruction.

We must learn, as Ender did, to think and move in three-dimensions or else we'll have experiences in the metaverse that are simply 3D versions of our current 2D environments and that would be a sad use of time, effort and energy.

Bio

Karl Kapp is a professor at Bloomsburg?University and co-author of THE book on learning in a metaverse written back in 2010 called Learning in 3D: Adding a New Dimension to Enterprise Learning and Collaboration. The model described in the book is as relevant today as it was back then. It is a blueprint for designing learning experiences in the metaverse.

He is a learning experience designer who works around the global helping organizations create engaging and meaningful learning experiences using an evidence-based approach. He is founder of the L&D Mentor Academy, a members only group that explores the technology, business acumen and concepts required to take L&D professional's careers to the next level. Apply to Join today.

Additionally, Karl is co-founder of?Enterprise Game Stack, a serious games company that creates digitized card games for learning ranging from interactive role-play games to sorting activities and everything in-between. Find out more at?Enterprise Game Stack.