A talk for the 2017 online course for education in virtual worlds, presented on the 7th of June at the SLMOOC Headquarters in Second Life. Combines history of distance education to provide a context for a discussion of virtual worlds.

1. A BRIEF HISTORY OF
DISTANCE, ONLINE, AND
VIRTUAL WORLDS
EDUCATION
Nancy L. Zingrone, PhD
School of Behavioral &
Social Sciences,
Northcentral University

2. RESOURCES FOR
THE TALK
In the wall board in the SLMOOC
Headquarters and later in the
Moodle you will find the
following supplemental
materials for this talk:
Links to YouTube videos from
past SLMOOCs and from the
Virtual Worlds Best Practices in
Education 2017 Conference
Links to several key books on
Virtual Worlds education with
their Amazon.com listings
Links to the Slideshare.net
versions of this talk and others
from previous Moocs

3. TODAY’S TALK
Distance Education from
Postcards to the Internet
Art and Technology that set
the Scene for Virtual Worlds
Virtual Worlds and
Education: Learning and
Teaching in an Immersive
Space
Commonalities between All
Modes of Distance Learning

4. DISTANCE EDUCATION From Postcards to the
Internet

5. KEEGAN’S (1988)
ELEMENTS OF DISTANCE
EDUCATION
1. “Quasi-permanent separation between
teacher and student throughout the
length of the learning process …
2. The influence of an educational
organization both in the planning and
preparation of learning materials and
in the provision of student support
services …
3. The use of technical media [such as]
print, audio, video, or computer to
unite teacher and learner to carry out
the content of the course” (in Casey,
2008, p. 46)

6. DISTANCE EDUCATION
AND THE POST
OFFICE
1728 – Caleb Philips advertises in the
Boston Gazette shorthand courses via
postcard
1840s in the UK / 1850s in the US –
Pitman’s Shorthand courses via postal
correspondence
1858 Oxford University offers degrees
at a distance
1873 in the US Anna Ticknor’s Society
to Encourage Studies at Home founded,
by 1893, 10,000 members had joined
1883 a “Correspondence University”
established in Ithaca, New York
1892 University of Chicago began
offering a distance only degree
From Anglia Ruskin University infogram and Casey (2008), p. 46

7. DISTANCE EDUCATION
AND THE
PHONOGRAPH AND
RADIO1892 the University of Wisconsin-
Madison uses “distance learning” for
the first time in a pamphlet
1906 University of Wisconsin starts
sending recording and sending
lectures on phonograph records to
students
1918 the University of Cape Good
Hope changes its name to the
University of South Africa and becomes
the first university dedicated to
distance learning
In the US in 1921 the first distance
learning radio licenses are issued to
University of Salt Lake, University of
Wisconsin, and the University of
Minnesota (197 more issued between
1921 and 1946)
From Anglia Ruskin University infogram and Casey (2008), p. 46

8. DISTANCE EDUCATION
AND TELEVISION
1950 The University of Iowa starts
offering college courses by television
1951 City Colleges of Chicago set up a
comprehensive televised education
program through which students could
take courses and earn degrees
1953 the University of Houston was
awarded the first educational license for
televised courses in the US
1969 Open University is founded in the
UK, courses and degrees offered only by
radio and television
1970 Athabasca University (Canada’s
Open University) is founded
1974 FernUniversität (Germany’s Open
University) is founded in GermanyFrom Anglia Ruskin University infogram, Casey
(2008), p. 47, and
http://www.tecweb.org/eddevel/telecon/de92.html

9. DISTANCE EDUCATION
AND SATELLITE
NETWORKS
1980s use of videoconferencing
and satellite networks became
inexpensive enough to disseminate
widely training by
videoconferencing for corporations
1982 in the US, the National
University Teleconferencing
Network began transmitting to its
40 members
1985 National Technical University
in Colorado starts offering sources
and degrees through a
combination of teleconfering and
correspondence between student
and teachers
From Anglia Ruskin University infogram, Casey (2008), p. 48

10. DISTANCE EDUCATION
AND THE INTERNET
1989 Tim Berners-Lee proposes a file
sharing system between university
computers
1991 the Internet opened to the
public and the World Wide Web was
born
1993 Jones International University
opened providing degrees through a
combination of technologies including
the Internet
1995 Pennsylvania State University
Professor Jerrold Maddox teaches
“Commentary on Art”, the first
university level course only offered on
the internet with no other technology
involved
1997 California Virtual Campus
aggregated 1500 courses from 100
universities to offer higher education
From Anglia Ruskin University infogram and Casey (2008), p. 49

11. THE PROLIFERATION DISTANCE
LEARNING
From 1873 through 1893 10,000 members of Anna
Ticknor’s Home Study society participated in courses
In 1892 Penn State University utilized the free rural postal
delivery system in the US to deliver its courses and
programs, by 1997 distance education at Penn State
involved 19,000 students
By 1993 1.3 million US students were taking at least some
of their college coursework via distance education
By 2001 over 2 million US students were taking at least
some of their college coursework via distance education
By 2012 400,000 UK students are taking course online
In 2016 it is estimated that 1 in 4 college students are
involved in distance education in the US or more than 5.8
million studentsFrom Anglia Ruskin University infogram, Banas & Emory (1998), pp. 366-367, and from
https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/news_item/report-one-four-students-enrolled-
online-courses/

12. ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY That Set the Scene for
Virtual Worlds

13. THE TIMELINE: VISUAL IMMERSION
Retrieved from http://www.dipity.com/WebHistoryProject/Virtual_Worlds/
Panorama, Robert Baker, 1787, patented technique, “total
representation of nature”

14. THE TIMELINE: 3D
rieved from: http://imgkid.com/antique-stereoscope.shtml, https://jaksview3.wordpress.com/2008/03/21/
and http://www.dipity.com/WebHistoryProject/Virtual_Worlds/
The Stereoscope invented by Sir Charles Wheatstone in 1840

15. THE TIMELINE: REALITY A STEP
AWAY
Retrieved from http://www.dipity.com/WebHistoryProject/Virtual_Worlds/,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Machine_Stops, and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Out_of_Joint
Life embodied in a
constructed world,
socially complex,
separated
from the “real”
1909 1959

16. THE TIME: MACHINE-BASED
Morton Heileg,
“full body experience”
invented in 1956, patented in 1961
Ivan Sutherland
“The Ultimate Display”
1965
Retrieved from http://www.dipity.com/WebHistoryProject/Virtual_Worlds/ and
http://design.osu.edu/carlson/history/lesson17.html

17. THE TIMELINE: SOCIAL
CONNECTIONS
LucasFilm & QuantumLink
“Habitat”
1986
Retrieved from http://www.dipity.com/WebHistoryProject/Virtual_Worlds/,
/archive.org/details/vw_lucasfilm-habitat-intro, https://archive.org/details/vw_starbright-spielberg-demo,
and http://www.digibarn.com/collections/software/aw/index.html
“World Chat”
1995
“Alpha World”
1995
(now ActiveWorlds,
launched in 1997)

18. THE TIMELINE: VIRTUAL
COLLABORATION
A virtual world
built by
UCSC students
working with an
international set of
collaborators,
set up by the
university in 1998
Retrieved from http://www.dipity.com/WebHistoryProject/Virtual_Worlds/
and https://archive.org/details/vw_virtual-ucsc-devarco

19. AND OF COURSE … LINDENWORLD
…
Retrieved from http://www.dipity.com/WebHistoryProject/Virtual_Worlds/ ,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK3x3FNlleU, and
http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/History_of_Second_Life

20. VIRTUAL WORLDS AND
EDUCATION
Learning and Teaching in
an Immersive Space

22. EDUCATION IN VIRTUAL
WORLDS: CONTEXT
 Education takes place in Virtual Worlds, Virtual
Environments, Multi-User Virtual Environments,
Massive Multiplayer Online Games
 Educational level/types: Primary Education, High
School Education, University Education, Life-long
Education, General Education
 Types of learning: Problem-based, Enquiry-based,
Game-based, Role Playing, Virtual Quests,
Collaborative Learning, Design Courses, Traditional
Learning (Discussion Groups, Lectures, Conferences)
 Language-Learning
 Virtual Field Laboratories, Field Work, Exploration
Source: http://ishbel.host.cs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Research/SL_Taxonomy.pdf, Duncan,
Miller & Jiang (2012), and SLMOOC photos 2014-2017

23. EDUCATION IN VIRTUAL WORLDS:
CONCEPTS Active Learning
 Installations that House / Include /
Provide Space for Active Learnings
 Creation
 Curation
 Safe Environments for Children &
Adults
 Collaboration
 Social Engagement
 Connectivism
Retrieved from: http://www.cmduke.com/2011/01/08/vwer-future-of-education-in-virtual-worlds/
and
https://community.secondlife.com/t5/Learning-Inworld-General/New-museum-celebrating-the-
work-of-Frank-Lloyd-Wright-in-Second/ba-p/646766

24. EDUCATION IN VIRTUAL WORLDS:
CONCEPTS Active Learning
 Installations that House / Include /
Provide Space for Active Learnings
 Creation
 Curation
 Safe Environments for Children &
Adults
 Collaboration
 Social Engagement
 Connectivism
Retrieved from: http://www.cmduke.com/2011/01/08/vwer-future-of-education-in-virtual-worlds/
and
https://community.secondlife.com/t5/Learning-Inworld-General/New-museum-celebrating-the-
work-of-Frank-Lloyd-Wright-in-Second/ba-p/646766

25. EDUCATION IN VIRTUAL WORLDS:
ADVANTAGES
 Real time experience augmented by immersive
nature of the environment, opportunities for
real world collaboration through text, voice,
and shared real-time experience.
 Building and scripting skills allow teachers to
provide active immersive environments and
give students experience thinking through and
engaging in practical mathematical, visual arts,
graphics, writing, speaking, and collaborative
skills.
 Social distance is both close and far: close
enough for social bonds to form; far enough to
retreat when threatened, manage social
encounters to fit interactional and collaborative
skills.

26. EDUCATION IN VIRTUAL WORLDS:
DISADVANTAGES
 Managing time zones, language barriers
 Technological requirements: band-width,
processor speeds, graphics capabilities,
consistent access to devices with sufficient
capabilities
 Social and interpersonal pressures to chat
and play
 Assumptions about VW etiquette, behavior,
personal responsibility
 Mismatch between learning style and VW
attributes: too many rules, too few rules
 Discomfort to the point of avoidance /
Comfort to the point of addiction

27. METAVERSE OPTIONS
 Wide variety of virtual worlds
 Variations in size and purpose
 Variations in cost for teachers/students
 Variations in content and availability of
materials for building
 Variations in the ability to create content
elsewhere and port it to other virtual worlds
From http://www.hypergridbusiness.com/wp-
content/uploads/2011/02/OpenSim-Grid-Names-Word-
Cloud-720x340.jpg, the Great Canadian Grid, and Escape
Playground in Digiworldz

28. COMMONALITES Between All Modes of
Distance Learning

29. DISTANCE EDUCATION STUDENTS AND
THEIR NEEDS
Distance learning population includes
Home schooled children
Working adults
Individuals seeking professional development
or training not available in their cities and
towns
Individuals living in rural or remote locations
Individuals with disabilities or other life
challenging situations that preclude their
travel to on-site education
Needs
Flexibility
Choice
From Lease & Brown, 2009, pp.
419-420 and 123rf.com

30. CHALLENGES FOR COURSE DESIGNERS
Course practicalities
Taking advantage of the affordances
of the technology
Creating course materials
Overcoming resistance from students
unfamiliar with the technology
Providing training in the technology or
technologies in use
Setting the social tone and reducing
extracurriculur social distractions
From Hartley, Ludlow and Duff (2015), pp. 22-25

31. BUT THE BENEFITS SHOULD BE RE-
EMPHASIZED …
Availability of courses and experiences
Social distance / learning distance can be
breached, especially in co-immersive virtual
worlds or technologies that bring that sense
of co-presence
Education becomes available to more
people, in more languages, breaking down
barriers and obstacles
And in the future --- watch the VWBPE 2017
videos on YouTube to see the future!

32. THANKS FOR
YOUR
ATTENTION!
Email: nancy@theazire.org,
www.theazire.org,
nanzingrone.wordpress.org, or
Follow me on WizIQ, Twitter,
Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn
or IM Maggie Larimore in SL
or visit Chilbo
ENJOY SLMOOC17, June 2ND through
June 30th, 2017

33. BIBLIOGRAPHY #1
Banas, E. J. & Emory, W. F. (1998). History and issues of distance
learning. In R. T. Golembiewski (Ed.), Frontiers of empirical research
and development (pp. 365-383).
Barker, V. (2016). Flow in virtual worlds: The interplay of community
and site features as predictors of involvement. Journal of Virtual
Worlds Research, 9(3), 1-15.
Black, L.. (2012). Historical and conceptual foundations. American
Journal of Distance Education, 26, 4-20.
Casey, D. M. (2008). A journey to legitimacy: The historical
development of distance education through technology. TechTrends,
52(2), 45-51.
Duncan, I., Miller, A., & Jiang, S. (2012). A taxonomy of virtual worlds
usage in education. British Journal of Educational Technology, 43(6),
949-964.

34. BIBLIOGRAPHY #2
Gregory, S., Scutter, S., Jacka, L., McDonald, M., Farley, H., &
Newman, C. (2015). Barriers and enablers to the use of virtual worlds
in higher education: An exploration of educator perceptions, attitudes
and experiences. Educational Technology and Society, 18(1), 3-12.
Hartley, M. D., Ludlow, B. L., & Duff, M. C. (2015). Second Life®: A 3D
virtual immersive environment for teacher preparation courses in a
distance education program. Rural Special Educaiton Quarterly, 34(3),
21-25.
Lease, A. J., & Brown, T. A. (2009). Distance learning, past, present
and future. Internaitonal Journal of Instructional Media, 36(4), 415-
426.
Loke, S-K. (2015). How do virtual world experiences bring about
learning? A critical review of theories. Australasian Journal of
Educational Technology, 31(1), 112-122.

35. IMAGE RETRIEVAL INFO #1
1918 Brunswick Floor Phonograph:
https://www.southwestspiritantiques.com/images/IG516-1.jpg
1921 Silvertone Radio:
http://www.radiomuseum.org/images/radio/sears_roebuck_co/silvertone_1
921_1565595.jpg
Bulletin Board Server Farms 1980s: https://s-media-cache-
ak0.pinimg.com/originals/b9/bb/8d/b9bb8daffc4d1f5aea8a3ba70f439941.
gif
Distance Learning Timeline Infographic: https://elearningindustry.com/the-
history-of-distance-learning-infographic (from blog article by Christoforos
Pappas, original image from Anglia Ruskin University, UK)
Eighteenth Century Postcard:
https://cdn0.rubylane.com/shops/frenchkissed/7983.2L.jpg?92
Great Canadian Grid: http://www.hypergridbusiness.com/wp-
content/uploads/2016/12/IMG_201612349_115154-520x245.jpg

36. IMAGE RETRIEVAL INFO #2
“Midwest Program on Airborne Television:
https://news.uns.purdue.edu/images/2014/pt-DYK_MPATI2.jpg
Pitman Shorthand Course Book, UK:
http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/images/f/f9/Im191801RlyM-
Pitman.jpg
Video Conferencing in the 1960s:
https://www.methodshop.com/2014/11/video-conferencing-
facts.shtml
Web-Based Learning 1980s and 1990s:
https://image.slidesharecdn.com/callpresentationfinale-
130804153531-phpapp02/95/call-computer-assisted-language-
learning-13-638.jpg?cb=1375640088

37. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
 A Taxonomy of Virtual Worlds Usage in Education: http://ishbel.host.cs.st-
andrews.ac.uk/Research/SL_Taxonomy.pdf
 Internet World Usage Statistics: http://www.internetworldstats.com/
 List of articles in St. Andrew’s review of virtual world education: http://ishbel.host.cs.st-
andrews.ac.uk/Research/TaxonomyBiblio.pdf
 Horizon Project on the use of Virtual Worlds in Education:
http://horizonproject.wikispaces.com/Virtual+Worlds+-+Impact+on+Education
 Journal of Virtual World Research: http://jvwresearch.org/
 Virtual Education Journal: http://virtualeducationjournal.com/
 ISTE Virtual Environment Network: http://connect.iste.org/communities/community-
home?CommunityKey=098d3a54-b647-41f0-9215-01f266642af8
 SLMOOC2016 Playlist (on Nellie Deutsch):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8JUcjyABKxmmlov_CYLmSvX1XgpMsMAU&jct=ecVoBk-
SAlAtfdPakPmXo6mTG8JW8g
 SLMOOC2015 Playlist (on Teaching & Learning Online):
https://youtu.be/3OVxkjHoLK4?list=PLJ3X6QA0jmezmg289Zi2BHQ0ARYKLWIOF
 SLMOOC2014 Playlist (on Nellie Deutsch):
https://youtu.be/JmMRh25riCA?list=PL8JUcjyABKxkyil1ZrPM4YYGpBCpaOquV