Overview
Higher education establishments have been investigating the use of Second Life since its development for innovative teaching and learning. I for one would like to make use of this immersive environment, not only to explore the potential of this virtual world but to also make some of the less popular modules within the courses I teach at Cornwall College, more interesting.
For example; History of Design and Visual Culture/Contextual Studies have both been very unpopular with the students. Those students from a non art background, just do not see there relevance to their chosen career paths, whether in animation or multimedia, so as a consequence deadlines for assignments are not met or work that is handed in is of a low standard. This is not just a common problem within academic based modules at Cornwall College it also seems to be nationwide.
Given the increasing demands on a lecturer’s time, as well as ongoing pressures of retention and achievement, a method to increase the pass rates and an understanding of the contextual role of art in the creative/design workplace seems a hard one. This proposal will hope to address this weak link in my courses and provide a virtual stepping stone to more engaging modules.
"Recently, a new generation of multiuser virtual worlds has emerged in which users are provided with open-ended modelling tools with which they can create and modify world content. The result is evolving virtual spaces for commerce, education, entertainment and social interaction. In general, these virtual worlds are not games and have no concept of winning. However the open-ended modelling capacity is nonetheless compelling." (Merrick and Mahe Chapert 9, 2009)
Second Life is a virtual community created totally by its users. Users create an identity and begin their “Second Life,” that red pill, blue pill moment. The avatar can move around the virtual world and interact with other users, objects and prims.
The adaptive play possibilities of using SL (Second Life) are endless and extremely interesting. A definition of adaptive play is difficult to find but you could break it down as follows. Adaptive behaviour is a type of behaviour that is used to adjust to another type of behaviour or situation. Play is freely chosen; personally directed, intrinsically motivated behaviour that actively engages. So adaptive play could be defined as the adjustment of behaviour to complete tasks.
SL provides a collaborative environment that is open to experimentation with the principles of gameplay with the use of an intuitive interface, script and tools. I hope to use these to approach the whole subject of adaptive play from a creative and artistic point of view. A key part of any adaptive game is the use of feedback loops, these are not only intrinsic to most games they are also part of nature. They can be as simple and as chaotic as a whirlpool or more complex like human behaviour. A typical example of a feedback system is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1
Education commonly uses feedback loops to facilitate learning. The virtual environment that is SL provides a new testing ground for development of these loops to provide more profound learning experiences. Students can not only visit online galleries and interactive with them, they also have the possibility of creating art or becoming it. The line between what is real or virtual, whilst in world becomes extremely blurred.
“Virtual reality (VR) art often deals with issues of embodied interaction vs. the fantasy of disembodiment: on the one hand, unlike traditional desktop computers, VR allows full-body interaction; on the other hand, VR allows one to experience disembodied presence in an immaterial, abstract space.” (Freidman D, Donenfeld A and Zafran E, 2009)
Visiting the Sistine chapel in Rome and viewing the ceiling frescoes close up, is pretty much un heard of yet in SL it is possible. Not only is it possible, snapshots of the detail can be taken something that would be impossible in the “real world”.
Snapshot of my avatar at Vassar's Sistine Chapel in Second Life
Being there visiting and interacting with such highly detailed virtual environments allows the visitor to see the artwork in a new and exciting way. You can even fly up to the frescoes for a closer look. SL gives the user the chance to observe art from a unique perspective closer to what the original artist might have intended. When lecturing students on the complexities of connotation and appreciation of art, SL has the potential of becoming a useful tool. You can become part of the artwork, step into The Scream and experience the emotions and feelings the artists perceived in his endeavours.
It allows students to experience the artwork as if they were there. Taking snapshots completes the visit just like in real life, but what is real life? By being in world are we not still in reality whether virtual or not?
Being able to interact with artwork and manipulate the surroundings can enhance or deteriorate the viewer’s emotional response and perception of the piece. Allowing this to happen in SL could enable students to develop an understanding and appreciation of the artwork and how changing certain parameters can affect the whole connotation, not only of the artwork but of the surrounding area. Changing the artwork in its setting to a different piece will alter the ambience of the room and vice versa. If this is done intentionally then students could learn the importance of setting and how linking that to the image effects the whole atmosphere of a room. Repeating this process over and over again sets up an interesting feedback loop which could be perceived as “strange”. The idea of a strange loop is examined by D Hofstadter in his book I Am a Strange Loop. Hofstadter states:
“And yet when I say “strange loop”, I have something else in mind — a less concrete, more elusive notion. What I mean by “strange loop” is — here goes a first stab, anyway — not a physical circuit but an abstract loop in which, in the series of stages that constitute the cycling-around, there is a shift from one level of abstraction (or structure) to another, which feels like an upwards movement in a hierarchy, and yet somehow the successive “upward” shifts turn out to give rise to a closed cycle. That is, despite one’s sense of departing ever further from one’s origin, one winds up, to one’s shock, exactly where one had started out. In short, a strange loop is a paradoxical level-crossing feedback loop.” (Hofstadter D, 2007)
This Strange Loop does not just appear in the virtual but its application within worlds like SL makes tasks that can be impossible in the real a possibility. Virtual space is a suitable environment for strange loops to exist and grow. Switching from the real to the virtual and vice versa can allow deeper understanding of the conceptual and psychological.
Within SL buildings and art evolve and disappear on the whim of the creator. This temporary state of creation allows for the experimentation and development of these spaces to capture the feeling of the artist at that moment and the emotive ambience of the setting within time.
“There is a rich vein of therapeutic, spiritual, artistic and personal benefit to virtual spaces that’s slowly being tapped, and I suspect if you gathered a group of SL users and asked them to describe their experiences in spaces limited almost entirely by imagination, you’d hear a range of responses ranging from the astonishing to the frightening.
These experiences would range from discussions of the fluidity of identity and gender, sexuality, the value and peril of role-playing, fantasy, immersion, addiction, despair, hope, faith, and imagination. You’d hear a lot of talk about balance, and you’d hear a lot of discussion about the membrane between the real and the virtual – how strong the magic circle can seem at times, and how real the virtual can become. “ (Thompson D, 2007)
When I have observed various galleries and museums etc in Second Life, the lack of originality of design has been noticeable. SL and other Virtual environments allow for the creation of unique architecture and spaces with the use of intuitive new technology. So why build traditional environments when the tools and the imagination could produce something more inspirational and immersive? More time and creative energy should be put into experimenting with the ways SL etc, allow you to create objects/interactions that are impossible in real spaces. These could allow diversity and engagement with other individuals around the world, as well allowing visitors to interact with content in ways that is not possible in reality.
“There is an emergent trend in Technology-Enhanced Learning advocating for the use of educational videogames and game-like simulations. Educational videogames have key advantages such as their suitability to convey concepts or to increase students’ motivation. Another key feature of educational games is that their high level of interactivity can provide fine-grained adaptation and performance-tracking mechanisms. This interactivity can open new possibilities in the e-learning field in terms of adaptive learning experiences, compared to those offered by more “traditional” hypermedia contents." (Angel Del B, Torrente J, Ger Moreno P and Manjon B, 2009)
Adaptive play within SL is an emerging topic. More and more educational establishments are trying to modify their curricular to take advantage of student-centred systems, which can be adapted to the needs of each student. Every student is different so an adaptive VLE can only help with the progress of education. Each student learns at a different speed and works at their own pace when involved with assignments. This is similar to the varying forms of gameplay in different games. Different players or students have their own ways of solving problems and completing tasks.
Adaptive play within SL can be used to vary the challenges for a user, help players with artistic visualisation and encourage other ways of seeing. Gamers often use ‘fixed strategies to complete various levels in a game often to the detriment of gameplay and enjoyment, as a result the task/assignment becomes too easy. Users often repeat the same tactics over and over again to win but if the game was to adapt to this then it would encourage creative thinking and learning. This is something I hope to exploit within this project.
“The widespread adoption of learning in games will be one of the most important advances ever to be made in game AI. Genuinely adaptive AIs will change the way in which games are played by forcing each player to continually search for new strategies to defeat the AI, rather than perfecting a single technique.” (Manslow J, 2002 )
Background Ethos
Since Foundation Degrees have run at Cornwall College many students have struggled with contextual and academic modules, specifically within Arts and Media. My students especially find the topics of History of Design and Contextual Studies difficult to comprehend as many of them do not come from an art-based background. There is usually a fifty fifty split of “creatives and techies,” with the more technology minded having no experience of art. Even those with traditional art backgrounds do not see the relevance of these subjects to animation or multimedia. Achievement is low within the mentioned modules.
My task is therefore to try and make the modules more interesting and perceived as more relevant in their chosen areas of study. As both cohorts usually have an interest in games and the virtual world, making use of this seemed the remedy for the problems we have been having.
“Society can only be understood through a study of the messages and the communication facilities which belong to it; and that in the future development of these messages and communication facilities, messages between man and machines, between machines and man, and between machine and machine, are destined to play an ever increasing part."
(Weiner N, 1954 )
SL was the first choice as any other game or virtual environment would not have been allowed by IT services. It was a good choice however as the College has already dabbled with the technology.
Goals and Objectives
Goal 1
To create a space were the students could develop and practice their understanding of the role of connotations in visual artwork.
Objectives:
· To build a simple area in SL than can be adapted by the students according to the image on show.
· Provide the students with the knowledge of how to use SL and navigate/teleport.
· To create a prototype-learning environment that can be adapted for other modules.
Goal 2
To develop low poly building skills for use in games.
Objectives:
· To give the students knowledge of how to use the basic modelling and texturing tools within SL.
· Provide an understanding of the importance of low poly modelling.
Goal 3
To enable students to use the knowledge they have learnt in the virtual for the real word.
Objectives:
· To give the students an understanding of connotations in artwork.
· To develop teamwork in the students.
· For the students to see the relevance of History of Design/Contextual Studies
Goal 4
To test the effectiveness of the adaptive space prototype on improving interest in History of Design and Visual Culture/Contextual Studies.
Objectives:
· Test the students understanding of Connotation by running regular tasks in the Adaptive area ie changing centre image (SL).
· Test the students connotational skills in the real world.
· Repeat with different image.
So how will it work
Students will be tested before hand on their understanding of artwork specifically in relation to connotation and denotation. A space/building will be created within Second Life with easy access for students on Arts and Media courses within Cornwall College. Permissions will be given for students to navigate, interact and build within this space. At the centre of the structure a prim will hold the image of a piece of artwork. Instructions will be left to develop the space around the image according to the content of the artwork and the emotions/ambience it provokes. Students will create objects, rooms, textures, images and sound etc in accordance with the instructions. Snapshots (SL) will be taken as evidence with footage captured via film and screen captures via Camtasia.
The students will then be tested again in the real world via another image to discover any progression after the virtual experience. A student will then be asked to change the centre image and the tests will be repeated.
“ From my experience with the virtual reality simulations at the Human Interface Technology Laboratory and elsewhere, I can attest to the disorientating, exhilarating effect of the feeling that subjectivity is dispersed throughout the cybernetic circuit. In these systems, the user learns, kinaesthetically and proprioceptively, that the relevant boundaries for interaction are defined less by the skin than by the feedback loops connecting body and simulation in a technobio-integrated circuit.” (Hayles K, 1999)
So why would people want to use it?
Using the Adaptive area will help improve student understanding of connotation and denotation, as well as stimulating artistic creativity. Students would be able to meet there after college hours and experiment with their building and texturing skills. It will also provide a focal point to further exploration of SL and other creative spaces relevant to their studies. Many of the students have an interest in games design, so learning how to create low poly meshes in an environment where they can see and test their work, can only be a good thing. The SL world is a huge one with many islands etc containing useful information to further creative design. It also enables students to network with other users with similar interests of their own. Once a successful pilot/prototype has been seen to work then the use of SL could be expanded to benefit further courses. Second Life has lead to joint collaborations between educational establishment to improve the embedding of equality and diversity, something Cornwall College would be keen to exploit.
Testing
Students within Arts and Media at Cornwall College will test the adaptive play prototype. They will be tested before hand on their knowledge of connotation and denotation. Once students are up to speed with their modelling skills they will be introduced to the adaptive play area and told to proceed with the first task. There will be a set time limit and their efforts will be filmed via camera or by software like Frapps.
The students will then repeat the process. Footage will be reviewed and any anomalies affecting the efficiency of the prototype will be amended.
Deadlines
Proposal 12/12/09
Establish student build area 18/12/09
First Prototype test 1/2/10
Second Test 22/2/10
Short Paper Deadline 8/3/10
Prototype deadline 15/3/10
Hand in and presentation 24/3/10
Bibliography
Angel Del B, Torrente J, Ger Moreno P and Manjon B, 2009, Bridging the Gap: Adaptive Games and Student-Centered VLEs, http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2009LNCS.5686..130D 11/12/09
Freidman D, Donenfeld A and Zafran E, 2009, Neurophysiology-based art in immersive virtual reality, International Journal of Arts and Technology, Volume 2, Number 4, pp 331 – 347.
Hayles K, 1999, How We Became Post Human, Chicago, The University of Chicago Press
Manslow J, 2002, Learning and Adaptation in Games, Boston,Charles River Media,
Merrick and Mahe, 2009, Motivated Reinforcement Learning, Berlin, Springer
Simon N, 2007, “Musuem 2.0”, blog 18/7/07, “Jumping into Art in Second Life”, viewed 11/12/09 http://museumtwo.blogspot.com/2007/07/jumping-into-art-in-second-life.html
Thompson D, 2007, The Impermanence of the Build: In Second Life, as in Life, Nothing Lasts Forever, viewed 11/12/09 http://dusanwriter.wordpress.com/2007/12/18/the-impermanence-of-the-build-even-in-second-life-nothing-lasts-forever/
Weiner N, 1961, Cybernetics: or Control, and Communication in the Animal and the Machine, Massachusetts, Da Capo Press
Weiner N, 1988, The Human Use Of Human Beings: Cybernetics And Society, Massachusetts, Da Capo Press
