Human Factors Issues Associated with Teaching Over a Virtual World

Second Life (SL) is one of the most popular Virtual Worlds (VW) available on the web, with over 15 million registered accounts and over 50,000 registered users online at any given time (de Freitas, 2008). A number of universities offer classes taught via VWs, however little information is available on the human factors issues associated with teaching and learning via a VW. This paper is a practice-oriented analysis of information gathered during a pilot test of didactic and behavioral training offered over SL, using Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) as a test case. Results indicate that human factors issues including social, communication, and technological concerns impact class interactions and feelings of trust. Participants report gaining didactic knowledge, a willingness to recommend VW training to others, and being open to future training via a VW. Recommendations to modify in-person training for VW use include targeted, early education of class members to potential differences in VW training...