Learning gains and attitudes of students performing chemistry experiments in an immersive virtual world
Kurt Winkelmann, Wendy Keeney-Kennicutt, Debra Fowler, Maria L. Macik, Paola Perez Guarda, Connor Joan Ahlborn
Abstract
Virtual worlds are increasingly popular in educational settings. In order to further usefulness in providing a laboratory education, almost 300 students participated in a study to determine the relative learning gains and attitudes related to performing two chemistry experiments in either the virtual world of Second Life (SL) or a real world laboratory. The participants were traditional college students enrolled in a General Chemistry 2 course at a large public university. Student grades, responses to multiple surveys, and written comments were collected over two spring semesters that the experiments were implemented. Students performing the Second Life experiments performed as well or better than students conducting equivalent experiments in a real world laboratory based on quiz and lab report grades. Students held a favourable view of the experiences in Second Life, noting that the SL setting minimized distractions and made certain aspects of the experiments easier to perform. A large majority of students performing the SL experiments enjoyed and recommended them. Male and female students performed equally well and showed equivalent attitudes in all aspects of this study.