UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST OF SCOTLAND TO LAUNCH COLLABORATIVE WEB BROWSER AT GLOBAL SECOND LIFE EVENT
04 September 2008
University of the West of Scotland (UWS) is to officially launch an innovative web browser that will greatly enhance the interactive capabilities of Second Life at the Second Life Community Convention in Tampa, Florida, on Sunday 7 September 2008.
The ‘Sloodle Browser’ is a collaborative web-browser that allows groups of users in Second Life to interact with web-pages like never before. The browser overcomes some of the current limitations inherent in Second Life for displaying and interacting with the web.
Currently, web-pages viewed in Second Life are non-interactive, with it not even currently possible to click on links. The Sloodle Browser uses a ‘Virtual Mouse’ which can be shared by a number of users as they discuss web-content and follow links as naturally as if they were using a regular web-browser on their local machine. Being able to use the mouse as a pointer, and being able to browse collaboratively greatly enhances the use of the browser in focussed class discussions. This innovative browser also allows users to enter text into forms on web-pages – something no other web-browser in Second Life is able to offer.
In addition to this browser, the University has developed ‘quizHUD’, which supports the creation of educational content that fully exploits Second Life's rich 3D environments, and includes a web-based authoring system for developing self-paced tutorials and assessments which are then taken inside Second Life.
This system offers two modes of use. In 'Explore' mode, users can click on items in a 3D environment and have information about those items appear on their quizHUD user-interface. For tutors, a web-based authoring system makes it easy to compose and edit the information that will be displayed, and to include images. In 'Quiz' mode tutors can set questions which challenge students to identify and select items in their environment. Multiple choice questions are answered using buttons on the quizHUD itself.
Dr Livingstone said: “Together these tools will help educators develop even richer and more engaging content and class activities than currently possible. Creating immersive and interactive 3D learning spaces in Second Life can be challenging and time consuming for teachers. These tools greatly reduce the difficulty and time required – and they are fully modifiable to support the most demanding users.”
The Sloodle Browser and quizHUD were both developed as part of an international collaboration between University of the West of Scotland and San José State University. Sloodle is funded and supported by Eduserv, the not-for-profit IT Services Group. Eduserv provides sustainable, shared IT services and funds research and development in order to realise the benefits of ICT for learning and research.
Andy Powell, Head of Development at Eduserv, commented: “Eduserv has funded a number of major research projects every year to promote innovative use of ICT for learning and research. This is a significant project that builds on the interest in virtual worlds in academia and Eduserv is delighted to be supporting it.”
Both the Sloodle Browser(http://www.sloodle.org/browser) and QuizHUD (http://www.sloodle.org/quizhud) have been released as free Open Source projects - allowing anyone to obtain copies without cost, and to freely amend and further develop them.
