The Loyalist College Virtual World Design Centre is a leading resource for educators wishing to discover the diverse educational applications that virtual world technology can provide for today’s learners. As the development of virtual worlds expands, and the potential for this medium is more fully realized, Loyalist continues to be recognized as an international leader in designing and developing experiences that enhance educational opportunities.
“The past semester has been a whirlwind of speaking engagements for Ken Hudson, our Manager of Academic and New Media Services,” said Mark Kirkpatrick, Director of Information Technology Services. “This spring he was a presenter at two conferences in Washington, DC. The first conference, 3Dtlc, was a gathering of education professionals working in virtual worlds. The second, The Federal Consortium on Virtual Worlds, was held at the National Defense University. It was a significant event for government agencies working in virtual worlds. Ken also did a presentation to the Canadian Border Services Agency about our collaboration with the Canadian border simulation in Second Life. These presentations were followed by speaking engagements at the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) and the Interacting with Immersive Worlds Conference at Brock University. The educational applications within the virtual world are growing at a phenomenal speed and to know that Loyalist is at the forefront of this technology is a source of pride and excitement.”
“Every time I travel to speak about our work in virtual worlds, I am always delighted to find that our reputation has preceded us,” said Ken Hudson. “Our successes in the design and application of virtual environments are considered by many in the field to be the finest use of this new technology.”
Mr. Hudson has also co-authored a paper for the Journal of Advertising Education, “From Interactive to Immersive: Advertising Education takes a Virtual Leap of Faith”, with Lyle Wetsch from Memorial University, and Natalie Wood and Michael Solomon from St. Joseph’s University. He and Loyalist faculty member Kathryn deGast-Kennedy also published “Canadian Border Simulation at Loyalist College” in the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research, an in-depth case study of the Second Life project in the College’s Centre for Justice Studies. Loyalist’s initiatives in Second Life continue to gain interest and upcoming case studies are to be published by Linden Labs, creators of Second Life, that will feature the Justice Studies border simulation. Noted virtual world scholars Tony O’Driscoll and Karl Kapp are including Loyalist case studies in their upcoming book on applying 3D virtual environments to learning, which will be published this November.
Media Contact: Marilyn Warren, Communications, Loyalist College, (613) 969-1913, ext. 2332; e-mail: mwarren@loyalistc.on.ca or Mark Kirkpatrick, ext. 2356