Session 7

The Use of Moodle, Virtual Reality and Other Emerging Technologies in Online Classics Teaching

Session Description:

Robert Welch University is an entirely online Liberal Arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin which was approved as a degree-granting institution in 2005.

Those of us who start an online university may believe the theory “If we build it, they will come.” Students may come, but will e-learning come together for them? Once we have set up the online courses and basic communication, we must ask ourselves whether meaningful communication and class participation are actually occurring. Our students find emerging technology appealing, particularly VOIP and user-created content. How can we incorporate advances in communication and the participative web in our teaching practices?

This paper recounts how Robert Welch University evolved from simple document delivery with its Moodle learning management system (html pages, PowerPoint, mp3 files) and basic communication (asynchronous forums and real-time chat) to an immersive learning environment featuring wikis, Skype, webcam, game-based learning, YouTube videos and Second Life in order to make students active participants in their own learning.

All educators face the challenge of how to encourage students to engage with the material, but online educators face special challenges such as how to meet the needs of a diverse blend of non-traditional students and how to foster a sense of community between instructors and students.

At RWU we have come to realize that even distance learners need a social setting for their learning and that students may benefit from the kind of immersive environment which a persistent virtual world can provide. Our students will collaborate online in Second Life as they reconstruct the ruins, practice archaeological field skills and perform the Greek tragedy which they are translating.

A video with screenshots of the Moodle system, audio files of student participation and plans for a Second Life virtual world will be presented.

Presenters: Dr. Shawn Graham, Dr. Lisa St. Louis

Dr. Shawn Graham is a Registered Professional Archaeologist in North America and a Member of the Institute of Field Archaeologists in the UK. He is Acting Assistant Dean of Robert Welch University and teaches ancient history, civilization, archaeology and languages. He has held research positions at the University of Manitoba and Brock University, and his interests include online learning, adaptation of commercial computer games for teaching and learning and agent based modeling.

Dr. Lisa St. Louis is Dean of Arts and Science and Professor of Classics at Robert Welch University. She is responsible for the online degree programs and continuing education courses at RWU. She has held teaching positions at the University of Ottawa, Acadia University, Nipissing University and Wilfrid Laurier University. In 2005, she organized the Classics: An Education for the New Millennium Conference at Nipissing. Her interests include online learning and Latin poetry.