19th November 2009

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Educators will gather in the University of Ulster’s Magee campus this week for a national workshop on the use of digitally created virtual worlds as teaching and learning tools. 

IMMERS[ED] 2009 will bring together some of the leading exponents of using virtual worlds in an educational environment and is being hosted by the School of Computing and Intelligent Systems in the Great Hall at Magee tomorrow (Friday, November 20).

It is the first time such an event has ever been staged in Northern Ireland. The workshop, which highlights the growing importance of virtual worlds such as Second Life as teaching tools, aims to raise awareness of the benefits and possible pitfalls of using digitally created worlds in an educational context. 

It will also provide practical advice and demonstrations from leading educators and industrial experts in this area. 

The line-up of speakers from the UK and Ireland includes: John Kirriemuir of Virtual Worlds Watch; Daniel Livingstone (SLOODLE) & University of West Scotland; David Burden (PIVOTE) & Daden Limited; Michael Callaghan and Kerri McCusker of the University of Ulster: Tim Savage and Carina Girvan of Trinity College Dublin: and Barry McAdam and Anna O’Donovan of INTEL.

They will offer a series of insightful talks examining the theoretical and practical aspects of teaching using virtual worlds such as Second Life, Opensim and Metaplace.  

Michael Callaghan, workshop organiser and leader of the Serious Games and Virtual Worlds research team at the School said: “The use of immersive virtual worlds for teaching and learning represents a natural evolution in e-learning tools.   

“It allows greater levels of student participation and interaction, engaging digital natives and creating new, exciting and innovative possibilities for educational provision.”  

Kerri McCusker, workshop organiser and researcher in virtual worlds said:  “This workshop, the first of its kind in Northern Ireland, highlights the increasing interest in this area and the rapid adoption of this platform as a serious tool for teaching. This event will give delegates an insight into how to effectively use virtual worlds in this context.”  

Professor Liam Maguire, Head of the School of Computing and Intelligent Systems, added: “Virtual Worlds offers exciting opportunities for our School and courses. We are delighted to host this event and welcome speakers and delegates to the School and the University.

”The workshop is organised by the Serious Games & Virtual Worlds Research Team and the School of Computing & Intelligent Systems, Faculty of Computing and Engineering and co-sponsored by the University of Ulster, Office of Innovation Knowledge Club Program.  

The workshop is open to academics, industrialists and students from all over the UK and Ireland. There is no fee to attend but places are limited and you must register in advance. 

For further details please contact workshop organisers Michael Callaghan mj.callaghan@ulster.ac.uk or Kerri McCusker ka.mccusker@ulster.ac.uk 

To register and for further information please go to the workshop website  http://www.learninginvirtualworlds.com/ 

For further information, please contact:

Martin Cowley
Telephone: 028 71675083
Email: Martin Cowley