The Topic of this Study  The focus is on the specific relationship among semantic, visual, and acoustic encoding that is present in virtual reality scenarios on short-term memory. 

1. Dr. Jasmin B. Cowin presents
The Phoenix Firestorm Project:
Virtual Worlds, Jokaydia Grid
and Second Life; Teaching
Second Language Acquisition
in 3D Environments
jasmin.cowin@touro.edu

2. Presentation for WACRA –
Learning by Doing
Thirty-Fifth International Conference
June 1st -5th, 2018, Rotterdam
As an Assistant Professor for
TESOL and Bilingual Programs
at Touro College, Graduate
School of Education Dr. Cowin’s
focus is on the Responsibility
to Touro Students (Teaching),
Responsibility to the Discipline
(Scholarship), Responsibility to
Touro College and Community
(Service). Dr. Cowin strives to
inspire students to be creative
and to model the love of
lifelong learning by inculcating
the habits and attitudes that
create agile mindsets.
• jasmin.cowin@touro.edu

3. Background
The VW Phenomena
Virtual Worlds are emerging as a strong educational
phenomenon because they enable participants and in-world
travelers to meet and socially interact with others in a variety of
online environments.
Learning is immersed in a simulated real-life context, which
suggests a shift in language pedagogy towards learning through
“experiential problem solving and complex and spatially
distributed forms of collaboration” (Cornille, Thorne, & Desmet,
2012, p. 245).

4. Virtual Worlds
Virtual worlds offer the ability to carry out synchronous
and asynchronous learning. Problem based learning is
especially suited for Virtual Worlds.
Exploring, sharing and learning in a VW unfolds venues of
student network collaborations, leading to Personal
Learning Networks (PNL). ESL language acquisition cannot
be understood without this social and educational
perspective.
Virtual worlds are emerging as a meeting place for the
most prestigious universities, non-profits, and academic
institutions in the world.

5. Convergence of gamification in Virtual
Worlds (VW’s)
Is it all Games?
This presentation focuses on
the emergence of virtual
environments; specifically,
Jokaydia Grid, Second Life and
many others. The convergence
of gamification in Virtual
Worlds (VW’s) is bringing new
challenges and substantial
knowledge emergence to the
forefront of teaching.
Desired Student
Competencies
• Ubiquitous Learning-
Life-Long Learning
• Critical Thinking
• Communication

6. Immersive Learning
Spaces
The quest for exceptional immersive
learning spaces requires teachers to
become familiar and comfortable in
VW’s. Ultimately, teachers will need
mastery in designing and creating authentic
virtual learning environments. Eventually,
educators, students and VW participants
will spend considerable time in VW’s
interacting with each other.

7. Are VR/AR environments viable interfaces for
new pedagogical models?
Meeting In-world Getting Notices

8. Numerous studies explored the beneficial aspects of
3D virtual worlds (Bers, 2001; Brey, 2009; Dalgarno &
Lee, 2010) and the effective use of 3D virtual worlds
in teaching (Guasch, Alvarez, & Espasa, 2010; Natalie,
Kevin, & Kevin, 2014; Storey & Wolf, 2010). However,
teaching in these environments has not become
mainstream and the numbers of educators using this
environment for teaching is in fact decreasing
(Gregory et al., 2015). Gregory’s research group
(2015) has identified a number of issues to overcome
before virtual worlds become a mainstream teaching
tool, including technological issues, potential student
difficulties, institutional issues and personal
perceptions.
Current Research

9. The Topic of this Study
The focus is on the specific
relationship among
semantic, visual, and
acoustic encoding that is
present in virtual reality
scenarios on short term
memory.

10. Research done by Harvey G. Shulman at tested the
effectiveness of semantic and phonemic encoding in short
term memory. Their hypothesis was that semantic
encoding is possible in the short term. Each participant
was giving a list of 10 words which was given at a rate of
350, 700, 1400 milliseconds per word. The participants
were then tested on the knowledge of the words. They
were motivated to learn the words by being promised
more money the higher they scored on the test. The
results were statistically significant with the P-Value being
less than 0.001. Thus “indicating that encoding is a time
dependent serial process,” and semantic encoding is
possible in the short term (Shulman, 1970). This supports
that semantic encoding is a factor, and is possible in short
term memory. Thus, using semantic encoding in a virtual
reality scenario would be possible in a short time frame
despite being time dependent.

11. Encoding is the process of
bringing info in from the
environment to process it and
create a memory. Semantic
encoding is defined by
understanding the meaning of
verbal input. Visual encoding is
defined by understanding the
meaning of visual imagery.
Finally, acoustic encoding is
defined by understanding the
meaning of audio input.
Encoding is an important
question because studying the
effects of different encoding
techniques can improve
teaching in the classroom, using
virtual reality, 3 D technology.

12. Brown Peterson Procedure
An equal amount of males and females was
tested with an age range of thirteen to
fourteen years old. Subjects were given two
minutes to memorize eight French
vocabulary words and their corresponding
English definitions. The participants were
either presented with a virtual reality
scenario with all three types of encoding or
a situation with only semantic encoding
present (independent variable). Afterward,
participants were asked to count backward
from ten which is a technique based on the
Brown-Peterson procedure which prevents
a subject from using maintenance rehearsal
to memorize a list of items. Afterward,
subjects were given one minute to
complete a matching quiz and were scored
(dependent variable). Results suggest that
subjects who were given a virtual reality
scenario with all three types of encoding
scored higher (an average of 5.17/8.00
points) compared to the subjects given a
virtual reality scenario with only semantic
encoding (an average of 2.59/8.00 points).
This supports the hypothesis that more
encoding techniques in a virtual reality
scenario improve short term memory given
the same conditions.

13. Effect of Different Encoding Techniques Using
Virtual Reality On Foreign Language Learning

14. Results
The data obtained from
the full V.R experience
(experimental) group
included a mean score
of 5.17 points (SD = 1.8,
p < 0.05). The Visual
only V.R experience
(control) group had a
mean of 2.59 points (SD
= 1.95, p <0.05).
Figure 1 Average Score
between experimental
and control group

15. Teaching Notes: Virtual Reality and Experiential Learning
What do we know?
The qualitative outcomes of
third-person versus first-person
learning are very different. A
preponderance of third-person
learning has meant that student
learning outcomes are usually
shallow and retention rates are
low (Singhal & Zyda, 1999; Chee,
2001).
Virtual reality, enables students
to put themselves in realistic
settings and learning the
language through experiences
with autonomy and/or control
over their learning experience.
According to Fox, Furmanski,
Nilan & Small (1994), because of
the way in which the virtual
environments are modeled and
constructed, learners receive
appropriate and immediate
feedback.

16. Teaching Notes:
Looking at the Learning
Pyramid and Blooms
Taxonomy
it is important to keep in
mind that Virtual/Augmented
Reality provides a new area
of student instruction and
retention.

17. VW’s strengths as learning
platforms for language
teaching and training lie in
their multinational,
multiethnic, and multilingual
set-up. They essentially are a
sandbox for highly immersive
experiential learning where
almost any conceivable
educational scenario can be
simulated and carried out.

18. Why is SL an interesting platform to consider
for language learning/teaching?
• Multinational/multiethnic/Multilingual
platform
• Social networking in 3D
• A sandbox for highly immersive
Axperiential learning (most any
conceivable educative scenario can be
simulated/carried out)
• A multitude of manipulatives
• English is lingua franca (metalanguage
of SL)
• Greater potential for retention due to
word (etc.) to image/action/experience
association
• Instantaneous virtual travelling (RL
locations in SL, etc.)
• SL is a less intimidating place to seek
out casual conversation
• Both native & non-native interaction
possible

19. Possibilities
Develop a VR quiz to help people learn vocabulary passing small challenges. Flow Concept You are a
business person on a business trip, day 1, challenge 2 - you're in a hotel and need to pass through the
reception what is not so easy. You are faced with a concierge who asks you questions out loud, and you
need to answer out loud too. The integrated voice recognition tool recognizes your voice and accent
and decides whether you answered right or no. Virtual Reality Game briefing 9 Then you need to fill in
the registration form at the reception in writing. Then you need to find some items around the lobby,
for example, your room key or so, and it is like a quiz. All the time, when you are looking at
items/objects, text pops up helping you to memorize vocabulary. There are speaker icons displayed
next to the text so you can also hear how the word is spelled. The quiz also contains tasks which cover
grammar.

20. Virtual Reality Teaching
Scenarios based on possible
case studies:
Medical Practitioner Role
Play in Second Language
simulations
L2 is furthered not only through voice communication
and interacting with a wide range of accents,
pronunciation, and language usage but also through
lectures, presentations, RW-like lessons, team
teaching, collaborative projects, quests, storytelling,
games, and roleplaying.

21. Reading and Writing in a Virtual Environment

22. Exploring new
technological resources
Exploring new technological
resources such as VW’s and their
unique environments opens new
dimensions of the formative
teaching and learning process.
Current space-temporal barriers are
opening and disrupting up
the teaching field. The contexts
within VW’s requires thoughts about
how the role of teachers and
learning is changing in VW’s.

23. 3D VWs are probably the most
complex among modern educational
technologies on several levels
Instructors preparing to teach in 3D VWs, in addition
to learning how to use 3D technology, need to learn
how to embed this real-life language experience in the
classroom context.
From: ESL Teacher Training in Virtual Worlds,
(Language Learning & Technology, February 2015,
Volume 19, Number 1), Iryna Kozlova, Carleton
University and Dmitri Priven, Algonquin College
Language Learning & Technology

24. 3 D Beginnings
Oculus Rift Different Versions

25. Using Virtual Worlds and Pedagogical Considerations:
Building on the familiar
Incorporating new technologies into our teaching practice does
not mean we need to reinvent the pedagogic wheel. The learning
principles that underpin many of the tasks, activities and
approaches we commonly use today can be improved, extended
or even transformed through the considered and informed use
of new tools such as virtual reality.
Role plays, Fieldtrips such
as Google expeditions,
Merge Cube

26. Dr. Jasmin B. Cowin presents
The Phoenix Firestorm Project:
Virtual Worlds, Jokaydia Grid
and Second Life; Teaching
Second Language Acquisition
in 3D Environments
jasmin.cowin@touro.edu