ERIC Number: EJ880787
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-May
Pages: 5
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0158-7919
EISSN: N/A
The Satirical Value of Virtual Worlds
Baggaley, Jon
Distance Education, v31 n1 p115-119 May 2010
Imaginary worlds have been devised by artists and commentators for centuries to focus satirical attention on society's problems. The increasing sophistication of three-dimensional graphics software is generating comparable "virtual worlds" for educational usage. Can such worlds play a satirical role suggesting developments in distance education practice and policy? The article examines the emergence of Hinterlife, a cartoon world run by a disarmingly despotic academic known to the real world only by his virtual name, Professor Horace. This article suggests that a healthy dose of satire can help distance education to overcome the problems generated in difficult economic times.
Descriptors: Distance Education, Cartoons, Educational Trends, Computer Software, Satire, Economic Climate, College Faculty, Educational Quality, Foreign Countries, Electronic Learning, Computer Mediated Communication, Web Based Instruction, Web Sites, Electronic Publishing, Animation, Computer Simulation, Simulated Environment, Role Playing, Social Networks, Computer Graphics, Educational Environment, Educational Policy
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A