Fragmentary Collaboration in a Virtual World: The Educational Possibilities of Multi-user, Three-Dimensional Worlds

This paper discusses research into online, multi-user, interactive virtual worlds for use in education. A 3D virtual gallery with a shared whiteboard has been developed using several multimedia software packages. The results show that it is possible to create effective, intuitive virtual environments in which users may interact, communicate and collaborate with projects. Technical, social and pedagogical issues are discussed. Further work will be directed towards exploring applications for this environment.