Students’ Perspective on Safety Education using Second Life as a Tool for Effective Learning

Abstract

<p>Educators are searching for cutting-edge ideas to deliver effective instructional methods to students and employers on different aspects of training. The population of students in colleges and universities are different in terms of dependency on technology. Most students are visual learners and are dependent on the use of technology in their everyday lives to satisfy social needs. Educators are seeking methods to increase student learning and comprehension of classroom theory by integrating the students’ need of technology. Teaching industrial safety can often leave the instructor with a level of uncertainty as to whether the students have grasped concepts taught in the classroom. As educators begin to embrace new innovations in teaching and learning, researchers are examining Flow in virtual environments such as Second Life. The researchers see potential in developing collaborative activities which intrigue and lure students into an environment which induces Flow, thereby allowing students to “think outside the box” and analyze simulated situations which are representative of real-world safety issues.</p>