Making Sense of Space: The Design and Experience of Virtual Spaces As a Tool for Communication

The use of Virtual Worlds (VWs) has increased in the last decade. VWs are used for communication, education, community building, creative arts, and more. A good deal of research has been conducted into learning and VWs, but other areas remain ripe for investigation. Factors from technological platforms to the nature and conventions of the communities that use VWs must be considered, in order to achieve the best possible interaction between virtual spaces and their users. Making Sense of Space focuses on the background to these issues, describing a range of case studies conducted by the authors. The book investigates the innovative and creative ways designers employ VWs for research, performance-making, and audience engagement. Secondly, it looks into how educators use these spaces to support their teaching practice. Lastly, the book examines the potential of VWs as new methods of communication, and the ways they are changing our perception of reality. This book is structured into four chapters. An introduction provides a history and outline of important themes for VWs, and subsequent chapters consider the design of virtual spaces, experience of virtual spaces, and communication in virtual spaces.

Iryna Kuksa holds a permanent Research Fellowship in the School of Art and Design, Nottingham Trent University, UK. In her research, Iryna examines a suite of rapidly-developing communication and computer-visualization techniques, which enable reciprocal exchange between viewers, artefacts and spaces, and transform the way we experience, learn and co-create our culture. She researches immersive virtual environments, which are already an important aspect of current teaching and research, and promise enormous future potential for scholars in terms of understanding virtual ecologies and sustainability of virtual performance spaces.

Mark Childs is a Senior Research Fellow at Coventry University, UK, where he develops and researches online synchronous learning experiences and virtual collaborations, with 15 years experience in this field and work on over 30 educational technology projects. He holds a PhD on learners’ experience of presence in virtual worlds, and his research interests include virtual collaboration; digital identity; embodiment; and telepresence. Mark also works as an independent educational consultant, conducting evaluation and writing on behalf of funding agencies, universities, private sector technology companies, and museums.