Virtual-U Development Plan: Issues and Process

This paper reports on key issues examined by a cross-disciplinary research team involved in the development of Virtual-U, a Web-based intentional learning environment for post-secondary course delivery which supports collaborative learning and knowledge building. Section 1 describes Virtual-U itself. Key research issues are presented in section 2. These range from user interface design questions such as navigation support and use of multimedia to the pragmatics of communication and social interaction in shared workspaces. Addressing these issues necessitates a broad cross-disciplinary research approach that informs the design process in an iterative testing/design cycle described in section 3. In section 4, we discuss a possible course for the evolution of Virtual-U into a more richly textured collaborative learning environment, using a smooth upgrade path and interactive design to maximize transfer of knowledge and experience as the system grows.