Virtual Worlds : Corporate Early Adopters Pave the Way

In the continuing quest for effective delivery methods for distance education, multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs), also known as virtual worlds (VWs), have become popular at the university and secondary school levels and, to some extent, in corporate training. While use is still varied, both in quantity and quality, early adopters—educators and several corporate learning officers—provide ample evidence of the value of MUVEs as an instructional delivery medium. Although VWs are being used successfully for professional development and training, efforts to evaluate their effectiveness are still in early stages. Corporations that are considering venturing into MUVEs should consider the lessons learned by these early adopters, particularly in terms of the barriers that need to be overcome for successful implementation. The evolution of multi-user virtual environments spans a long, logical, and progressive past. Although there are many in existence today, servABStrAct