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Teaching a critical understanding of virtual environments.

Article Excerpt
THE CONCEPT OF A VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT as a workplace is often new to students, although they commonly use virtual spaces for gaming and informal communication via e-mail and chat rooms. This article outlines an assignment for a virtual class discussion. It is held in a MOO classroom that facilitates students' critical understanding of virtual environments (for more information about MOOs, see Haynes & Holmevik, 2001). Working in virtual environments helps students develop an important set of communication skills and expands students' understanding of how technology is changing business communication and the business workplace. This virtual class discussion assignment seeks to contextualize the purpose and nature of virtual workspaces so students can understand how communication differs and how the skills they will learn will translate into other business communication contexts. Students also learn how face-to-face and virtual environments vary and how they themselves can become active, professional participants in virtual workplaces.

The MOO Classroom

The assignment was originally developed at Purdue University when the Professional Writing program integrated MOO classrooms into its business and technical communication courses. Using a variety of MOO objects, the instructor can demonstrate for students how these objects work to control and facilitate communication. For this MOO activity, three objects are used:

1. A recorder (turned on at the beginning of the class session) saves a transcript of the session that can be e-mailed to participants for later review.

2. A Web projector displays Web pages containing quotations from the text, so students can examine quotations while participating in the discussion.

3. A slide projector displays discussion questions inside the chat space, thereby regulating the speed and direction of the discussion.

The "Going virtual" Assignment

The assignment requires students to examine Alford's (1999) article "Going Virtual, Getting Real." The article focuses on the differences between working in a traditional face-to-face environment and in a virtual environment. In his article, Alford describes what happened when a company closed its bricks and mortar office and went completely virtual. He argues that moving a business into a virtual environment is more about the human experience of work than it is about technology. He recounts how the move altered the hierarchical business organization, leadership, corporate culture, and relationships between colleagues. As part of his discussion, Alford also provides his readers with a series of checklists designed to identify what individuals and organizations need to do and the abilities they need to possess to succeed in a virtual environment.

Student Preparation

Before conducting this activity, instructors need to introduce students to the MOO (or other virtual) environment in a face-to-face setting. Students should be able to perform basic navigation and communication functions, and they should be comfortable interacting in the MOO. Ideally, they should have had at least one class session in the MOO prior to the virtual in-class discussion. Because of the substantial length...

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