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COLLABORATION: A Global Survey of Institutions and Programs in Virtual World Cyberspace

Colleges and Universities
Schools and Consortia - K-12

Museums & other Institutions

Virtual University and School Prototypes

New listing: 360 Days in Active Worlds following on to their successful "30 days" project last year. See the shared architecture pages at A project from the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, University College London. Contact Andy Smith. Details: The project, formally known as 30 Days in Activeworlds, was developed to explore and log the growth of networked virtual space. By allowing tourists and citizens of Activeworlds to build in our server a series of maps were developed, logging the growth of the virtual world. A core community of users enthusiastically built a number of large and complex structures using elaborate architectural forms and investing a great deal of time. The pages carry details of the growth of the world, a prize was awarded for the most innovative building during the 30 Days, details are on the Winners page. Due to demand from the community the project has been extended to encompass 360 Days in Activeworlds, with the extension comes a number of new features and projects which will be taking place in the original 30 Days virtual world.

Colleges and Universities  


University of Cincinnati
College of Design, Architecture, Art & Planning


DAAP in Active Worlds

Daap is the virtual world of the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning at the University of Cincinnati. Daap has been used as an environment to test models of sculpture and other three dimensional projects by faculty, students, and guests of the college. Fine Art Media Fundamentals, Modeling for 3 Dimensional Networking, and Computer Sculpture, are courses which have been taught using Daap as a venue for the presentation of student work.

CONTACT/S:
Derrik Woodham, Director
derrick.woodham@uc.edu

HOME PAGE:
http://www.cerhas.uc.edu/dwoodham/daap2.htm

   



Art Center College of Design
Pasadena, California

"accd" in Active Worlds


The
Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California's virtual world, accd is designed by students as part of two courses, Virtual Worlds Theory and Virtual Worlds Design, taught by Michael Heim, author of Virtual Realism [Oxford University Press].

CONTACT/S:
Michael Heim - mike@mheim.com

HOME PAGE:
http://www.mheim.com

   



University of Colorado, Boulder
College of Business


UCOB in Active Worlds


The University of Colorado, Boulder. For a short article on the ucbcob world see: http://www.insidedenver.com/internet/0719cyb2.html

CONTACT/S:
Dave Monarchi
david.e.monarchi@colorado.edu

HOME PAGE:
http://cob-distance02.colorado.edu/activehome.html
http://cob-distance02.colorado.edu/courses/bcor1000/home.html


   


University of Toronto
McLuhan Program in Culture and Technology

McLuhan in Active Worlds


The mcluhan world in Active Worlds is a new addition to the Virtual CoachHouse Project of the McLuhan Program in Culture and Technology. Using new web technologies, the Virtual CoachHouse Unit endeavours to represent or augment the ambience, activities, and culture of the coachhouse. It will provide within the Virtual CoachHouse forums, creative and productive 'work spaces', galleries, and new ways of representing and accessing archived information.



   



Syracuse University
Information Institute, School of Information Studies


The AskERIC Virtual Classroom in The Palace

Syracuse University's School of Information Studies has been using the AskERIC virtual classroom in The Palace for graduate instruction on campus distance education. As part of their courses in Information Technology, students collaborate in small groups in these virtual ienvironments using pictures of themselves.

CONTACT/S:

HOME PAGE:
http://callisto.syr.edu/~class/documentation/

   


The University of California,
Santa Cruz

VHS Feasibility Study


VHS - Virtual High School in Active Worlds


This demonstration virtual high school was built for the University of California, Santa Cruz VHS Feasibility Study and features an office with office hours, Spanish Wing, Science Lab with a chemistry simulation in the "Student WebQuest Wing," and a gallery show on Geometry and Art.
This virtual high school demonstration model was designed and built by Zg and Aurac of Active Arts Design and its content and concept were developed by Bonnie DeVarco. The first VHS was initiated and hosted by Stuart Gold and Bruce Damer in TheU. Another public version of the VHS demonstration model is now also in Zg world.

CONTACT/S:
Francisco Hernandez - vhs@ucsc.edu
Bonnie DeVarco - devarco@cruzio.com

HOME PAGE:
http://vhs.ucsc.edu/vhs/storyboard.htm
http://www.vhs.ucsc.edu/


   


Cornell University
Cornell Theory Center


SciCentre in Active Worlds


Led by Margaret Corbit, The Cornell Theory Center is building a virtual museum called SciCentre. This museum will be a multi-user, interactive online world for science education. This world is modeled on a cross between a conventional science project and a World's Fair.

CONTACT/S:
Margaret Corbit
Science Writer & Communications Manager
corbitm@tc.cornell.edu
http://www.tc.cornell.edu/~corbitm/

   



Oslo School of Architecture


Aho in Active Worlds


Aho 1 & 2 World is a cluster of worlds that acts as an experiment in education.

CONTACT/S:
Birger Sevaldson, caretaker - Aho 1
http://ifid-nts.aho.no/bs/

HOME PAGE:
http://ifid-nts.aho.no/bs/aw/


   



University of Cincinnati
Department of Biological Sciences


BioWorld in Active Worlds


The Virtual Campus of the Dept. of Biological Sciences is a new virtual world connected to their Biology department.

CONTACT/S:

HOME PAGE:
http://www.biology.uc.edu/

   



Georgia Tech University
School of Literature, Communication and Culture


TechLINK in The Palace


Georgia Tech's LCC program, TechLINK is using the Palace in seven of its 42 freshman courses as an online collaborative learning space. Meeting halls, classrooms offices and cafes allow students to congregate in virtual rooms regularly as a part of their course.


CONTACT/S:

Greg VanHoosier-Carey, Assistant Professor
greg.vanhoosiercarey@lcc.gatech.edu
http://www.lcc.gatech.edu/~gvanhoosier-carey/index.html

Richard A. Grusin, Chair
richard.grusin@lcc.gatech.edu
http://www.lcc.gatech.edu/~grusin/index.html

HOME PAGE:
http://www.lcc.gatech.edu/techlinc/index.html

   



Stanford University
PBL Laboratory, Dept. of Civil Engineering


Stanford University's PBL Lab

As part of Stanford University's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the Problem/Project/Product/Process/People-Based Learning is a process of teaching and learning that focuses on problem based, project centered activities that produce a product for a client. PBL will be based on re-engineering processes that bring people from multiple disciplines together.

CONTACT/S:
Dr. Renate Fruchter, Director
fruchter@ce.Stanford.edu

HOME PAGE:
http://pbl.stanford.edu/

   


Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA)
University College London


SciCity in Active Worlds


The website uses a graphical front end to let visitors explore how science, engineering and technology affect their everyday lives. The Scicity world takes this one step further, allowing users to explore Science City in 3d for the first time. The Active Worlds version of Science City is a 3d virtual representation of the site.

CONTACT/S:

HOME PAGE:
http://www.sciencecity.org.uk/

   



University of Texas at Austin
ACTLAB


ACTLAB's Utopia in Onlive Traveler

ACTLAB's Utopia is a student-built world in Onlive Traveler

CONTACT/S:
Vernon Reed
vreed@home.actlab.utexas.edu
http://www.actlab.utexas.edu/utopia/

   


University of Washington

The Human Interface Technology Laboratory (HIT Lab)


Virtual Playground - A Java 3D World

The Greenspace Project's Virtual Playground is an experimental virtual environment concerned with the underlining hardware and software issues of collaborative VR and with how humans will live and act in this new environment. The Virtual Playground prototyped a new generation of a shared virtual space, written completely in Java and using the new Java3D API.

CONTACT/S:
Bruce Campbell bdc@hitl.washington.edu
Jim Davidson jnd@hitl.washington.edu
Kori Inkpen - inkpen@hitl.washington.edu
http://www.hitl.washington.edu/projects/greenspace/




Schools & Consortia - K-12  


European Consortium
Haags Montessori Lyceum,
Netherlands,
School 204, St. Petersburg, Russia
Institut Notre Dame, Meudon, France



EDU_HML in Active Worlds

This educational world called "The Virtual City" is an international cooperative project between three schools in Europe. Each building in The Virtual City has to have an educational function. - "Since we are (as far as we know) the first schools in the world to launch a project like this, there isn't anyone who has any experience in creating the type of world that we need."


CONTACT/S:
EDU_HML@hotmail.com

HOME PAGE:
http://www.hml.nl/vcity/edu_hml.htm

   


Virtual Charters School, U.K.


Virtual Charters School in Active Worlds

Virtual Charters - the UK's first Virtual High School in Aurac world. Active Art Design, winners of the 1998 TheU Architecture Competition to design a Virtual University, donated the prize world to their local High School and have been assisting the students and teachers in their first foray into cyberspace. The school has decided to create a mixed environment with both real-life and fantasy buildings. The world is still very much 'under construction', but will be contain curriculum specific study areas which can be used by both students and teachers to assist with both classwork and homework assignments. The world features a replica of the main school building and a Student Art exhibition which is housed in a purpose built hexagonal gallery designed and curated by Geoff Kerrins

CONTACT/S:
Penelope Twining, VR Artist - zg@activeart.co.uk

HOME PAGE:
http://www.mplc.co.uk/eduweb/sites/charters http://www.activeart.co.uk

   



Sacred Heart Middle School

Sacred Heart Middle School in Active Worlds


This educational experiment led by Bruce Carey, is an educational world built and used by middle school students in New Zealand.

CONTACT/S:
Bruce Carey
- careyb@paradise.net.nz

HOME PAGE:

   


ThinkQuest
Student-built Competition World

PacificO in Active Worlds


The Pacific0 world is a 3D virtual companion world to an hub for information on the Pacific Ocean. High School students created and maintain this web site and world for the 1998 ThinkQuest Competition.


CONTACT/S:
Wim Wisselink (DJ Bubble) - djbubble@dds.nl
Willem Ave (Slyman) - willem@imatowns.com

HOME PAGE:
http://hyperion.advanced.org/15931/




Museums and Other Institutions  


Boston Museum of Science


SFX in Active Worlds


The Boston Science Center has built a virtual world installation as part of their new exhibition, Special Effects. The SFX world in Active Worlds invites the general public to see a virtual companion exhibit similar to the real exhibition in Boston. Exhibit visitors can go into AW through a kiosk at the Museum. AW visitors and museum visitors to SFX world can enjoy the virtual exhibition at the same time and see each other.

CONTACT/S:

HOME PAGE:
http://www.mos.org/mos/menu/menu.html


   


San Jose Tech Museum of Innovation


San Jose Tech's Electronic Cafe in Active Worlds

Circle of Fire has worked closely with the San Jose Tech museum of Innovation to design the Electronic Café in Active Worlds.The display, scheduled to opening in October 1998 features 12 computer terminals hooked to the intranet. The environments will allow museum users to interact within rich environments designed for gaming and Entertainment applications. See http://www.thetech.org/press_resources/communication.html for an overview of this project.

CONTACT/S:

HOME PAGE:
http://www.thetech.org/


   


NASA Ames Research Laboratory


NasaNa_

NASA's public virtual version of the Ames Research Laboratory in Active Worlds features many opportunities and activities for students online and in 3D, including live outreach for groups of students to meet experts in a Pathfinder course module and an exhibition linked to many pages within the NASA Ames Research Lab's Home Site.


CONTACT/S:

HOME PAGE:
http://www.arc.nasa.gov/

   


The Center for
Advanced Learning Technologies


INSEAD in Active Worlds

The Centre for Advanced Learning Technologies (CALT), located in France is increasingly regarded as Europe's leading R&D initiative in the domain of advanced learning technologies for management education and knowledge management. Their virtual world in Active Worlds is public and serves as a virtual environment to test CALT's experimental projects.


CONTACT/S:

HOME PAGE:
http://www.insead.fr/CALT/


   


United Nations
Food and Agriculture Organization


Virtualia in Active Worlds

Virtualia is an experiment in fractal-like surfaces and automated building, built by Lucio Pascarelli, who is now designing a similar world for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. This world is an experiment to find ways to generate 3D surfaces from data for educational purposes.


CONTACT/S:
lucio@pascarelli.com

HOME PAGE:
http://www.virtualia.net/

   


3D Atlas of Cyberspaces


ATLAS in Active Worlds

The ATLAS gallery opened to the public on the 3rd of September 1998. They hold regular seminars in the gallery where visitors can meet and chat with the Atlas of Cyberspaces curator Martin Dodge and other cyber-cartographers, asking questions on mapping and visualising Cyberspace. The gallery currently contains three themed groups of pictures arranged around the points of a compass. In the east we have maps using geographic metaphors, in the west are images of 3D information space and lastly in the south are information maps.


CONTACT/S:
m.dodge@ucl.ac.uk

HOME PAGE:
http://www.cybergeography.org/atlas/3dgallery.html



Virtual University Prototypes  


TheU Virtual University


TheU Architecture Competition


In early 1998 Stuart Gold directed a joint project of
SRT Enterprises, the Contact Consortium and Circle of Fire in TheU to bring together 34 different teams in an architecture competition in Active Worlds. Each team was given two months to design and build a demonstration model for a Virtual University and three winning entries were selected in Spring 1998. The judges included: Derrick Woodham, Gerhard Schmitt, Hani Rashid, John Tiffin, Marcos Novak, Murray Turoff and Stuart Gold.

CONTACT/S:
Stuart Gold
Bruce Damer

HOME PAGE:
http://www.ccon.org/theu/



   


Active Arts Design
Prototype Virtual University


"zg" in Active Worlds


The world Aurac was built and designed by Aurac, HenrikG and Zg of the Active Art Design Team and was the award winning entry in TheU Architecture Competition to Design a Virtual University in 1998. Drawing on their considerable experience with Active Worlds software, the team produced a visually unique and influential learning environment. It included the widely publicised Learning Towers, as well as a library, exhibition hall and main reception building, complete with purpose-built lecture theatre. This world was closed after the competition but was recently resurrected by popular demand in the world Zg where it has since been enhanced in the spirit of the original enterprise.


CONTACT/S:
Penelope Twining, VR Artist - zg@activeart.co.uk
Henrik Gudbrandsen, VR Artist - henrikgu@online.no

HOME PAGE:
http://www.activeart.co.uk
http://www.activeart.co.uk/pages/av98/folio.html
http://www.henrikg.com

   
AW University
Entry is forthcoming, see www.awcommunity.org for site links
 
   
AW School
Entry is forthcoming, see www.awcommunity.org for site links
 

________



INSTITUTION:
University of California, Los Angeles
UCLA Center for the Study of Online Community

CONTACT/S:
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/csoc/

 

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