The development of virtual world tools to enhance learning and real world decision making in the Australian sugar farming industry
Date
2014
Authors
Reardon-Smith, K.
Farley, H.
Cliffe, N.
Mushtaq, S.
Stone, R.
Doyle, J.
Martin, N.
Ostini, J.
Maraseni, T.
Marcussen, T.
Editors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Type:
Journal article
Citation
International Journal of Advanced Corporate Learning (iJAC), 2014; 7(3):17-23
Statement of Responsibility
Kathryn Reardon-Smith, Helen Farley, Neil Cliffe, Shahbaz Mushtaq, Roger Stone, Joanne Doyle, Neil Martin, Jenny Ostini, Tek Maraseni, Torben Marcussen, Adam Loch, Janette Lindesay
Conference Name
Abstract
In farming, the outcome of critical decisions to enhance productivity and profitability and so ensure the viability of farming enterprises is often influenced by seasonal conditions and weather events over the growing season. This paper reports on a project that uses cutting-edge advances in digital technologies and their application in learning environments to develop and evaluate a web-based virtual ‘discussion-support’ system for improved climate risk management in Australian sugar farming systems. Customized scripted video clips (machinima) are created in the Second Life virtual world environment. The videos use contextualized settings and lifelike avatar actors to model conversations about climate risk and key farm operational decisions relevant to the real-world lives and practices of sugarcane farmers. The tools generate new cognitive schema for farmers to access and provide stimuli for discussions around how to incorporate an understanding of climate risk into operational decision-making. They also have potential to provide cost-effective agricultural extension which simulates real world face-to-face extension services but is accessible anytime anywhere.
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Dissertation Note
Provenance
Description
This article is an extended and modified version of a paper presented at ICELW 2014, the Seventh Annual International Conference on E- learning in the Workplace, held from June 11-13, 2014 in New York. Submitted 28 April 2014. Published as resubmitted by the authors 14 October 2014.
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