Adapting 3D Virtual World Technologies for Real World Applications: Case Study Paper

The 3D Web technologies known as Virtual Worlds can be characterised as combining the global reach of the internet with the ability to experience geometrically complex 3D environments in real-time simultaneously with other visitors. Visually and functionally rich virtual environments ran be created which can closely approximate physical world environments and activities thus enabling innovative ways of delivering teaching and training. This provides an opportunity to fundamentally re-define user engagements and educational offerings. This paper reports on a functionally and visually rich virtual 3D landscape, 'Financial Services Island', designed to enable 'accelerated learning experiences' in the financial sector for young students. The highly interactive, immersive and multi-modal virtual landscape exploits the potential for personal experiential interactions and stimulating learning experiences in financial services within the digital realm. This paper presents, in the form of a case study, the key stages of developments and associated methodology, the challenges of adapting new 3D internet technology to education and reflections on the encouraging response of teaching professionals and students.