BUILDING THE NEW MILLENNIUM SKILLS FOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN HIGHER EDUCATION: HOW VIRTUAL WORLDS CAN HELP TEACHERS AND STUDENTS?

Abstract

The objective of this article is to highlight the interest and the limits of virtual reality technology borrowed from online multiplayer environments, and transposed at university into the design of a project management course in a Master degree. In this purpose, we discuss more particularly the contributions of that techno-pedagogical innovation achieved in this master using virtual worlds, to enhance skills development in terms of creativity, collaboration and reflexivity in project management. This innovation is based on the instructional design of a scenario in an immersive virtual environment, where students are supposed to be engaged in collaborative design and organization of project through both their avatars and 3D artefacts (3D mind mapping, interactive board, virtual 3D objects). The contributions of this techno-pedagogy are analysed from an enactive conception of competence acquiring, at the intersection of two complementary theoretical concepts: embodied learning and creative scaffolding. We use an abductive approach where collected data are various: students and teachers’ videos in situation in the virtual world, chat messages exchanges in world between students and with their teacher, and elucidation interviews with the teacher. The results highlight that the technology of virtual world through the combination of a creative scaffolding from the teacher and students’ processes constitute as knowledge in the body—e.g. particular ways of moving, via the avatar, would allow the commitment of the whole person in an enactive construction of the competence, difficult to implement in a physical space at university.