Marinetta Ombro: A Culture not a Classroom

Abstract

In 2002 Arcada began an experiment that aimed to develop a learning laboratory in the form of a virtual culture embodied in an online world. This chapter examines how and why this was attempted, the opportunities that it offered, and the reasons why the experiment was ended. It draws from interviews with staff and students, both during and after the project, as well as papers and reports written as the project evolved. Marinetta Ombro was designed to explore several possibilities inherent in online worlds, other than their use as “virtual classrooms” – possibilities that were intended to derive a pedagogical approach that drew from the core features of multiuser worlds, rather than ignoring them. These included the ever-present possibility of creative disruption. The chapter presents a case study that focuses on an approach to virtuality that was genuinely challenging and innovative. It offers practical and theoretical insights, including a sample learning plan, for educators wishing to explore virtual worlds as well as those wishing to reimagine their current work.

Citation

Kelly, O. (2011), "Marinetta Ombro: A Culture not a Classroom", Hinrichs, R. and Wankel, C. (Ed.) Transforming Virtual World Learning (Cutting-Edge Technologies in Higher Education, Vol. 4), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 189-214. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2044-9968(2011)0000004012