TBLT meets CMC: Using Virtual Worlds (VWs) in the language learning and teaching. An interview with Dr. Randall Sadler

Abstract

Dr. Randall Sadler is a Professor in the Department of Linguistics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (USA). The primary focus of Dr. Sadler’s current research is the role of Computer-Mediated Communication and Virtual Worlds (VWs) in the language learning/teaching process. Virtual Worlds are 3-D online environments inhabited by ‘people’ in the form of avatars. There are a large number of virtual worlds, ranging from true game environments--often referred to as Massively-Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs)--to VWs that exist primarily as social environments. These include Second Life, Active Worlds, Club Penguin, There, and many more. The primary focus of his interest is Second Life (SL) as there are a wide variety of education applications in SL that are constantly evolving.