Scaling team training: Using virtual worlds to support learning in massive open online courses

Abstract

The implementation of electronic team training, e-team training, has been used to teach teamwork skills in a wide array of industries. By using e-team training, organizations have seen the observable benefits of improved team effectiveness, faster response times, and reduction in training costs. Those learning from e-team training have reported additional benefits of improved communication skills, learning team leadership tactics, and an improved satisfaction in their training over traditional team training methods. MOOCs, massive open online course, have yet to incorporate e-team training, due to previous technologies having unscalable, limiting constraints. We reviewed literature on how utilizing e-team training in virtual worlds improves current computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) available in MOOCs, examined the constraints, and give recommendations for the best practices of moving e-team training in virtual worlds to at-scale.