Exploring Second Life as a Learning Environment for Computer Programming

Abstract

Computer programming can be challenging for beginners because of the need to understand abstract programmingconcepts. In this paper, we study the use of the Second Life (SL) virtual world for learningcomputer programming concepts. We conduct an empirical study for learning computer programming inSL by addressing affordances of SL for experiential problem-based learning pedagogies. We present preliminaryfindings, the promises and the limitations of Second Life as an environment for learning computerprogramming.