Virtual Communities of Practice in Immersive Virtual Worlds

Abstract

Immersive virtual worlds such as Second Life have recently gained much attention from education and business because of their adaptability to address real world challenges such as: online presentations, meetings, collaboration, 3D data visualization, and online knowledge sharing. These features make immersive virtual worlds a convenient place for knowledge sharing activities that occur in Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoP). A great number of virtual communities exist in Second Life to serve various purposes ranging from business to entertainment. Knowledge sharing in this environment may thus serve diverse purposes. There is, however, little research into knowledge sharing in immersive virtual worlds. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to fill this gap in knowledge. This study investigates participants’ involvement, motives, and behaviour and attempts to construct and validate a conceptual model of factors influencing members of VCoP in immersive virtual world while they share their knowledge. In order to achieve these goals, quantitative and qualitative research were carried out with participants of a group in Second Life.