Creating Test Questions for 3D Collaborative Virtual Worlds: the WorldOfQuestions Authoring Environment

In this paper we introduce, describe and evaluate WorldOfQuestions, an authoring environment for the creation and delivery of tests in 3D Collaborative Virtual Worlds. This environment is composed of an extended, customized version of the Open Wonderland platform and a form-based editor. Its aim is to make the most of 3D world features, such as immersion and interactivity, when implementing multiple choice, ordering and essay questions enriched with multimedia elements and 3D objects. A group of teaching professionals was asked to work with the environment, in order to evaluate its usefulness and ease of use. A Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) based framework was used for this evaluation. According to the educators interviewed, the most important aspects to consider regarding the behavioral intention to use the tool were the academic subject being taught, the student profiles, the environment learning curve and the time requirements.