Sense of Place in Virtual World Learning Environments: A Conceptual Exploration

In this paper we conceptually explore the notion of sense of place and its potential use in the design of a ‗place for learning‘ in 3D immersive environments such as virtual worlds. We draw from earlier research in the fields of environmental psychology, social psychology and Human Computer Interaction. Our goal in this paper is to summarize the conceptual foundations that will form the basis for further empirical research aimed to inform institutions aspiring to create learning spaces in 3D virtual worlds