Academic Reviewers
REVIEWER INSTRUCTIONS:
Thank you for serving as an academic reviewer for one of the "virtual worlds" created in the Literary Worlds Project. You are invited to help us think about the academic quality of these experimental virtual environments, their relevance and significance to helping students understand a specific literary work and that work’s historical and cultural circumstances. We hope to use your review to improve the academic and pedagogical quality of the project.
Each of these literary worlds is designed differently and each functions somewhat in its own way. Some involve collaborative student activity taking on the persona of characters from a literary work in a role play or even gaming activity. Others worlds are designed for individual visits to a museum-like space. Some are both; some worlds are somewhere inbetween. Some require passwords, others can be visited as a "guest."
These worlds are built by faculty who are not technology experts. They are hosted on a public university server and made using open source software. You, and other teachers, are invited to use these worlds in your own classes. Please contact the world's creator for specfic information about their use.
After carefully exploring the specific website and virtual world, please consider questions such as:
1. How does this virtual environment reflect or relate to the literary work it addresses and/or its historical or cultural context? Consider the virtual environment's content, structure, and images. How might it better reflect or relate to the literary work?
2. Does the website and the environment engage students in meaningful and in-depth ways with the work? How so, in your view? How might that engagement be deepened or enhanced?
3. What value do you see for students and/or teachers in the use of or creation of these environments? Should efforts be made to inform scholars and teachers about the project? How?
4. Other comments or observations?
Please send a copy of your responses to these questions to the creator of the literary world and to the project director, Dr. Allen Webb. Please include your name, institution, address, and social security number so that we can send you the $100 honorarium.