Title of project: Virtual Teams in 3D Virtual Environments

Director/s: Alan Meyer (PI), Jonathon Richter (co-PI), Katryn Aten (co-PI), Taryn Stanko (co-PI)

Funding agency: National Science Foundation’s Virtual Organizations as SocioTechnical Systems (VOSS)

Beginning – Ending Dates: August 2008 – July 2011

Paragraph description:

We are investigating the conditions and contexts under which three-dimensional virtual environments (3DVEs) best support innovation by global virtual project teams. 3DVEs are applications that permit interaction with other users while creating the perception that one exists within the virtual environment. Because 3DVEs provide a feeling of “co-presence” similar to face-to-face communication, a common space for impromptu, informal conversations, and unique creative tools for innovation, they can potentially allow virtual teams to accrue the benefits of geographic dispersion while avoiding the challenges faced by teams relying on traditional information communication technology (ICT). We incorporate a cultural approach to technology studies into the sociotechnicalsystems (STS) perspective and are conducting a comparative analysis of project teams  using different technologies to explore how routines and logics of action emerge and co-evolve with and within a 3DVE and how they influence innovation by global virtual teams. For education, the innovative processes developed by entrepreneurs and organization teams may illuminate promising practices and possibilities for teaching, instructional design, and the facilitation of learning experiences.

Key people: Ulad Slabin, Alan Meyer, Jonathon Richter, Katryn Aten, Taryn Stanko

Collaborators/partners: Sun Microsystems, St. Paul College

Contact person: Jonathon Richter

Website: in development