Chapter 6: Virtual Worlds For Literary Study : Technological Pedgogical Content Knowledge in The Village of Umuofia and Other Literary Worlds

The Literary Worlds Project¹ at Western Michigan University involves a team of literature teachers creating and researching diverse, immersive, and interactive virtual reality environments to support the teaching of a wide range of literary works from Anglo-Saxon poetry and Shakespeare’s plays, to 18th century novels, commonly taught modern works and young adult fiction. Using technology-rich pedagogical tools directly related to specific works taught in secondary or university English classes, students role play as literary characters to extend and alter character conduct in purposeful ways. Further, they explore online, interactive literature maps, museums, archives, and game worlds to analyze the impact of historical and cultural setting, language, and dialogue on literary characters and events. Between 2005 and 2009, seventeen different literary worlds have been created and implemented by literature teachers and scholars—none of them technology specialists. Free, nonprofit educational resources, these worlds have been extensively visited by students around the world. This pioneering project provides a laboratory for research into the utilization of virtual spaces in the teaching of literature.