MUD stands for Multiple User Dimension and was originally used for playing interactive games such as Dungeons and Dragons . MOO stands for MUD Object Oriented . MOOs feature various chat rooms with virtual objects that can be manipulated. Users can move from room to room, talk to the entire group of users currently logged onto the MOO, or 'whisper' to a select person. Groups of students can be assigned to a particular room where they can hold discussions within their group.
Students can also interact with logged on users from other classes and institutions.
An example of a MOO here at UVa is in Matt Kirschenbaum's ENLT 248 course. As with all multimedia instruction tools, using MUDS and MOOs in class requires advance preparation. However, MOOs can serve as a meaningful resource for both you and your students. Examples of Multimedia in the Classroom Course-Related Websites at UVa History of Landscape Architecture Created with the assistance of the Digital Image Center, this site features a collection of images of gardens of Japan, France, England, Italy and ancient medieval landscape traditions. This project weaves together the histories of these two places, separated by a few hundred miles and the Mason-Dixon Line UVa Medical School Homepage Provides great examples of images, case studies, practice questions, downloadable software and access to newsgroups and mailing lists.