Second Life: An Innovation in Higher Education

1. Second Life:An Innovation in Higher Education Johanna Brams, Lehigh University Melody Buckner, Arizonia University Timothy Foley, Lehigh University Natalie Foster, Lehigh University Jeff Remling, Lehigh University

2. Timothy Foley (RL) Timothy Harlan (SL)

3. Melody Buckner (RL)Melody Hazelnut (SL)

4. Natalie Foster (RL) Sumo Itano (SL)

5. What is Second Life (SL)? How and why SL is used for education Examples of SL at Lehigh and University of Arizona  Other examples of SL Costs and time to build in SL Barriers to overcome and associated issues when implementing SL Goals of Presentation

6. What is Second Life? • It is an interactive social network where users engage in a variety of social and educational activities. • It is a MUVE (Multi-User Virtual Environment) • Can be used as a:  • communication tool • social network site • presentation medium • place for collaboration

7. Virtual Office Hours Set faculty up with an office Individual Instruction Field Trips or Quest   Topic Driven Fireside chat, classroom discussion build a community Role Play Counseling Center  Assessment Tool Create content for others Use Mentors Create learning moments Uses of Second Life in Instruction

8. University of Arizona: Tour University of Arizona Island (a working island)Orientation Trail (PCC)Virtual Office (Melody and Tani)Border ProjectEller Treehouse (preceptor class - collaborative project)Living in the Universe - Chris Impey/Adrienne Gauthier(http://secondastronomy.org/)(http://tinyurl.com/SL-astronomy)Fireside Chat - Chris Johnson

9. Lehigh Island Development & Tour • University Center     • Blending the old and new •  Discussion Classroom • Collaborative Learning • Counseling Center/Hidden Room • When things must be private and secure • Art Tower • What you can't do in real life • Disappearing Buildings • The art of saving prims • Flexible Theater • Changing seating at the flip of a lever  • Using the SandboxNo we don't mean cats University Center

10. Second Life .... Bonus life?  Virtual reality?     What are people doing here?  Why do they stay?  Immersion                    Environmental fluidity    Interaction                    Collaboration     Ambiguity of identity    Creative outlet WALK THIS WAY .....

11. What have people created?  Live performances                Art    Experiences                   Communities         Shameless Commerce Division         links to RL 

12. Land fees:    Lehigh:  Through New Media Consortium (cheaper) for island                              256m by 256m  (65536 sq m)                    1st year:  5540  Annual fee thereafter 4300 UA: We rent the island from New Media Consortium in 2007.                     Standard Sim (256m by 256)                    Approx. $ 5,000 annual fee Materials costs: Lehigh:  A couple of drawing styluses.  Video cards added about <100 per                 pc in public and media sites as we upgraded.  Macs were fine.     UA: Up to the Colleges and Departments Cost to Build in Second Life

13. Lehigh: Research and initial work later torn down):  200 hours Core work (4 main people): About 1200 hours* **                             Core: 1 grad student, 1 computer science major, 2 design students Project Manager:  Approx 200 hours *Note that no special staff was hired for this -- this project was part of a normal work load, and therefore a routine budget.                                            ** These figures represent the initial 2 years of setup.  Costs will probably now be minimal for maintenance. UA:  Research (2 Administrators, 1 faculty champion, temp. graphic artist) UA Built: "A" Mountain, Old Main (200-300 hours), Women's Memorial (100 hours),  ILC, UITS and the Holodeck shell (15 hours) Pima Community College - Orientation Area Time to Build in Second Life

14. Barriers to Overcome • Steep Learning Curve • Estimated at about 20-30 hours per designer  • Separate class for students • Don't know where to start • CAD and Maya did not transfer • Learning to build with prims • Big Time Investment • This is somewhat offset by the design and programming 'apprenticeship' experience for the students involved in building the island. • 'Selling stuff' -- might generate some income • Could be a logical and comparatively cheaper alternative to other distance learning virtual environment

15. Barriers to Overcome • Pedagogical Practices • Not aware of Second Life • Not sure how to implement instruction in Second Life • Security • participants must be 18+ • Graphic Card Intensive • http://secondlife.com/support/system-requirements/ • Bandwidth • ADA Compliance  • For Second Life to be successful • SL needs a home base on campus • IT Support • Instructional Support for faculty • Faculty Champion

16. Suggestions for Faculty • Don't go alone into Second Life • Enforce dress code for class • Post notice about dangers of Virtual Worlds and how to handle "situations" (offer opportunity for alternate assignment) • Control first experience for students • First Meeting - Meet in office with small group (3 - 5) (experiment with changing appearance, sit down, walking around, flying) • Second Meeting - Take on a short tour related to your subject area (assign free exploration of SL before next meeting) • Third Meeting - Meet in SL classroom discuss problems encountered in SL • Fourth Meeting - Create an assignment for groups of students • For SL assignment - Give detailed instructions and set realistic goals

17. Alternatives to Second Life OpenSimulator - setup yourself or pay ReactionGrid $75/month and $150 setup fee for a SL knock off that is already setup with classrooms and allows controlled access 4% of adults spend time in virtual worlds - 40% own games consoles where they explore 3d environments "virtual worlds are at their best when they look nothing like a traditional campus. Professors are finding that they can stage medical simulations, guide students through the inside of cell structures, or pre­sent other imaginative teaching exercises that cannot be done in a physical classroom."  http://chronicle.com/article/After-Frustrations-in-Secon/6413 Not always true...some universities seek to give distance students a feeling of a campus they might not otherwise see.   Also, familiarity might help students find things...the bottom line is to use the interactivespace -- as interactively as possible:  Don't make a passive site.

18. Interesting Places to Explore • Explorer Island (http://slurl.com/secondlife/explorer%20island/182/151/23) • Second Health(http://secondhealth.wordpress.com/) • Rockcliffe University(http://slurl.com/secondlife/Rockcliffe%20I/15/175/23) • Renaissance Island(http://slurl.com/secondlife/Renaissance%20Island/107/83/27) • Popular Places(http://secondlife.com/destinations/popular) • Teaching in Second Life (http://education.secondlife.com/)

19. Thanks for your time Johanna Brams, Senior Instructional Technologist jsb4@lehigh.edu Melody Buckner, Instructional Design Specialist for Outreach University of Arizona mbuckner@mjbuckner.edu Tim Foley, Director of Client Computing & Library Services, tim.foley@lehigh.edu Natalie Foster, Chemistry Professor and Faculty Fellow,  nf00@lehigh.edu