Introducing Second Life to Students

In class, students were assigned groups and group topics for the report they would be completing as a course assignment, the same procedure as used pre-pilot study. Students were also asked to create a SL account. Next, the class was introduced to SL in two ways: 1) A homework assignment was administered where students had to watch a documentary on SL and virtual worlds, titled Life 2.0. As part of this homework assignment students were asked to create an avatar; and 2). Students were introduced to SL by means of an in-class lecture and a training session including the in-world navigation controls. When students spend some time learning about virtual worlds and navigation elements before an actual SL graded project, students are better acclimated to the requirements of the assignment and there is less stress related to learning new software.

The initial in-class practice assignment using SL reviewed the main features and controls, such as chatting, basic avatar control, flying and teleportation. In the exercise, all of these features were included and students were asked to explore various aspects of the “grid” while paying extra attention to the layout and design of buildings, stores and general places they visited. Students were asked to make notes of their observations. Students were also introduced to aspects of the economy and how to purchase items if needed. In the last 15 - 20 minutes of class, a brief building tutorial was conducted to give students a very basic understanding on how to build and shape objects. This overview was a beneficial method of showing the class how much time other users put into creating virtual items and buildings.

After students completed these initial practice assignments, the changed aspect of the group project compared to past semesters was revealed. Students were instructed that the presentation for the given topic would not be conducted in the “traditional sense” but instead will be presented to the class through Second Life using their new skills. In addition, each group was asked to upload their final presentations slides into SL, and also to create an interactive kiosk area as an alternative presentation medium for their given topic. For example, if the group’s topic was on artificial intelligence, they were asked to create an inviting space to capture their audience’s attention, provide a seating area, presentation area and also include decorative items and/or posters or pictures to emphasize their topic. This required some creativity from the students and an understanding of the topic. The group kiosk areas also needed to include several interactive components which could be accessed by the class. The interactive components could include objects that link to external websites and dispense other objects or virtual notecards with additional information. An instructor led discussion on the topics, through the Second Life based learning kiosks, served the class as a content source, while the class was immersed in-world. In order to complete the assignment, students needed prior experience in Second Life to control and manipulate their avatars, understand the interface, and to be able to communicate effectively with other students (as avatars). To facilitate this experience, students were exposed to several deliberate exercises within Second Life to learn the controls. Students needed basic building knowledge and, in some cases, basic scripting knowledge in order to create the interactive kiosks. Thus, an outline was developed for the approach that would be used to teach students how to use SL for completion of a report presentation assignment.

Assignment

Outline for Integrating Second Life into an Assignment

1. 1. Introduce students to Second Life through homework assignments:

• a. Search for basic information online about Second Life and similar virtual worlds

• b. Create a free basic Second Life account by going to http://www.secondlife.com

• c. Watch a video on SL and virtual worlds titled: Life 2.0: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUwD7u7wwcY (example)

2. Class 1 (Lecture / Discussion):

• a. Lecture topic on virtual worlds, SL (in general) and the SL culture. Emphasis on how SL can be used for education, collaboration, business and for entertainment.

• b. Class discussion questions related to virtual worlds

• c. Textbook assignment: “Real Self vs. Virtual Self”

3. Class 2 (Applied Learning):

• a. Using Second Life / Creating an avatar

• b. Learning navigation controls / Flying / Teleporting

• c. Learning Communication / Search /Editing Appearance / Inventory System

• d. In-world Exploration Assignment

• e. Getting started with groups and coordination of Projects

4. Class 3 (Applied Learning):

• a. Groups assigned to in-world spaces

• b. Groups work on designs and upload presentation files in-world

• c. Group Assignment:

• i. Read textbook chapter, complete presentation with interactive kiosk area in SL that discusses an emerging technology topic and group research