It

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Its all fun and games until someone loses an
avatar.

• Library instruction in a 3D virtual world

Denyse Rodrigues May 2007
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What is Second Life?
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The buzz . . .

• Everyones in SL
• Business large and small
• Non profits
• Universities and colleges
• Government interest

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The beginning

• Could a small academic library with no budget
  and little experience in SL effectively use this
  platform?
• Is there any research on the use of SL for
  academic purposes?
• Do any of our faculty members have an interest?

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Research Second Life for Academic purposes

• being used as a service point for both business
  and universities
• differentiated from other online gaming
  environments and redefined as a community space
• systematic research to define Second Life as a
  platform for course delivery has not yet been
  published

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Research MMOs in education(Massively
Multiplayer Online environments/games/worlds)

• Helps develop the motivation for an extended
  engagement that is crucial to mastering a
  complex body of knowledge (Gee, 2004).
• Students learn in a flow state where they are
  not just passive recipients of knowledge, but
  active learners who are in control of the
  learning activity and are challenged to reach a
  certain goal (Peng, 2004)

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The course

• Employee relations/internal communications
  taught by Dr. DeNel Rehberg Sedo
• Objectives
• evaluate this new teaching and learning
  environment and
• help students better understand how to critically
  evaluate the various communication tools and
  social environments available to them in the
  workplace.

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The classes

• 4th year cohort
• 2 sections with 25 students each
• 6 class meetings in Second Life
• Reasons for use of Second Life clearly outlined
  in syllabus
• Recording and posting of SL class logs to course
  site clearly stated
• Evaluation included working on group wikis and a
  final research paper

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SL Class 1Introduction to CULTURE in Second
Life

• Location everyone in a computer lab
• This class started with a presentation on how SL
  is being used by business and educational
  organizations.
• Avatar behaviour and classroom codes of conduct
  discussed
• Students signed up for avatar and completed the
  SL orientation

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SL Class 2Scavenger hunt

• Location everyone in a computer lab
• SL environment Outdoor auditorium on Info
  Island.
• Continued to orient students to SL via a
  scavenger hunt which took them to business and
  educational sites
• Formation of groups using SL groups

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Scavenger hunt Crayon public relations firm in
SL
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Scavenger hunt Aspects of Learning
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SL Class 3Small group work

• Location most in a computer lab, a few students
  signing in from home
• SL environment Talis Library, Cybrary City
• Students met in small groups to generate and
  discuss questions for a guest speaker
• Questions later posted to group wiki

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SL Class 4Meeting with CC Chapman

• Location most in a computer lab, a few students
  signing in from home
• SL environment U-Turn Café by invitation of CC
  Chapman
• Guest speaker CC Chapman, VP New Marketing,
  Crayon (Public Relations firm)
• Issues of how to evaluate information sources
  emerged as a theme in student questions and
  discussions

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SL Class 5Library research presentation

• Location most in a computer lab, a few students
  including myself signing in from home
• SL environment Parvenau Tower, Info Isand
• Lack of in-world browser resulted in a more
  traditional lecture/question period style approach

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SL Class 6Class discussion

• Location most in a computer lab, a few students
  including myself signing in from home
• SL environment Canada Nexus, Cybrary City
• Class discussion on ethics based on class reading
  list

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Expectations and realities . . .
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Expectations and realities Web savvy students

• Most well versed in chat, email, and social
  networking
• Unfamiliar with second life
• Several students at first uncomfortable with
  gaming nature of the environment

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Expectations and realities Griefing and
intrusions

• No instances of harassment
• A couple of avatars politely asked to be included
  in our conversation

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Expectations and realities Technical learning
curve limitations

• Steep learning curve
• Controlling your avatar
• Creating groups
• Recording logs
• Working with scripts and objects
• Troubleshooting with students
• Not always a stable platform
• time lags, teleporting problems

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Expectations and realities On-campus option
would mitigate some technical difficulties

• Lab required SL software to be installed every
  class
• Assistance essential for the first 2 classes
• Allowed for troubleshooting and face-to-face
  assistance during orientation session
• Some students found communicating online while
  being in a shared physical space disconcerting
• After first 2 classes some students logged in
  from home or other labs

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Expectations and realities Course content was
integrated with use of SL

• Took a couple of sessions for a comfort level
  with the environment to develop
• Some students were concerned by time spent in SL
• More focused on grades
• Some students saw the connections, enjoyed the
  element of play and the opportunities to
  experience the new environment

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Expectations and realities Meeting in virtual
environment would mitigate some in-class
inequities

• Some students reported group conversations were
  too fast paced for them to participate
• Some students reading the other groups
  transcripts reported that they were not able to
  identify the true identity of the participants
• Opinions were sometimes stated a bit more
  strongly in SL then in regular class discussions

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Expectations and realities High levels of
engagement

• A high level of engagement among students and
  instructors
• Reactions were both pro and con

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Things to consider . . .
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Considerations Risk taking

• Both very stressful and exciting
• Increased need for facilitation and support
• Takes time
• Newness of the environment seem to invite a
  questioning and critical climate
• the newness of SL will fade so important to
  continue to expose students to new technologies

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ConsiderationsAvatars

• How does real life affect online identities?
• How do you decide what/who is legitimate?
• What are the implications for the classroom?

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ConsiderationsCollaboration with faculty

• Worked together previously
• Trust
• Roles well defined
• Good communication
• Debriefed after each SL class

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ConsiderationsResources and support

• Second Life Library on Info Island I II
• Librarians were tremendously generous with time
  and resources
• Tours and orientation sessions
• Free educational scripts and tools available
• Space can be booked (Lori Bell/Lorelei Junot)
• Administrative collegial support
• supportive workplace and University Librarian
  (Donna Bourne-Tyson/Laken Burns)
• MacMaster SL librarian (Krista Godfrey/Danu
  Dhalstrom)

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ConsiderationsCosts

• Less than 1 Can.
• 250 Linden 1 U.S.
• Avatars free
• Space free courtesy of the kind generousity of
  the Info Island Library
• Groups 90 Linden
• (9 groups _at_ 10 Linden each)
• PowerPoint presentation - 110 Linden
• (11 slides _at_ 10 Linden each)

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Next time?

• Have students do a bit more research before
  entering the space
• Leave class related learning objects in SL for
  students or try Sloodle
• Focus more on small group activities and
  discussions
• Reinforce learning objectives in each class

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Whats next?

• MSVU storefront
• Services by request of faculty and/or students