Summary: Virtual or Virtually U:  Educational Institutions in Second Life
Title: "Virtual or Virtually U:  Educational Institutions in Second Life"
Name: H. Grasdal
Date: 5/05/10

Reference: Jennings, N. and Collins, C. (2007) Virtual or Virtually U:  Educational Institutions in Second Life. International Journal of Social Sciences. Retrieved May 5, 2010, from http://www.akademik.unsri.ac.id/download/journal/files/waset/v2-3-28.pdf

Problem: This article researches how the virtual worlds, like Second Life, present educational institutions and how these institutions are being used, what activities are operated there.

Context: Presence of 170 educational institutions, including accredited colleges, universities, and schools was identified in Second Life between April 15, 2007 and May 16, 2007. To determine whether or not an institution had a qualified presence in Second Life, institutions must have occupied a virtual location in Second Life or maintained a “group” in Second Life.  Of the 170 institutions examined, 120 institutions (70.6%) had a group in Second Life, and 71 institutions (41.8%) occupied land in Second Life. The majority of the institutions (68.8%, n = 117) were physically located in North America in real life, followed by Northern Europe (18.2%).

Findings: Of the 71 institutions that occupied land, most were branded with the institution’s official logo on a sign located in the virtual location. Many of the institutions had a welcome, greeting, or other information sign or marker. The most common greeting was by notecard. Several institutions had sidewalks, pathways, road, or other types of footpaths visible in their virtual location. However, very few (9 institutions) had a map or diagram of virtual location. Some of the institutions had teleports to other locations in Second Life. Most frequently, those teleports were used to take an avatar to another place within the institution’s own virtual space. Several institutions combined the flat web with their virtual locations by providing clickable links to various Internet websites.  The three most common links connected the user to websites that

1) showcase institutional Second Life projects (75.5%, n = 25)

2) connect to the institution’s main website (63.8%, n = 21) or

3) solicit enrollment of new students (45.4%, n = 15 institutions).

Within the virtual locations, space was provided for a wide variety of activities from classroom space to art galleries. The most frequently found spaces included Private Sandboxes and Auditoriums. Almost a third had virtual space for art galleries. Over

a quarter offered virtual space for living quarter and offices. Other spaces identified in virtual locations included libraries, visitor centers, and resource centers. Spaces for socialization were also noted including bars, beaches, gardens, restaurants, and game rooms. Although actual events were only noted in progress once, evidence of a number of different types of events or activities were noted. Hybrid classes (25.4%, n = 18) were the most commonly found activity by educational institutions in Second Life.

Recommendations: I think Second Life could be a good way of promoting an educational institution, and also for hybrid classes and activities.