Second Life in higher education

A recent article (PDF) by Zane Berge (no, that's me - Nichthus Nishi - to the right) nicely sums up my own approach to SL - great as long as it adds something of value that cannot be better facilitated through other means.

Berge (2008) sums up:

It is entirely possible, perhaps probable, that as SL evolves and matures, the current drawbacks will become less pervasive and less important, or that the current version of SL is a stepping-stone to something else that will be less cumbersome. Regardless, until educators figure out what to do in 3D virtual environments that cannot be more easily done in real life, such as what Yellowlees did with hallucinations, educators in these virtual metaverses are relying on novelty and social presence to carry the day. I doubt it is enough after the initial experimentation for either students or faculty. Still, it is too early to dismiss the potential, and worth seeking to understand education, teaching, and learning in emerging virtual worlds.

It is difficult to take issue with the conclusion. I note that advocates of SL in higher education tend to be heavy users, which gives potential bias-toward-use. I hope Berge's paper generates some good discussion on how MUDs such as SL can be better applied to education. For my part, I agree that it is too early yet for general use, fitting more in more with the JISC's 'Transformative, complex" - ie, experimental - category of "overhead with little return" (see prior post) at the moment. Again, though, it is a case of 'watch this space' and applying creativity to education design. Where creativity requires 3D interaction and manipulation, SL is a logical possibility.