ECU takes on second life in virtual world

GREENVILLE, N.C. (Sept. 4, 2008) – East Carolina University students can now meet, “face-to-face,” with classmates living in other time zones, teleport to a foreign country, even hold class discussions in a waterfall  – all from the comfort of their computer desk.

Through an online program called Second Life, ECU has created a virtual campus to enhance communication and academic experiences for students and faculty.

“Everybody is so excited about this technology,” said Sharon Collins of Academic Outreach who oversees ECU’s Second Life project. “It just opens up a world of learning.”

Second Life, www.secondlife.com, is a popular, 3-D virtual reality program with more than 14 million users, or “residents,” worldwide. The colorful, interactive environment can be accessed, free of charge, by anyone who downloads the program.

ECU opened its campus in Second Life in October 2007. Staff and student employees in the Academic Outreach department designed ECU’s online presence.

The 3-D rendition looks remarkably similar to its real-world model.

At a virtual bookstore, students’ “avatars,” their 3-D representations, can take purple and gold ECU shirts. A recognizable Flanagan Building, cupola and clock tower stand out. And, the Wright Building looks like a spitting image of the original, except for one thing: the virtual version has no roof.

So far, ECU’s Second Life campus has been utilized primarily by distance education courses.

Elizabeth Hodge, a professor in ECU’s Department of Business and Information Technologies Education who has taught several online courses in Second Life, said the program enhances group work and class discussions, and increases students’ connection to each other and the university.

Some faculty members hold office hours in Second Life. Others use it as a tool for professional development, attending conferences online and chatting with their counterparts at universities around the world.

Distance Education Coordinators at ECU’s Joyner and Laupus libraries have developed resources in the Second Life campus. The virtual, three-floor library has a reference desk, instructional rooms and links to academic journals and other research resources available at the click of a mouse.

Collins said between 15 and 20 faculty in a variety of disciplines use the technology now, and many more have shown an interest in incorporating it. “It’s grown so much, even in the past year,” she said.

The variety of resources and relative ease of the program makes it accessible to students – even non-traditional ones, she said.

“It’s not for everybody, but it is one of the pieces of technology we can give students to help them be successful,” Collins said.


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