Getting an Academic Life in Second Life

Thursday, October 11, at 12 noon, U.S. Eastern time

Merrill L. Johnson, associate dean of the University of New Orleans's College of Liberal Arts, is also director of Latin American Outreach and a professor of geography.

A transcript of the chat follows.

Andrea Foster (Moderator):
    Hello, and welcome to our weekly Brown Bag discussion. Today we're going to be talking about the virtual world, Second Life, with Merrill Johnson, associate dean of the University of New Orleans's College of Liberal Arts. Second Life is a three-dimensional environment filled with digital characters, buildings and open spaces that can be accessed via a computer screen. The University of New Orleans his its own campus in Second Life for distance learning and other activities. Thanks for being here with us today, Merrill.

Merrill L. Johnson:
    Good morning. Greetings from the University of New Orleans in its virtual-world form ("New Orleans Island" in SL). The University of New Orleans is in the process of building a virtual campus using the Second Life platform. We hope to have the final build completed by the end of the year. At present, we are offering two small classes to "try out" the technology. We will offer a more comprehensive curriculum Spring Semester. Finally, we have about 150 U.N.O. faculty, staff, and students in the "University of New Orleans" group (residents who want to visit the island must join this group).

I am a Professor of Geography and an associate dean who is leading the SL initiative at U.N.O. I am not a technical specialist like many users of SL, but I can represent the perspective of virtual program building from an administrative standpoint.

I look forward to reading your questions and comments.

Question from EWil, private university:
    what is the appropriate student audience for SEcond Life?

Merrill L. Johnson:
    Our hope is to attract students who are taking Internet courses, but miss the "presence" and the sense of community found in a regular classroom.

In addition, we have a large international activity at U.N.O. and plan to enrich our international reach using SL, including making coursework available to students from abroad.

Question from Janet Moore, Sloan-C:
    What type of disclaimer is needed in a course that uses a MUVE (multi-user virtual environments)? What should be the wording for the disclaimer. If a student suffers mental anguish because of trouble in SL - or if a griefer attacks during class -- or... what type of warnings should be placed on the website of the course. What is UNO doing its island about this issue? Also, if institutions acceptable use policies for SL, what kinds of things are included in the policies? Thanks for your advice.

Merrill L. Johnson:
    These are very important questions. First, we restrict access to our island. Anybody who comes to the island has to be a member of the "University of New Orleans" Group. While membership is open and will not (and has not) stopped everybody, membership does stop the more casual griefer. The downside, of course, is that we also stop the educational "tourist" who wants to see what we are doing.

Second, we have a policy that we attach to syllabi that warns students about the social excesses they may encounter in SL. We also tell students that the minute they leave the island, just as when they leave the RL campus, they are on their own and are not permitted to represent the University in their actions, unless they are doing field work.

We have not had a griefer attack on the virtual campus when students have been present. They are warned in advance.

I can send a copy of our policy off-line, if you wish.

Question from S.N. Devil, Mega SW Univ.:
    Is there a "there there" with S.L.? What makes this different from other technological fads at colleges and universities and given the heavy commercial (e.g. for profit) focus of S.L. is this really a technology we should be embracing at university.

Merrill L. Johnson:
    Good question. SL clearly has taken on "fad" status at the moment and I spend a good portion of my time warning people that they should not over-estimate the current value of SL. Probably every news outlet that exists has done its piece on SL.

However, just as it is easy to over-estimate the current value of SL, we should not under-estimate the long-term promise of 3-D Web. This is clearly a technology with a future for higher education. If the Gartner Research group is correct, by 2011 about 80% of regular Internet users will have a 3-D Web presence, although maybe not in SL.

Yes, SL is a commercial entity and that can create problems, especially when there are Terms of Service conflicts. I think that we will find within the next 12 to 24 months a variety of options appearing that take away some of the concerns associated with SL's commercial status.

Question from Adrian, eLearners.com:
    How do you plan to attract regular distance learners to Second Life?

Merrill L. Johnson:
    We plan to attract regular distance learners primarily through an education process. We are offering various "workshops," "meetings," etc. to inform faculty and students about what SL is and can do. The largest problem that we have is uncertainty about the unknown, both among faculty and students. We also have a whole lot of curiosity!

Question from Claire Bradin Siskin, University of Pittsburgh:
    Is anyone at the U. of New Orleans using SL to teach foreign languages?

Merrill L. Johnson:
    Not at the moment, but four of our Spanish professors have expressed an interest in teaching in SL. I don't know if they have submitted courses for the Spring calendar or not (the due date was yesterday). SL offers considerable potential for foreign language instruction.

Question from Ken Ronkowitz:
    Have you looked at Sloodle http://www.sloodle.org/ which integrates the Second Life environment and the Moodle learning-management system? Will open source mashups with SL extend the reach of SL in education?

Merrill L. Johnson:
    Our technical people inform me that we should have a test version of Moodle this spring. We have no Sloodle/Moodle mashups with SL currently in operation. At the moment, we are using Blackboard in combination with SL. I agree that these mashups will extend the reach of SL in education and constitute a very important next step in the integration of 3-D Web into university teaching practices.

Question from David McGeehan, Duquesne University:
    How much time did you send building your island?

Merrill L. Johnson:
    More time than I EVER expected--many hours--and at the moment, everything is still temporary. I have a funding proposal out that will allow us to use commercial builders for the final build. Our main building is in fact a mansion that I bought at an SL store for 25 real dollars. It has been configured to hold classes, offices, display areas, etc.

I should note that several other faculty and staff members have taken a crack at building and sculpting the landscape. Our final build will have a sandbox where these people can "play." This opportunity is important in acclimating faculty and staff to the SL setting.

Question from Helen MacDermott, eLearners.com:
    For busy, working adults, the lure of distance learning is in its flexibility of scheduling.

Would you agree that distance education via Second Life is essentially a trade off for those seeking a purportedly richer sense of community vs. convenience?

How might adult distance learners benefit from what may otherwise seem like frivolity?

Merrill L. Johnson:
    The frivolity issue is the first one that most of us confront. Many still see 3-D Web as simply another "game." It isn't.

I agree with your trade-off statement. Yes, SL adds the feeling of "presence," albeit in electronic form, that makes SL one notch better than Internet courses. It is important that, as we discuss how SL is not a game, we show how a 3-D Web course can enrich the student's experience. We are doing that through the workshops and meetings that I described in an earlier response. This process is important.

Question from Drexel University Online:
    We've found that the SL learning curve is a bit steep for most adult learners. How are you addressing this issue? Also, why isn't this event happening inworld?

Merrill L. Johnson:
    My avatar is currently standing inworld in front of our building and one of our office assistants is present in the reception area. My SL name is "Merrill Johin." I may really challenge my already limited multitasking abilities, however, if I try to respond to questions both in SL and in RL!

Adult learners are often at a disadvantage. Apart from what they see as the silliness of watching people manipulate cartoons on screen, they often do not have the experience to feel comfortable in SL. I deal with this helping faculty get on SL, not just students. Major hand-holding is required (back to the workshops and meetings), but in the long run I'm quite confident that most adult learners will be able to handle SL without problem. The same problem occurred with email 10 years ago.

Question from Robby Dittmann, Georgia Perimeter College:
    How do you deal with the learning curve required for students to become proficient in using the Second Life interface?

Merrill L. Johnson:
    We have found that most younger students learn on their own. Many already have helpful experience in their previous gaming lives. For spring semester, we will announce several meetings at which we will help students learn SL basics. This semester, we devoted class time at the beginning of the semester to this purpose. The learning curve is a real concern.

Question from Karen, Glendale Community College (AZ):
    Is SL an additional feature of courses offered online, with most of the material provided elsewhere (oe. Blackboard, etc.), or is the whole course in SL? Which classes are you offering in your trial? How were they selected?

Merrill L. Johnson:
    We are offering a junior-senior management class and I am teaching an introductory world-regional class. In both cases, enrollments are very low since we did not add the courses until the middle of the summer. Several other professors use our campus for ad hoc activities with their RL classes.

We offer full courses online, but with Blackboard backup. I use projection screens in SL to show Powerpoint presentations that are also posted in Blackboard. I hope eventually to build 3-D models inworld that illustrate geographical concepts (e.g., earth-sun relationships).

Our courses were selected by identifying the faculty willing to go inworld on a pioneering basis--nothing scientific here.

Question from Sam Johnson, Lake Region State College, ND:
    Are students paying extra fees to participate in UNO Second Life courses or activities?

Merrill L. Johnson:
    They pay the same fees as for a regular Internet course. Nothing more. Whatever they pay is nominal. They do, of course, pay full tuition.

Question from Suzie Medders, Clemson University:
    Are you dedicating support staff to train & support faculty who want to use Second Life in teaching? If so, what is your support structure? If not, how do your faculty receive support for use of Second Life?

Merrill L. Johnson:
    We have full support from our university computing center. Our help desk is SL configured. Training is done by our Second Life Oversight Committee, which includes faculty and staff. We may eventually want to modify that arrangement.

By the way, U.N.O. is fortunate to have the full support not only of our technical people, but the dean of my college and the provost's office. They even have their own avatars (making them appear, well . . . young!. This type of support is critical.

Question from Kenneth Dalrymple, Regent University:
    Since your security is not allowing the educational 'tourist' to investigate your island, what are you doing to promote your island inside SL, outside SL? Is there any way that someone from outside the university can see what you are doing in second life?

Merrill L. Johnson:
    You may come to New Orleans Island by first joining the "University of New Orleans" group. My assistant's name is JenniferA Burger and she is currently inworld. She can tp you, if needed.

Yes, we pay a publicity price for our closed island. I hope with the final build we can open up at least part of our campus. We do not currently have an active inworld promotion scheme.

Question from Alice Bedard-Voorhees, Colorado Mountain College:
    What types of courses are being held in SL by your institution? Are they held all or in part in SL? Do students self-select to enroll in those sections?

Best, Alice Bedard-Voorhees

Merrill L. Johnson:
    At the moment, we are teaching Geography (my field) and Management. We plan to expand across the campus curriculum, although this will not happen immediately. Students self-select. Nobody is forced into SL. Most courses are held completely in SL with Blackboard backup.

Question from Craig Anderson, Kean University:
    Did you meet much resistance from the "Powers That Be" at your institution in getting together the funds to purchase an island in SL? Did anyone worry that you were spending tuition dollars on a glorified video game or somesuch?

Merrill L. Johnson:
    No, to the contrary, as I mentioned in an earlier response our administration was most enthusiastic across the board. The University purchased the island, but I'm looking for other funding sources to do the final build. Nobody has yet to criticize the use of the funds. This type of support is critical!!

Question from Francine Blume, American University:
    Can you speak to what drew you to Second Life, and how you prepare your students to use Second Life before the classes start. Thank you.

Merrill L. Johnson:
    I am a geographer with an interest in GIS, and SL is sort of GIS on steroids. I saw a piece in one of my computer magazines last December and I went into SL to explore on my own--I thought the research possibilities in geography and social science would be great! I quickly saw the teaching and administration possibilities, and brought SL to the attention of our central administration. The rest is history.

Question from David McGeehan, Duquesne University:
    What is the primary objective that you hope to achieve by leveraging this technology?

Merrill L. Johnson:
    Two main purposes:

1) to provide additional administrative and teaching resilience in the event of another disaster like Katrina;

2) to extend the reach of the university's teaching mission, especially to the international student community.

Question from Jennifer, AIU:
    We're just beginning to explore this technology; is there any resources for beginners that you can recommend?

Merrill L. Johnson:
    I have a long list that I will give you if you email me offline (mljohnso@uno.edu). My best advice is to register with the Second Life Educators list (SLED).

Question from Yin Kreher, Syracuse University:
    Hi, what concerns guides the design and construction of the UNO virtual campus in SL? I've seen some virtual campuses which are replicas of the real campus. What are your thoughts on this? Thanks!

Merrill L. Johnson:
    We asked faculty and students about this. The consensus is a split between RL authenticity and SL possibilities. For example, we have an old smokestack on campus that goes back to the first days of the university, and many of our people thought that having the smokestack in SL would make it really look like UNO (don't ask!). On the other hand, nobody had an interest in recreating our typical classroom and administrative buildings.

Question from Paul Hover, Virginia Tech:
    What are your thoughts about the possibilities of using meetings and classes in SL (Second Life) to increase the feeling of “connectedness” of distance learners with the campus? Do you think the virtual environment will be experienced as sufficiently “real” to allow students in different countries studying in collaborative programs to genuinely feel they attended the RL (real life) university (wherever that may be) and get to know their professors and classmates to some extent?

Merrill L. Johnson:
    This is the precisely the point! We are looking for a way to create a sense of "presence" beyond the typical Internet experience. Personally, I am convinced that groups will form similar to RL classes. You already see clearly defined groups elsewhere in SL. On the other hand, 3-D Web will never be the same as face-to-face. We have a long way to go to capture the facial nuances and gestures that help us to define how we interact with others in a RL group. I see really interesting research possibilities here.

Question from Teresa Hauck, Emory Univ. staff & University of Georgia M.S.Ed. HROD student:
    Organizations such as Teach for America, Gartner, MGM, Intel, Starwood Hotels, Northrop Grumman, Verisign, Sun Microsystems, Pyramid Public Relations, Volt Temp Svcs, Healthy Back Store, Magazine Publishers of America and more are hiring people with Second Life knowledge and experience. Do you think colleges will be including courses on virtual reality and do you think there is value in that?

Merrill L. Johnson:
    Yes, knowledge of 3-D Web will have to be a part of the technical specialist's arsenal in the future, and college curricula will have to reflect this need. Let me add that while SL offers an excellent platform and shows a true pioneering spirit (as far as I'm concerned, right now it s by far the best out there, its nagging breakdowns notwithstanding!), students need to be prepared for 3-D Web in general.

Question from Sam Johnson, Lake Region State College, ND:
    In addition to "jumping into" the Second Life environment to look around, are there other sources/resources you can suggest that helped you build your learning environment in SL?

Merrill L. Johnson:
    Yes, there are many, many very good educational resources in SL. You will see them reflected in the SLED list that I mentioned earlier. I would start with the New Media Consortium presence. Feel free to send me an email if you would like some other suggestions.

Question from Kate Burkes, Northwest Arkansas Community College:
    I am a newbie at 3-D worlds, but I was wondering if you looked at any other worlds before settling on SL, and why you selected SL over others [if so]?

Merrill L. Johnson:
    Yes, I looked at There.com and Active Worlds. Both are excellent, and AW has a significant university presence. I recommended SL over AW mainly because of the sophistication of the platform, especially related to avatar design. I believe AW will permit use of local servers, whereas this is only in the musing stage at SL. I found There to be mainly a social world. You can also pop into Kaneva.

Question from Douglas W. Canfield, University of Tennessee:
    How much land do you currently have in SL, and how much do you think you will need if your initiative is successful?

Merrill L. Johnson:
    The University owns one island. We will not expand until the demand justifies expansion. We interpret demand to mean more than just student enrollment, but administrative needs and research projects.

Question from Phyllis Dobson, CCCOnline:
    What type of programming knowledge is necessary to build?

Merrill L. Johnson:
    Basic building and scripting can be done by about anybody. The really nice builds, however, and the sophisticated scripts require knowledge beyond the casual user. Linden Labs has its own programs which I have not learned (time constraints rather than desire), and I have been told that it is relatively easy to pick up. The University of Ohio has a beautiful build, as does Vassar, Texas State, and others, and those builds were no doubt created by people with an advanced knowledge of SL.

Question from Elizabeth, private institution:
    I know that you just began using SL for courses, but what kind of feedback have you received from students about it? Also, what kind of obstacles or difficulties (technology-based or otherwise) have you run into when trying to implement this forum of online learning?

Merrill L. Johnson:
    We have not done a systematic analysis of faculty and student reactions. We have had generally positive student responses. So far, our teaching faculty, who are at least borderline geeks, and have enjoyed the experience.

Technology problems have generally been confined to inworld--the usual SL problems with service interruptions, etc. The only other problems that we have had have related to the sophistication of the computers being used. SL is very picky about graphics cards, RAM, etc. and we have had to upgrade some desktops as a consequence.

Question from Lou Lieberman, U of Texas, El Paso:
    Do you think there is value in combining a synchronous platform such as Elluminate or Wimba in a single course with SL or can SL alone accomplish whatever the synchronous platforms can at a lower cost?.

Merrill L. Johnson:
    I'm not experienced with these packages, so it is difficult for me to comment here. I can say that from a cost standpoint, SL is very cost-effective . . . unless you take your faculty clothes shopping!! The monthly maintenance cost is about $150/island. Things get expensive with customized builds.

Andrea Foster (Moderator):
     Looks like we're out of time for today. Thanks to everyone for all the questions. And thanks to Merrill Johnson for informing us about Second Life.

Merrill L. Johnson:
    These were excellent questions and I hope that my responses did them justice. I will be on "New Orleans Island" for the next little while for anyone who wishes to visit (we did not clean-up, however). We are voice capable. You need to join the "University of New Orleans" group before tping to the island.

Thanks again for your questions and have a good day. --Merrill