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Second Life: A High Potential Educational Delivery System for

Higher Education

DR. G. CHENNA REDDY

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH,

ACHARYA NAGARJUNA UNIVERSITY

NAGARJUNA NAGAR - 522510

&

SARALA DEVI MANUKONDA,

LECTURER

SDM SIDDARTHA MAHILA KALASALA

VIJAYAWADA – 522010

India

Abstract

From times immemorial, man had always been fascinated by the concept of travelling to and

living in another world, another life, second life or having many lives. Innumerable stories and

novels have been written and movies made in scores of languages to whet this fantasy of ours,

which remains unsatiated. Now, in this post-modern civilization with its ubiquitous digital

technologies, we have taken this fantasy of ours even further, to actually create a virtual world,

where we can live another life – a second life. ‘Second Life’ (SL) is a 3-dimensional online

virtual world, which is actually a social networking site, where anyone in the world can join as a

member for free and become a resident of this wondrous digitally created world to explore, build

and use it to form or join groups or indulge in any activity, we normally do in real life. This

virtual world caught the imagination of the young and the adventurous and expanded

exponentially to encompass all human activities, be they - education, arts, sciences, religion,

relationships, role-playing, competitive entertainment or therapy. This paper attempts to

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understand this evolving medium and its promising attributes that can be used for effective

educational delivery in Higher Education.

Key words

Second Life, Linden Lab, Multi-User Virtual Environment, Virtual reality, Simulation, Role-play,

Immersive learning and Blended Learning.

Introduction

Second Life (SL) has entered the psyche of net users the world over, since its launch in 2003.

„Business Week‟ the well-known US magazine, ran a cover story in 2006 on how „Second Life‟

is being perceived and used by „netizens‟. It was honoured with an Emmy Award for Technology

& Engineering in the year 2008. Lakshmi Mittal, the famous NRI, Chairman and CEO of

ArcelorMittal, the world‟s largest steel manufacturer, has opened shop last year in SL, to sell his

company‟s shares to youngsters, after he noticed that most of his company‟s share-holders are

old. Almost all major apparel and footwear brands have stores in SL. Presently SL has a virtual

land mass of nearly 1810 Sq. Kms. and approximately 36 million users or residents, who have

till date spent more than US $ 3.6 billion on virtual assets and were online for a time equivalent

to 217, 266 years. Approximate daily transactions for virtual assets are US $ 1.2 million and

around 400, 000 new users register every month. The figures are staggering and the euphoria

generated reflects in the way residents celebrated SL‟s 10th

anniversary in June, 2013. There

were parties, live music, DJ events and dancing, exhibitions, performances, free apparel and

gear, special commemorative items, limited editions in the market place, showcases like – Avatar

Central, History Walk, and Time Capsule, in the welcome areas. Even „You Tube‟ got into the

act and uploaded an interview with Rod Humble, CEO, of Linden Lab which operates SL, on 3rd

June, 2013. Maldives, Sweden, Serbia, Estonia, Columbia, Macedonia and Malta are some of the

countries that have opened embassies in SL. It is presently being used for almost all types of

applications and purposes – education, arts, sciences, religion, relationships, role-playing,

competitive entertainment, therapy, etc. More than 300 universities / institutions are offering

courses, providing training or conducting research in SL.

Anyone who has a fast computer with a good graphics card and a broadband connection,

can log into the URL – www.secondlife.com and enter this virtual world, which enables the user

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to create his own „avatar‟ using 3-D modeling software. In this virtual world, the user becomes a

„Resident‟ with his / her avatar in any form – almost as in real life, any kind of being or object or

even an abstract form. Once created avatars are vocal and can use applications like – Local chat,

Group chat and Instant Messaging, based on the type of communication required for a situation.

Similarly avatars are also enabled to move in the form of walking, running and tele-porting. The

user can master the communication and transportation modes of their avatars within a short time.

SL has an internal economy of its own and an internal currency called Linden Dollar (L$), which

can be purchased using US $ or any other major currencies in the LindeX exchange and can also

be converted back to US Dollars. L $ can be used to buy, sell, rent or trade in virtual land, goods

and services with other avatars. .

Linden Research Inc., San Francisco, USA, popularly called Linden Lab, was founded by

Philip Rosedale, in 1999. Linden Lab developed cutting edge technological applications to run a

user constructed 3-dimensional „Multi-User Virtual Environment‟ (MUVE) and called it „Second

Life‟. SL uses thousands of servers with cloud computing and runs on proprietary software on

Debian Linux and uses Linden Scripting Language or LSL Scripts. Linden Lab‟s clients include

Microsoft Windows, Mac OSX and Linux – who render 3-D graphics using open General

License Technology like Ajax. The source codes too are in General Public License category.

Open SIM (Open Simulator) is a recent project developed as a fully open source server software

for SL clients. Linden Lab uses open standards technology and Free and Open Source Software

(FOSS) such as Apache, MySQL, Squid and Linux. The Linden Scripting Language, the

graphics and Havok4 Physics Engine enable simulations of various real or imagined things,

machines and devices. This enables the user to create or construct objects and infuse mobility

and voice to them as required. In 2007, „Time‟ magazine (USA) named Philip Rosedale among

the top 100 „Most Influential People‟ in the world.

Second Life an educational MUVE par excellence

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„We must encourage educators in Higher Education to re-examine current practices and to

actively engage students in their learning to achieve higher order learning outcomes that are so

needed in Higher education.‟ (Boyer Commission – 2001)

„Absorption and engagement of the student in the learning process is argued to focus and

improve learning.‟ (Kang et al 2008, Richardson and Newby, 2006. 17)

Through interaction with digital technologies for work, play and communication, the Y-

generation‟s pattern of intellectual development has got altered in a dramatic paradigm shift as

we have never known before. Educational practitioners who are discerning have perceived this

paradigm shift of intellectual development among the present students of Higher Education,

especially in premier educational institutions across the world. The impact of digital media on

the learners has been the subject of worldwide research and most conclude that changes in

education instructional delivery are imperative.

Contextualized teaching, Collaborative learning, Cognitive psychology, Situated

cognition, Constructivist theories, Task-based learning / Problem-based learning, Experiential

learning, Vygotsky‟s theory, Situative learning theories, Anchored instruction, Cognitive

flexibility theory, Practice fields, Communities of practice, Learners as apprentices / Cognitive

apprenticeship – all these and many other pedagogical theories and instructional concepts have

been used in educational delivery processes at various times and places, but never in an

integrated manner for a myriad reasons. However the advent of Information and communication

technologies and tools, 3-Dimensional multimedia, digital media and digital intelligence among

the present day learners, have revolutionized the educational delivery processes, through the use

of Virtual Learning Environments. The 3-dimensional online educative virtual environment has

become an enabling learning environment to holistically implement all the theories and concepts

we have known, but could not fully implement due to practical difficulties. It is well established

in research on virtual learning environments that the pedagogical benefits that can be accrued for

both learners and teachers are many, if they are used in a structured manner. Hence the Multi-

User Virtual Environments (MUVEs) are much advocated presently by contemporary

educationalists in Higher Education across the world. „The immersive nature of the virtual world

can provide a compelling educational experience particularly in relation to simulations and role-

playing activities.‟ (Warburton, 2009. 56.)

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But, planning, designing and developing an online MUVE is daunting for more reasons

than one, even for the big universities around the globe. It is financially intimidating and requires

a team of experts from diverse fields. If only the MUVEs are simply affordable and all the

software necessary for implementing structured educational processes for any or all subjects, are

Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), available for use with just a little technological up-

gradation and training, then MUVEs are something that every higher education institution,

especially the universities can use for their teaching and learning purposes.

Second Life (www.secondlife.com) is one such 3-D, online MUVE and presently the best

social networking site that can enliven the learning environment – a synchronous learning space

that can help students build a learning community and work collaboratively, even if they are

located anywhere in the world. The virtual learning environment provides an entirely new

perspective of being and learning, as the learning process is entirely visual. It is also an

experiential learning process, where real life situations are created virtually and students

participate collaboratively in a 3-dimensionally simulated virtual situation, to solve real life

problems, without risking anything. It is the ultimate learning experience, where students access

the knowledge they require, construct their own knowledge, analyze and apply it to the virtually

simulated real life situation. The students learn in progressive levels and in the process interact

with real life practitioners i.e. older and experienced persons in the real world dealing with real

life situations. The community of students in this learning process can actually use their entire

knowledge in real life situations. „SL enables staff and students to create, customize and build

with relative ease along with linking with other websites and integrating different forms of

educational delivery, while permitting communication within and across disciplines, platforms

and time zones.‟ (adapted from Second Life in Higher Education, Maggi Savin-Baden, 2010).

Educational applications of SL

Higher Education has moved from blackboard and chalk through over-head projectors and flip

charts, on to Power Point and along with society‟s use of TV and computer gaming, have

resulted in a culture that increasingly focuses on the visual. SL offers a means of practicing and

exploring skills in a visual learning environment, which would not be available in real life. For

those in online and distance mode of education, it offers an opportunity to develop communities,

create trust and increase the sense of presence in learning.

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Simulations are famously used for training in aviation and space programs and later in

medicine and health-care. Simulations are effective for trial and error learning, where skills can

be gained through practice. „Therapists, soldiers, pilots, lawyers, business persons, doctors,

nurses and teachers, all normally engage in real life role-playing while learning the contexts and

conditions particular to their professions, during their days at the university or in training.

MUVEs like SL are uniquely situated media for developing role-playing scenarios to engage

learning, if we provide the right mix of opportunity and structure. Indeed role-playing in SL and

other MUVEs may represent perhaps one of the single most compelling educational

opportunities for adults in the 21st century.‟ (Richter, 2007. 13)

SL enables an openness to learning and teaching and also encourages the use of dialogic

learning. Dialogue among students and with tutors makes them relate prior knowledge and

experience to current learning and construct or re-construct their own knowledge and apply it.

This dialogic approach and transformational learning form part of the experiential learning

process in SL. „The sense of presence in SL means not only feeling „there‟ (3-D virtual world)

with other students and staff and guided to learn, but also feeling as if they are actually present in

the environment.‟ (Beer et al, 2003. 17). It is an achievable goal for educational institutions /

colleges to allocate at least 20% of the students‟ time to learn in a 3-D MUVE like SL. The

Institution‟s faculty team can make a beginning by exploring the 3-D virtual world of SL. There

are a number of applications that link learning in SL with other forms of learning, thus making

the learning experience more coherent. SLOODLE (Simulation Linked Object Oriented

Dynamic Learning Environment), SLOODLE Tracker, PIVOTE, SLAVE, are some of these.

The real challenge lies in designing curricula for Higher Education using process based approach

to learning in a social setting. New pedagogical models are emerging. „There has been increasing

discussion about discipline based pedagogy worldwide.‟ (Jenkins and Zetter, 2003 .16).

Universities and Institutions of Higher Education need strategic planning to use the

educational opportunities available in SL. Communities of learning will have to be created for all

disciplines and this requires both short-term and long-term strategic planning, so that the

platform created is effective and sustainable for all activities within university departments as

well as across the university.

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A 3 year plan for a university to develop its own MUVE for educational purposes in SL

Year-1 – Pre-implementation period

1. Exploration of relevant literature.

2. Meetings between ICT departments and academics about requirements and

understandings of both parties.

3. Speaking with those who have implemented SL already in their university.

4. In-world and real world meetings with current technical and academic experts in this

field.

5. Discussions with course leaders and deans about needs and possibilities.

6. Discussion with external stake-holders.

7. Evaluate course material and activities being used in other universities and via literature.

Develop start-up plan

Promotion campaign to identify and recruit local champions

SL workshop and demonstration arranged and coordinated by key members of staff.

Regular meetings for progress monitoring and sharing of ideas.

Set up of community of interest: blog, wiki and e-newsletter.

Set up of steering group and working parties.

Planning and development workshops supported by expert developers.

Year-2 – Implementation

1. Plan a layout for the island based on a central hub with support services linked to

individual projects identified at the initial meeting.

2. Use experts and local champions within the university to fast-track the development.

3. Appoint or locate a researcher to support both funding bids and individual development.

4. Employ a technician with both design and coding skills to support the development of

end-user capacity for design and coding.

5. Locate an online moderator to act as a resident guide and mentor to visitors / users.

6. Provision of guidelines and suggestions for use across the university for example –

The development of SL materials should involve all groups of staff contributing

to the delivery of a particular module.

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The production of learning resources is vital to the success of SL and related

departments need to be involved from the outset

7. Develop ethics guidelines.

8. Develop risk management strategy: this could well include a risk log with appropriate

management steps and designated risk owner who has the responsibility to monitor that

risk over the course of the development.

9. Development of „flying squad‟.

10. Implement iterative evaluation process.

Year 3 – 4

1. Recruitment and appointment of long term research, technical and mentoring staff to

sustain development.

2. Development of funding bids and identification of potential partners.

3. Develop reusable objects and tools that can be adopted and adapted across courses.

4. Develop university repository for materials and objects.

5. Creation of database of national and international experts.

6. An annual workshop or conference.

(Adapted from „Second Life in Higher Education‟, Maggi Savin-Baden, 2010.)

Planning and designing learning in SL has to be based on what the students need to learn.

This may be – build and script, learn about in-world sociology and practices, learn skills and

capabilities, learn content through activities, etc. and what their needs for learning are. The focus

needs to be both on the medium as well as the message of learning. The medium permits delivery

of variety of ways and the message is that deconstructing knowledge and practices is part of the

learning process in a simulated learning environment. It is essential to consider the relationship

between the medium and pedagogical theories and approaches, while planning and designing the

learning process in SL. The medium and the message have to match.

Some of the activities that are particularly successful with students are – Tours of Second

Life, 7 minute streamed lectures, Well designed problem-based learning scenarios in a small

group of 4 students or so, Building groups with 6 students, Individual quests followed by group

discussion, Student-led performances and shows, such as short plays, scenes or fashion shows,

etc. Almost all teaching methods / applications can be used in SL – Lecture, Seminar,

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Collaborative learning, Problem-based learning, Demonstration, Film & Video, Simulation,

Virtual performance / debate, Identity reassignment activities, Re-playable pod-casts and

debates, Non-player character interactions, etc.

English Language Teaching in Second Life

English has always been at the fore-front of evolving technologies and MUVEs like „Second

Life‟ are no different. SL is already teeming with millions of global netizens, who are studying,

training, working, trading, creating residencies, landscapes and communities or simply touring

and entertaining themselves. More than 300 Universities/Colleges are already offering courses in

„Second Life‟ and for English Language Students and Teachers, organizations such as - British

Council, English Village, Language Lab, SLEnglish, Confucius Institute, Avatar Languages, etc.

- are already offering courses to learn and teach English

The potential benefits of using an MUVE like SL for language learning are as follows –1)

Varied task type and occurrences of negotiation of meaning /action, 2)Effective, multi-level

environmental feed-back, 3) Opportunities to focus on different / multiple aspects of language,

including discourse functions and syntactic complexity, 4) Different and varied participant roles,

the possibility of creating multiple selves, 5) Co-construction of the interaction, environment and

social networks to fit individual needs, 6) Individualized, adaptable experience, 7) Engaging,

meaningful participation, 8) Collaborative and social learning, 9)Archiving of interaction for

future analysis and 10) Feed-back and assessment.

Sadler and Nurmukhamedov (2008) applied the methodology of task-based learning in a

MUVE for English language learning and found it effective in maintaining motivation,

interaction and completing tasks. Haisen Zheng, et al (2009) studied negotiation for meaning /

action in a Synthetic Immersive Environment (SIE), by collecting data from quest logs,

interviews and participant observation and found that intercultural collaboration for task / quest

completion resulted in emergent identity formation as well as the acquisition of pragmatics,

syntax, semantics and discourse practices in ways that are typically not possible outside of

virtual context. This included the co-construction of culture and meaning at the discourse level to

modify one another‟s cultural perspectives through tasks centered on a common goal.

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British Council the largest English language education service provider, is operating it‟s training

facility in SL, called the British Council Isles, which is on the main grid. British Council Isles

have large spaces to explore, including – London Eye, the Future UK, Carnaby Street, Tube

station, Sports station, etc. and watch a movie, shop or play a game of football. A mobile

learning shop is available and a counselor too is on hand to guide newbies - Graham

Stanley@Britishcouncil.es. Teachers‟ workshops are conducted frequently in SL by TESOL

(Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) International Association. British Council

has created a learning zone for both group and independent learners in the virtual environment of

SL. Learn English activities and quests based on UK culture are available for all registered SL

residents. Residents can – Learn English in different ways, meet new friends through tout the

world, have fun solving puzzles and problems, learn about UK and improve computer skills. It is

open to all Residents above the age of 16 and is free. The software can be downloaded from –

http://www.secondlife.com/support/downloads - The location of the isle on the net is –

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/BritishCouncil%20Isle/226/126/40.

Conclusion

It is pertinent to note here that almost all virtual world educational delivery processes employ a

Blended Learning (BL) approach. „ “Blended Learning” is not a single approach or a separate

alternative to online classroom environments, but rather a flexible continuum of various

language learning environments. In such a paradigm, there can be no definition of an “online

task” that is separate from a “classroom task”.‟ (Hinkelman, 2005).

Conceptually, BL can be considered as a fundamental redesign of an educational delivery

model that characterizes - A paradigm shift from teaching / lecture centered, to student centered

instruction in which students become active and interactive learners, with increased interaction

between student-instructor, student-student, student-content and student-outside resources in

both Face to Face (F2F) and online modes and also integrates formative and summative

assessment methods for students, teachers and peer to peer for both. It can be accomplished

through the use of 'blended' virtual and physical resources, which is a combination of

technology-based materials and face-to-face sessions used together to deliver instruction.

Combining face to face and fully online components optimizes both environments. „The most

important aim of a blended learning design is to find the most effective and efficient combination

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of learning modes for the individual learning subjects, contexts, and objectives. The focus is not

to choose “the right” or “the best,” “the innovative” as opposed to “the traditional”; but to create

a learning environment that works as a whole.‟ (Neumeier 2005).

The basic concepts of Blended Learning, viz. - creating and sustaining communities of

inquiry, collaborative and reflective methods of learning, constructivist alignment and critical

engagement – which can best be implemented in a learning environment that combines both Face

to Face and online MUVEs like Second Life, will be the guiding light for Higher Education

delivery processes of the future.

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Web. DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-4781.2009.00927.x

About the authors

Dr. G. Chenna Reddy is an Assistant Professor, Department of English, Acharya Nagarjuna

University, pursuing post-doctoral research in Education. He has guided 12 M Phil scholars and

presently guiding PhD scholars. He has 19 research papers and 12 research articles to his credit.

He also has 40 published lessons for CDEs in Acharya Nagarjuna and Dravidian Universities.

His academic interests include, English Language Teaching and Indian writing in English. He

can be contacted at crgujju27@gmail.com

Sarala Devi Manukonda is a lecturer, Department of English, SDM Siddartha Mahila Kalasala

(Autonomous), Vijayawada. As the Cultural Coordinator for her college, her teams had won 5

national awards at the National Youth Festivals, conducted by Association of Indian Universities

and Ministry of Youth Affairs, Govt. of India. Her academic interests include, Blended Learning

and ELT in Virtual Learning Environment.