Teaching in Second Life: Lessons from the field Teaching a Virtual Blended course in Second Life Second Life and Entrepreneurship ½ semester course Babson College Fall, 2007 John Bourne and Erin McCormick

Second Life and Entrepreneurship Graduate course (MBA) offered Fall semester, 2007, at Babson College ½ semester – 1.5 credit hours ( 7 weeks) Blended – one face-to-face meeting at beginning Virtual Blended – avatar-face-to-face each week in-world on Babson Island Connected to Blackboard Course requirement 1 hour presentation, blog postings, wiki

Graduate course (MBA) offered Fall semester, 2007, at Babson College

½ semester – 1.5 credit hours ( 7 weeks)

Blended – one face-to-face meeting at beginning

Virtual Blended – avatar-face-to-face each week in-world on Babson Island

Connected to Blackboard

Course requirement 1 hour presentation, blog postings, wiki

Challenge To evaluate how useful Second Life is for teaching online To learn about business-related activities in SL To determine what Babson should do in SL. Overcoming a perception of SL as only a “game”

To evaluate how useful Second Life is for teaching online

To learn about business-related activities in SL

To determine what Babson should do in SL.

Overcoming a perception of SL as only a “game”

Overcoming the “ image” of Second Life.

In the beginning… ...and what do you do here?

And… at the end….

Creating the venue Buy - not make $50 invested to start Students created venues for their presentation – this was a surprise. Example venue

Buy - not make

$50 invested to start

Students created venues for their presentation – this was a surprise.

Course attributes Guest speakers from industry Research on entrepreneurship in SL Constructivist approach Presentations by small teams Building presentation venues Research 22 students Visitors from around the world One Babson alum from New Zealand attended 4 weeks

Guest speakers from industry

Research on entrepreneurship in SL

Constructivist approach

Presentations by small teams

Building presentation venues

Research

22 students

Visitors from around the world

One Babson alum from New Zealand attended 4 weeks

Guest speakers President of Green Grotto Studios Collosus Linden (invented windlight) EMC group on interviewing Vivox – the suppliers of second life voice Marketing from Babson <-President of Green Grotto Studios Colossus Linden – sold company In Waltham to Linden. - >

President of Green Grotto Studios

Collosus Linden (invented windlight)

EMC group on interviewing

Vivox – the suppliers of second life voice

Marketing from Babson

Administrative support Island Encouragement Why is Babson interested? Large evening MBA program online Attacts students Intern at Entrepreneurship center

Island

Encouragement

Why is Babson interested?

Large evening MBA program online

Attacts students

Intern at Entrepreneurship center

Our intern LN Freenote (students selected their own avatars, including apparel.)

Integration with other tools Blackboard URL redirect on Island Wiki Blog (individual shared!) Podcasts (recorded in-world) Sl Tools The traffic monitor Holoemitter Sloodle guestures (by Jeremy Kemp, SJSU) FreeView TV set

Blackboard

URL redirect on Island

Wiki

Blog (individual shared!)

Podcasts (recorded in-world)

Sl Tools

The traffic monitor

Holoemitter

Sloodle guestures (by Jeremy Kemp, SJSU)

FreeView TV set

Brief Syllabus Week 1 – Orientation Week 2 – Teaching, presenting Week 3 – Interviewing in SL Week 4 – Voice/Vivox Week 5 - Linden Labs and Green Grotto Week 6 – Presentations Week 7 – Presentations/discussion

Week 1 – Orientation

Week 2 – Teaching, presenting

Week 3 – Interviewing in SL

Week 4 – Voice/Vivox

Week 5 - Linden Labs and Green Grotto

Week 6 – Presentations

Week 7 – Presentations/discussion

Presentation agenda (posted on island)

Getting started – the educational tools of “doing” in-world Showed students how to use FreeView TV and Sloodle gestures Let them practice in the field Practiced talking, using text with audio, IM’ing and Chat Worked on viewer manipulation

Showed students how to use FreeView TV and Sloodle gestures

Let them practice in the field

Practiced talking, using text with audio, IM’ing and Chat

Worked on viewer manipulation

The TV Put TV anywhere Move TV Click on Content Drag jpg to content When done – take

Put TV anywhere

Move TV

Click on Content

Drag jpg to content

When done – take

Getting ready to show slides In the auditorium How to create powerpoint Presentations in-world

Adding classroom gestures

Some photos of what students showed

How to do podcasts with SL Difficult with virtual audio cable (a product) Finally used: analog mixer Microphone mixed with speaker output fed back to line-in works Used Audacity to record, 11 mbps Converted to MP3 8 levels.. 5 MB/hour, uploaded to Blackboard

Difficult with virtual audio cable (a product)

Finally used: analog mixer

Microphone mixed with speaker output fed back to line-in works

Used Audacity to record, 11 mbps

Converted to MP3 8 levels.. 5 MB/hour, uploaded to Blackboard

Student engagement Students tended to spend more time on this class

Teamwork Two thirds thought that team work was easier or about the same as in A traditional class.

Access

Learning

On-ground vs SL experience

Travel as a factor

Constructivist approach evaluation

Some Major Findings Social presence vastly improved over traditional online courses (e.g. pure asynchronous and mixed synchronous and asynchronous) Speakers from anywhere much more willing to participate. Alumni participate! Mixing synchronous and asynchronous works well for SL+Blackboard Students are energized by paradigm Monitoring of presence works Invention flourishes (example: creation of meeting spaces) Exploration works Students say they get to know people better than with pure asynchronous online

Social presence vastly improved over traditional online courses (e.g. pure asynchronous and mixed synchronous and asynchronous)

Speakers from anywhere much more willing to participate.

Alumni participate!

Mixing synchronous and asynchronous works well for SL+Blackboard

Students are energized by paradigm

Monitoring of presence works

Invention flourishes (example: creation of meeting spaces)

Exploration works

Students say they get to know people better than with pure asynchronous online

More findings Experiential learning is key Traditional presentation methods form a bridge Students invent their own way of presenting Voice is essential Buddy system for exploring works Students are “captured” by the experience Lots of visitors Speakers easy to get Social presence is palpable

Experiential learning is key

Traditional presentation methods form a bridge

Students invent their own way of presenting

Voice is essential

Buddy system for exploring works

Students are “captured” by the experience

Lots of visitors

Speakers easy to get

Social presence is palpable

Improvements needed. Issue: The course needs an easy way to get acquainted with SL Answer: Tour, bootcamp, buddy system Issue: A way around technical problems (these were MBA students) Answer: Fortunately computers are getting more robust – same problem when we started online learning Issue: Name issue – wanted RL names Answer: SL names are just to confusing – solution is a name tag (floating above head) Issue: Audio is not good enough. Answer: Use group audio – much better (note most SL users do not know about this)

Issue: The course needs an easy way to get acquainted with SL

Answer: Tour, bootcamp, buddy system

Issue: A way around technical problems (these were MBA students)

Answer: Fortunately computers are getting more robust – same problem when we started online learning

Issue: Name issue – wanted RL names

Answer: SL names are just to confusing – solution is a name tag (floating above head)

Issue: Audio is not good enough.

Answer: Use group audio – much better (note most SL users do not know about this)

Acknowledgements Patti Green, Provost Babson College Candy Brush: Division of Entrepreneurship, Babson College Wendy Silverman, Babson College Frank Mayadas, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Gail Sullivan, Kathleen Ives, Sloan Consortium ..and to the many guests and Babson alumni who participated .. John Bourne (jbourne@babson.edu)

Patti Green, Provost Babson College

Candy Brush: Division of Entrepreneurship, Babson College

Wendy Silverman, Babson College

Frank Mayadas, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

Gail Sullivan, Kathleen Ives, Sloan Consortium

..and to the many guests and Babson alumni who participated

.. John Bourne (jbourne@babson.edu)

What’s new now a semester later? Creating a shared learning experience: Virtual Entrepreneurship Incubator NCIIA funded Northeastern, Umass, VMI What happened this semester Creating venue Methods Presentation for President of College in SL Surprises: Alumni, how much students like virtual blended

Creating a shared learning experience: Virtual Entrepreneurship Incubator

NCIIA funded

Northeastern, Umass, VMI

What happened this semester

Creating venue

Methods

Presentation for President of College in SL

Surprises: Alumni, how much students like virtual blended

The student focus areas for Babson Alumni Opportunities/Affinity Groups Global Campus Time Saving/No travel – engaging experience Access to speakers/guests might not otherwise get to meet More immersive distance learning social presence – feel more connected - not just typing/text, linear conversation, more layers of communication Collaboration/Interaction Streaming Video/ Meet in SL to discuss – experience together – richer than watching alone Simulations, training, testing

Alumni Opportunities/Affinity Groups

Global Campus

Time Saving/No travel – engaging experience

Access to speakers/guests might not otherwise get to meet

More immersive distance learning social presence – feel more connected - not just typing/text, linear conversation, more layers of communication

Collaboration/Interaction

Streaming Video/ Meet in SL to discuss – experience together – richer than watching alone

Simulations, training, testing