University Business - March 2008 - (Page 64) Sizing Up Second Life Colleges of all kinds now have Second Life presences, including Valencia Community College (Fla.) and Marist College (N.Y.). computer screen. If you check the daily police blotter in Second should be open to innovation in a number of domains, not just Life, you will see that the most frequent violations are harassment the technical domain and the learning domain. I’m of the opinion that our legal experts need to innovate as well. Policy has to and assault.” Iowa State already has a firm, zero tolerance harassment poli- change. As we innovate we will run into policies that were written cy—in the real world. But what happens when harassment or in- for other contexts.” There are many ways to control the Second Life environment, timidation takes place in a virtual campus that carries the name and identity of a real state institution? “There is a reason that ha- Dawley says. “Instructors can set up the avatars that the students rassment is expressly forbidden at ISU, and this reason is at the use, and they can lock off the island so that no one but their stuheart of my argument,” Bugeja says. “Sexual harassment threatens dents can get in. It all depends how much you want to restrict the environment in that it compromises institutional integrity the environment. That’s something that people who are not knowland corrupts traditional academic values. As you can see, at stake edgeable in Second Life wouldn’t know how to do—or that it is in these trade-offs is our academic culture. Faculty senators and even an option.” Are waivers and disclosures necessary? Because EDTech Isadministrators at Iowa State worked decades at great personal expense to ensure that due process is afforded to our own residents so land does not represent Boise State University, Dawley says that that they could resolve disputes via principles of transparency and at least in this early adoption stage she can get away with putting disclosure. I guarantee that Second Life proponents and academe a disclaimer in her syllabus. “But when you move to the mid- to will be among the first to demand due process should they be- late-adoption stages, where a whole university might be using the come embroiled in a virtual controversy. I’m placing responsibility technology, then the university does need to have a firm policy and disclaimer about the activities on state employees who contract with or content you might run into,” nongovernment vendors to take these she says. “Some universities are concerns into account before litigation already doing that. To me, that’s and controversy compels us to.” DOWNLOAD THE FREE SECOND LIFE CLIENT AT www.secjust creating awareness and acKeesey agrees that Bugeja brings ondlife.com, then explore. The built-in search tool will reveal ceptance. It’s learning to work up important legal and policy issues dozens of higher education destinations in Second Life. with the environment. I don’t that educators need to hear. “That Sarah “Intellagirl Tully” Robbins, one of the first educators think it should be discounted in said, I think he is a bit alarmist,” he to teach a course in the virtual world, recommends some the sense that it is dangerous. It concludes. “Many of the issues he raismust-see locations in her new book Second Life for Dummies is understanding how to use it es can simply be dealt with by closing (Wiley, 2008), co-written with Mark “Typewriter Tackleberry” and how to use it effectively.” specific spaces off, having students regBell. Among them (listed with their grid coordinates) are: Dawley says it will take techister their avatars, and having faculty • Glidden, Northern Illinois University (84, 166, 27) savvy people with vision to conretain logs of any discussions that go • Literature Alive at Montclair State (N.J.) (184, 193, 22) tinue working with and developon in a particular space.” • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (44, 230, 31) ing Second Life. “Is it ready to go Criticisms such as Bugeja’s might • Angel Learning Isle (232, 94, 29) mainstream in higher ed? I don’t ultimately have the effect of trying • Info Island (97, 128, 33) think so. Not yet. But there is to stagnate innovation, says Keesey. • New Media Consortium (128, 128, 0) amazing potential.” “We don’t want to do that. Our eyes If You’re Going … 64 | March 2008 universitybusiness.com http://www.secondlife.com http://www.secondlife.com http://universitybusiness.com
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