Class in Second Life

A new module for undergraduate students will be delivered entirely in Second Life for the first time in DIT next semester. Virtual Environments: Is one life enough? is designed to enable students appreciate how online virtual environments and networking communities function and explore the potential for developing and disseminating original content. Students will explore how the environment functions and examine and evaluate the way in which a virtual presence is created. They will establish and maintain virtual relationships and reflect critically on the process through a personal blog and postings on their social networking site. There is a strong focus on the impact of the regulations and conventions governing the creation and exploitation of content in various contexts to enable students to apply the theory of content creation in online spaces.

Effectively, the module is about students becoming literate in presenting themselves online, whether through an avatar in Second Life or a Facebook page. The ability to exploit these media is becoming an essential skill and, it is also important that they realise such content never goes away – particularly embarrassing mistakes.