A Brave New World

Shout out to Maura Stephens for her "Brave New World: Metaverse Classroom" coverage in IC View, our Ithaca College alumni magazine!

Excerpt:

Second Life is no computer game. It’s a “metaverse,” or alternate universe. It exists online, and its population is growing daily. There is no predetermined way to play, and you don’t win or lose. Users do enjoy a “virtual life.” 

Kim Gregson, associate professor of television-radio, early on recognized the metaverse’s educational potential; now Second Life is an integral part of her Qualitative Research Methods class. And with the support of dean Dianne Lynch, the Park School and Ithaca College are taking full advantage of Second Life and related digital media. 

Millions of people have registered since the program went public in 2003. They spend their time “in-world” in any way they choose. They can explore, own property, build houses, and buy clothes for their virtual selves. This open-endedness makes Second Life an exciting prospect for participants and, increasingly, businesses, entrepreneurs, and institutions of higher learning. 

After Gregson’s students create accounts, they are set loose, first to observe, later to interview the inhabitants of Second Life — a huge and diverse pool of people from around the world. Austra Zubkovs ’07, a TV-R major who was in Gregson’s class in the fall, cites the ease with which students can access research subjects. 

The promise of 3D virtual realities has existed since the inception of personal computers and the Internet. As technology expands and broadband becomes more available, the ability to create and maintain a virtual world with thousands of active participants at a time has been realized. The possibilities are endless, Gregson says. “Everything is created by the users, and students can study everything.” The introduction of in-world banks was one example. The in-world currency, the Linden dollar (after Linden Labs, the company that developed Second Life), can be converted to and from U.S. dollars, with ATMs located throughout Second Life. What role do banks play? How do they function without a government? These are some of the questions Gregson’s students ponder. 

Second Life is being used for things that would be impossible or costly in real life. There is a large-scale model of a heart, complete with murmur, for medical students to explore. The International Spaceflight Museum and Second Life Planetarium both hold universally accessible educational events. And Zubkovs, with Gregson and assistant professor of philosophy and religion Rachel Wagner, is documenting religious items found in Second Life. (The research was presented at the 2007 Pop Culture Association conference.)

Read full article: https://www.ithaca.edu/icview/stories/brave-new-world:-metaverse-classroom-845/