They meet lecturers, join tutorials through digital representations in virtual universe

BY THAM YUEN-C



MR IRDDY Tan, 20, got his hair styled into a mohawk, took a picture in a room where everything was upside down and wheedled a hot-air balloon ride for free.

These were school assignments, not an anarchist group's initiation ceremony. And Mr Tan was asked to complete the tasks in the virtual world.

He and 12 of his Nanyang Polytechnic final-year classmates did the work in Second Life, a virtual universe which mixes game play, commerce and social networking.

The 3D online world is where companies such as IBM have opened offices. It is also where some classes are conducted for the Digital Entertainment and Society course Mr Tan is enrolled in.

On Thursdays, instead of going to school, the students use their home computers to log on to Second Life.

There they meet their lecturers, attend tutorials, complete assignments and interact with each other - all through "avatars", or digital representations of themselves.

Launched in 2003 by California-based Linden Lab, Second Life has become popular with educators looking for new ways to teach.

More than 100 educational institutions have set up shop there including Harvard Law School, which has a virtual campus made to resemble its Ames Courtroom in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

"Through creating intellectual property, immersing in the digital world and observing others, they can learn more about the impact of the products they will make in future," said Ms Dioselin Gonzalez from Nanyang Polytechnic's School of Interactive and Digital Media.

With more than 1.9 million users, students using Second Life can also network with people from all over the world, get more exposure for their work, and hopefully meet potential employers.

Nanyang Polytechnic has not yet splashed out on any "land" in Second Life to build a campus as it is still testing out this method of teaching.

It would cost the school at least US$980 (S$1,568) to build a campus.

But even without a classroom of their own, the students have been enjoying their classes and assignments, which include scavenger hunts, creating games and attending film festivals.

Said student Angela Li, 20: "You can go around talking to people who will teach you how to do things, it's very interesting."

yuenc@sph.com.sg