home

=Immersive Worlds, Avatars, and Second Lives=
 * January 11 – March 8, 2010**

Instructor
Chris Collins (SL: Fleep Tuque) fleep.tuque@gmail.com 1+ (513) 549-1334

Course Description
While graphic-rich virtual and immersive worlds are a recent phenomenon, text-based games and simulations have been prominent since the early development of computers. Games like World of Warcraft and virtual worlds like Second Life draw both praise and criticism from parents, researchers, and educators. Can games, avatars, virtual worlds and simulations be utilized for educational purposes? A strong body of research suggests games can be important in increasing student engagement, developing critical skills, and improving learner’s “scientific habits of the mind”. This course will serve as an introduction to immersive worlds and games, providing educators with a broad overview of current options and potential opportunities for adoption for teaching and learning.

Course Requirements
Learners must have a computer capable of running the Second Life software to participate in the course, and the ability to hear the instructor through speakers or headphones. The Second Life software is free to download and install, and the minimum system requirements and recommended video card list is available for viewing at http://secondlife.com/support/sysreqs.php No prior experience with video games, virtual worlds, or Second Life is expected or required, but may be helpful in acclimating to the course meeting environment.

Learners are expected to spend approximately three (3) hours per week on course related activities, one (1) hour in synchronous class time, and two (2) hours outside of class time for readings, forum posts, and completing Second Life assignments.

Synchronous Meeting Times (in Second Life)
January 11 to March 8, 2010 at: • Monday 8AM to 9AM (Singapore time zone) (SST) • Sunday 7PM to 8PM (Cincinnati time zone) (EST) • Sunday 4PM to 5PM (Second Life time zone) (SLT) (PST)

Meeting Location
University of Manitoba campus in Second Life, located at: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Teaching%2011/222/110/25

Course Materials
All course materials will be located on the course Moodle site, broken down by week. No books are required for the course, but participants might find Second Life for Dummies by Sarah Robbins and Mark Bell a useful supplement to the course.

Coursework Evaluation
The percentages below reflect how the final grade will be calculated based on completed course work. The Final Project should reflect cumulative knowledge and experience gained in the course, and is due the last week of the class. Project 1 (Avatars): 15% (Due 2/1) Project 2 (Using Matrix): 15% (Due 2/15) Final Project (Creating Matrix): 30% (Due 3/8) Forum Posts: 30% Participation & Attendance: 10%

Course Activities & Assignments
Each week’s schedule will include the following elements:
 * **Topic & Description:** The weekly topic and description will help prepare learners for the synchronous conversation that will take place in our weekly meetings in Second Life. To be prepared for the discussion, learners should complete the reading assignments prior to the course meeting.


 * **Readings:** One article or research paper will be assigned per week and should be read prior to the class when that topic will be discussed. Every effort has been made to select a reading that will be germane to the synchronous discussion. Supplemental (optional) readings for each week’s topic are also provided at the end of the syllabus for those who wish to explore the topic in more depth.


 * **Second Life Tasks:** Following our weekly discussions on Mondays, learners will have the next week to practice a specific Second Life skill related to our discussion. Learners should be prepared to demonstrate mastery of this skill in the following week’s class meeting, which will count towards the Participation & Attendance grade.


 * **Forum Posts:** Forum posts are due the following Monday after a topic has been discussed. Forum posts are not intended to be formal papers, and some weekly questions may be answered in just a sentence or two, but thoughtful responses are encouraged. Assigned forum posts count towards the Forum Posts portion of the grade, while commenting on others’ forum posts will be counted towards the Participation & Attendance grade. Forum posts that address specific elements of the assigned readings and in-class discussion will score the most highly.

Course Outline
The following schedule should be considered a rough guide to the next 8 weeks. Timelines, topics, readings, and due dates are subject to change depending on the interests and comfort level of class participants as we move through the material.

Week 1 - Introduction to Second Life Week 2 - Avatars and Identity in Virtual Environments Week 3 - Virtual Worlds: Workplace of the Future? Week 4 - Project 1 Presentations Week 5 - Higher Education in Second Life Week 6 - Designing Immersive Learning Spaces: Pedagogy Week 7 - Assessing Educational Content in Virtual Worlds Week 8 - Learning Communities and Professional Networking Week 9 - Final Project Presentations

Supplemental Readings for Future Learning