Officials Unveil Washington State University Virtual Campus

Washington State University officials recently announced the release of a 3D rendering of its flagship Pullman campus for the virtual world program, Second Life®.

Second Life® is a virtual world program developed by Linden Lab®. Second Life® users live as avatars in the program, converse with other members, make money and attend college. Many colleges have Second Life® campuses including Harvard, Princeton and Stanford. The virtual colleges offer students the chance to attend classes form around the world via the internet.

“People can login from around the world or Pullman,” WSU professor Brett Atwood said. “Students attend just like in a real classroom, the instructor is at the podium and the screen can run Powerpoint and video presentations.”

Washington State University working with The Center for Distance and Professional Education (CDPE) wanted to create a virtual campus for WSU students worldwide, according to CDPE media production manager Brian K. Maki. Students worked with CDPE staff to develop the virtual campus. Several WSU professors are already planning on incorporating the virtual campus in their curriculum.

Jitesh H. Panchal, an assistant professor with the School of Mechanical and Materials engineering announced he will use the virtual campus to supplement fall semester lectures. Edward R. Murrow College of Communication dean, Dr. Lawrence Pintak used Second Life for a virtual newsroom project at the American University in Cairo. Atwood has also announced he will use the virtual campus in his journalism and pr classes in the fall of 2009. The virtual campus will give professors the chance to collaborate on various projects, according to Atwood. While officials are excited and enthusiastic about the new virtual world, there are some aspects that students might find unfavorable.

“Its not for everybody,” Atwood said. “In certain situations, such as distance degree learning, this offers more or less a replica of the community building and classroom environment.”

Critics often point out the processing power required to run the program, according to Atwood. At minimum, Second Life® requires Windows XP® or Vista®, a cable or DSL connection and graphics drivers for Windows users. Students who do not have the proper infrastructure to run the Second Life® program will be required to update their computers. Also, some students might find the format and character controls confusing at first, Atwood said.

“I’m not sure if I would feel comfortable in a virtual classroom,” WSU student Ryan Zentz said. “I can see where the program could benefit education, I just don’t see myself liking it a lot, I think I would prefer the online class programs we already use.”

The new virtual campus is in the experimental stages, Atwood said. WSU officials hope to see how interaction within Second Life® could benefit higher education.