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Campuses Moving Online to 'Second Life?'

by Terrence O'Brien on May 30, 2008 at 03:01 PM

Campuses Moving Online to 'Second Life?'
It used to be that getting a degree online was a joke. Internet colleges were the new mail-order diploma -- saying you got your degree online was like saying your diploma was found at the bottom of a Cracker-Jack box.

Times have changed. Not only is it now acceptable for classes to be taught online, but schools are considered behind the times if they don't have some online element. Dozens of reputable colleges offer online courses, Ivy league institutions like MIT and Yale offer lectures and course materials for free online and as downloads via iTunes.

San Jose State University has decided to take things even further, moving the entire campus online in the increasingly popular online world of 'Second Life.' Students interact, complete assignments, and give presentations all in a virtual class in a virtual world. San Jose State isn't the only university to buy up land in 'Second Life,' but it is one of the few that has developed it and put it to use.

Is 'Second Life' the future of the online classroom? Maybe, but probably not. Interacting with avatars is likely just a stepping stone to high quality streamed audio and video that makes taking a class online exactly like being there, though it will make it harder to discreetly make eye contact with the cute girl across the room. [Source: Yahoo! News]

Tags: college, education, school, second life, SecondLife

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