Running head: AFTER THE HYPE: INSTITUTIONS LEAVING SECOND LIFE?

After the Hype: Institutions Leaving Second Life?

Lisa M. Tenorio
University of San Francisco: DML-640-01
Virtual Worlds in Education
August 8, 2014

AFTER THE HYPE: INSTITUTIONS LEAVING SECOND LIFE?

Introduction
In 2006 and 2007 the Second Life implementations of many high profile schools such as
Harvard, Pepperdine and NYU were making headlines (Lagorio, 2007; Lamb, 2006). The New
Media Consortiums Horizon Report for 2007 forecasted that virtual worlds would reach wide
scale adoption in higher education within the next two to three years. By 2009 Second Life was
the most popular virtual world platform in education with several hundred educational
institutions establishing islands and over 4000 educators participating in the Second Life
Education Directory (SLED) (Wankel & Kingsley, 2009). Today the SLED directory lists only
151 educational institutions (wiki.secondlife.com). A search of the Second Life database
indicates that many of the educational institutions mentioned in studies and reports from 2006
and 2007 are no longer maintaining a public presence in Second Life and even some of the
current educational institutions listed in the SLED directory could not be located (Appendix A).
After the hype and promise of virtual worlds in education, have many of these educational
institutions moved on to other technology or platforms or have they abandoned virtual worlds
completely?
This paper attempts to answer the questions:

What factors have caused early educational adopters of Second Life to leave the
platform?

Are educational institutions moving to other virtual world technology or

abandoning virtual world implementation completely?

What is the most significant issue impacting an institutions decision to leave

Second Life?

Dudeney and Ramsay categorize the potential barriers to Second Life adoption in

AFTER THE HYPE: INSTITUTIONS LEAVING SECOND LIFE?

education into four categories: institutional barriers, pedagogical barriers, technology barriers,
and end-user barriers (Wankel & Kingsley, 2009). The focus of this research is on the
institutional, technology and end-user barriers that may impact the continued implementation of
Second Life including funding, access, and user experience. Because technology has evolved so
rapidly since Second Lifes launch in 2003, the focus of this literature review was directed at
studies conducted in the past 6 years to take into account the availability of more powerful
graphics cards and computing power as well as the development and enhancement of the Second
Life platform itself. In addition to the literature review, an informal field study was undertaken
to ask administrators and faculty at institutions that have discontinued their use of Second Life
about the specific factors that led to that decision. A description and summary of this field
project is also included.
Institutional Barriers
Second Life user accounts are free, but to build a structure in Second Life requires a
financial investment. According to the Second Life website the current cost of purchasing a
region in Second Life is $1000 and $295 per month (Linden Labs, 2014). In addition to these
fees, institutions would most likely need to hire a consultant to design, build, and maintain their
site which could range anywhere from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars,
depending on the level of complexity. For example, Coventry University reported that it cost
them 20k to purchase land and fund a team of students to build in Second Life and Bromley
College reported that the universitys marketing team was investing 64k to develop a full island
for the campus (Kirriemuir, 2007).
External factors could also have an impact on institutional budgets such as the economic
downturn and recession which started in 2007 and continues to make a slow recovery since 2009

AFTER THE HYPE: INSTITUTIONS LEAVING SECOND LIFE?

(National Bureau of Economic Research, 2014). Furthermore, in 2010 Second Life eliminated
the discount it had provided to educational institutions and this pricing change could have
impacted institutional budgets. A 2013 announcement from Second Life indicated that the 50%
educational discount has since been reinstated (Linden Labs, 2013), but it may have come too
late for some schools.
In a Spring 2008 study, a researcher sent electronic surveys to UK institutions to ask
about their Second Life implementations (Kirriemuir, 2008). It was estimated at that time that
approximately 75% of UK institutions had implemented Second Life in some form, but the exact
contacts for the Second Life implementations within each university was not known so surveys
were sent to general university contacts found via web searches. A total of 46 survey responses
were received to a mostly open-ended set of survey questions. Schools were asked if they
thought there would be significant development in Second Life in both the 2008-2009 academic
year and 2009-2010 academic year. Schools were optimistic about development over the next
year, but much less certain about ongoing development in Second Life in 2009-2010 with more
than half of respondents answering no or uncertain (2008, p. 49). Schools commented that
the cost of development in Second Life was high and that development would depend on
ongoing funds and resources. A few schools also commented that other virtual world technology
might be available or considered by that time. Schools were also asked what would help them
do more in Second Life and money and funding were mentioned by several of these schools
including Open University, University of Edinburgh, and University of Liverpool. There were
comments about the fees from Linden Labs, but also the need for funding for tutors, lab
assistants, technical support, and upgrades for hardware. Overall, the respondents to this survey
indicated that their institutions were largely supportive although Kirriemuir points out that only

AFTER THE HYPE: INSTITUTIONS LEAVING SECOND LIFE?

those that had succeeded in implementing Second Life at their institutions had responded to the
survey.
In a follow-up study, a modified version of the same online survey was sent out to UK
universities in the Fall of 2008 (Virtual World Watch, 2008). Researchers obtained feedback
from 36 UK universities and 2 colleges, but is not clear if the respondents were the same or
significantly different from the Spring 2008 report. In this version of the survey respondents
were asked specifically about the source of funding for their Second Life implementation and a
significant number of schools reported external funding sources for their Second Life project
such as grants and research-based funding. Some schools reported a mix of both university and
external funding and university funding was often shared between different departments. Some
schools reported that they received land as a donation or gift. The fact that many schools in the
study funded their Second Life implementations through grant or research funds might explain
the uncertainty around the availability of ongoing funding for Second Life. Similar to the Spring
2008 survey, many participants reported that dedicated support through additional funding and
resources from their institutions would make it easier to do more teaching and learning in Second
Life. One respondent expressed the need this way:
I would need the university to dedicate some proper funding and staff resources. I have
been relying on students to help with programming, concerts etc. The students are great,
but they tend to leave after a year or so and if we (artists and educators) want this to be
more stable and sustainable (for teaching and performing), we need a dedicated team, not
solely one person within the university!!. (Virtual World Watch, 2008, p. 46)
Overall these UK academics reported a mixed reaction from peers and their institutions
about their involvement with virtual worlds. Many reported that their institutions viewed Second

AFTER THE HYPE: INSTITUTIONS LEAVING SECOND LIFE?

Life with both curiosity and skepticism, while others received strong interest and support. A few
schools reported more negative or even hostile views from their peers and institution (Virtual
World Watch, 2008).
A limitation of both of these studies is that participants were only from UK institutions
and the total number of respondents to these surveys was fairly small. There was also limited
quantitative data available regarding these surveys so it is also difficult to compare the results
between surveys and over time. However, the results of these surveys do seem to indicate that
funding and institutional support is an important factor for Second Life implementations.
The other factor to be considered regarding institutional support for Second Life is an
institutions overall motivation for pursuing new technologies such as virtual worlds. In a 2013
study, researchers surveyed IS managers regarding the factors influencing their organizations
adoption of virtual worlds (Yoon & George, 2013). An online questionnaire was sent to
members of professional associations and 178 IS managers responded. The results of the
quantitative survey indicate that organizations are most influenced by what their competitors are
doing. If an organizations competitors are adopting virtual worlds and benefitting from them
than organizations will seek to do the same. Interestingly, the survey results showed that the
technology itself, and the perceived benefits, had much less impact on an organizations intent to
adopt virtual worlds than the competitive aspect. Although this survey was directed at private
sector organizations, the findings could also be applied to educational institutions who face
similar competitive pressures from other schools. Schools may be more motivated to invest in
technology such as virtual worlds if they see other universities investing and reporting positive
results. As some universities discontinue their presence in Second Life, others might be less
inclined to pursue virtual world implementations.

AFTER THE HYPE: INSTITUTIONS LEAVING SECOND LIFE?

Technological Barriers
Somewhat related to the concerns about funding and institutional support are the
technological considerations for Second Life implementations including the hardware
requirements, Internet bandwidth, and training for both students and faculty. Recent studies
were reviewed to assess whether technological issues and access were a significant concern for
the continued implementation of Second Life for teaching and learning.
In a 2008 qualitative study, 10 first-year paramedic students were interviewed about their
use of Second Life for project based learning (Beaumont, Savin-Baden, Conradi, & Poulton,
2014). Students were evaluated over a 9-month period and data was collected from project
documentation, interviews with staff and students, and student evaluation sessions. Overall the
student response to the scenarios and the realism of the environment was positive. However,
issues with accessibility were reported. Many students reported problems downloading Second
Life and some did not have computers that met the minimum hardware. Frequent Second Life
crashes were observed and experienced by students during the evaluation sessions. Students
needed more time in the training sessions for Second Life than was originally allocated and
reported that, initially, they found the interface overwhelming. Despite the issues with access
and usability, the overall the student impression of the Second Life experience in this study was
positive. However, some of the facilitators expressed the concern that the steep learning curve to
master the Second Life might interfere with learning the content for the course. This study is
limited by the small sample size and also the fact that it took place 6 years ago so does not take
into account faster and more powerful hardware that is available today.
In a larger case study conducted at the School of Information Studies (SIS) at Charles
Sturt University (CSU) researchers evaluated student and faculty sentiment about learning

AFTER THE HYPE: INSTITUTIONS LEAVING SECOND LIFE?

activities conducted in Second Life (Hay & Pymm, 2010). Qualitative and quantitative data was
collected from multiple data sources including course surveys, forums, Second Life chat logs,
and interviews with teaching staff. A total of 70 students participated and the overall feedback
from students was positive. The biggest concern expressed by students had to do with
technological difficulties getting Second Life set up and working and learning how to navigate in
this new platform. Faculty indicated that one of the challenges was the time needed to both
prepare and to get everything running in a Second Life classhaving students establish their
avatars, get audio and voice working, and learning how to navigate could take considerable time.
Faculty also indicated that small class sizes work best and that having more than 10-15 students
is difficult to support and manage in Second Life and large groups slow down performance of
Second Life itself.
End-User Barriers
The final area researched was whether the end-user experience for faculty and students
and the functionality and features of Second Life was a substantial concern for the ongoing
implementation of Second Life. In a qualitative study of foreign language learning in virtual
worlds 38 student teachers from a Taiwan University participated in teaching Chinese as a
foreign language to 43 students from various countries using virtual world technology (Tseng,
Tsai, & Chao, 2013). This study was conducted using a tool called Second Classroom, but the
functionality of this avatar-based virtual world was similar to Second Life (2013, p. 361).
Feedback from teachers and students in this pilot indicated that the access to realistic scenarios
was one of the main benefits of language learning within this virtual world. However, a number
of the student teachers expressed difficulty with teaching in this environment because of the lack
of face-to-face contact and visual feedback about whether or not students were understanding the

AFTER THE HYPE: INSTITUTIONS LEAVING SECOND LIFE?

material. Researchers indicate that these student teachers may not have been aware of certain inbuilt functionality of the avatars, specifically gestures such as head shaking, handshaking, and
waving (2013, p. 366). However, the gestures currently available are still quite minimal so it is
unclear whether having access to these would have significantly change the student teachers
perceptions. Despite the desire for this additional functionality the teachers in this study
considered Second Life a promising platform and these functional concerns did not seem to
outweigh the benefits.
In the 2008 UK studies by Kirriemuir mentioned earlier, academics were also asked
about functionality that would enable them to do more with Second Life. Some of these schools
echoed the concerns of the student teachers in the study by Tseng, Tsai, & Chao (2008) that
additional avatar gestures and facial expressions would be helpful (Virtual World Watch, 2008).
Other functionality requests included adding a web interface and embedded web browser, access
to standard apps such as PowerPoint, better searching capabilities within Second Life, and a local
server edition for schools do to their own hosting. However, these additional feature requests
were not raised in other areas of the report and did not appear to be a huge concern relative to
concerns around funding and resources.
Field Study
The Second Life Wiki lists 151 Educational Institutions in the SLED (Appendix A). Of
those sites, 67 were found to be active as of August 2014 and were located using the SLurl
provided or by doing a search on the institutions name in the Second Life directory. For the
sites that could not be located some returned an error message that the region was no longer
available and others returned the error message not found. It is not clear why the two type of
error messages differed when sites could not be found. Of the 84 sites that could not be found in

AFTER THE HYPE: INSTITUTIONS LEAVING SECOND LIFE?

10

Second Life, a contact name and email address was available for 50 of those institutions. An
email was sent to the contacts at these 50 institutions requesting the completion of a short survey
(Appendix B) and 14 institutions completed the survey (28% response rate).
Of the 14 total respondents, 11 indicated that their institution was no longer active in
Second Life, two reported that other departments in their institution were still active and one
responded that they were not sure if their institution was continuing their use of Second Life or
not. All of the 11 institutions made the decision to leave Second Life between the years 20102014. The primary factor that respondents said impacted their decision to leave was the cost to
develop and maintain the site (3.4 out of 5) followed by resources needed to support the
implementation (2.9 out of 5). The user experience and functional limitations of the platform
were ranked as a lower concern (2.3 out of 5). Comments from a few of the schools indicated
that institutional support was a key factor in the decision to leave Second Life. One said, We
did not receive support for our leadership from the top down. Because there was really no
support given other than the ticketing process, which did not work for us. Another respondent
stated that while I ran a very popular and successful subject/course, it was very labour-intensive
[sic] and labour-intensive [sic] teaching is not supported at my institution. Finally, one
respondent highlighted a perception problem that some students and faculty see Second Life as
a silly game not worthy of educational goals.
Four of these schools reported that their institution was pursuing other virtual world
technology with all four of these schools indicating a move to OpenSim or a combination of
OpenSim and Unity. Overall, the issues of institutional support and funding seemed to be the
main barrier for continued use of Second Life and the sentiments in the comments were positive
regarding virtual world technology. One respondent summed up the feedback saying, I would

AFTER THE HYPE: INSTITUTIONS LEAVING SECOND LIFE?

11

return to this sort of teaching if it was supported by my institution.

Conclusion
Based on both the literature review and field research conducted many schools seem to
have moved or are considering a move to the OpenSim platform while some have exited virtual
worlds completely. According to Young (2010) over 2000 educators had set up accounts on the
OpenSimulator Education Grid as of 2010. Because OpenSim is an OpenSource platform it
eliminates some of the monthly costs and land fees associated with Second Life and allows
schools to be more in charge of their implementation (Allison et al., 2012).
Even if institutions have left Second Life for now it does not mean that they wont revisit
this technology. One of the respondents to my research survey pointed out the fluid nature of
Second Life implementations and funding for these types of projects in general. They
commented, We lost our site due to funding difficulties, and then were refunded for another
year. These sites are fluid, they respond to yearly needs. Our site will be going down again this
month, but we could well open another site next year.
There are also new technologies on the horizon that could inspire institutions to revisit
the implementation of virtual worlds. Linden Labs has stated publicly that they are working on
plans to launch a new version of Second Life that is expected to be available in a beta version in
2015. This new version is expected to integrate with Oculus Rift as well as improve on the
overall immersive experience of Second Life (Dredge, 2014).

Philip Rosedale, the founder and

former CEO of Linden Labs, is now the co-founder of the startup High Fidelity which is also
working on a new virtual world platform (Rosedale, 2013). High Fidelity has posted some
examples of the technology they are developing, but no dates have been announced as to when

AFTER THE HYPE: INSTITUTIONS LEAVING SECOND LIFE?

12

the new platform will be available. It is not clear if either company will make educational
pricing and support a priority for these new platforms.
More recent studies on the current state of virtual world implementations in education are
definitely needed and it would be interesting to do more research on OpenSim and the
experience of institutions that have moved to this platform after Second Life.

AFTER THE HYPE: INSTITUTIONS LEAVING SECOND LIFE?

13

Appendix A: Second Life Education Directory

Arkansas State University

Current Status
(2014)
Active

UNITED STATES

Institution
Type
University

Bradley University

Active

University
Institute Of
Technology
University

SLurl

Active

UNITED STATES
TAIWAN, PROVINCE
OF CHINA
UNITED KINGDOM

Chihlee Institute of Technology

Active

College of North West London UK

Columbia College Chicago

Active

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

Curtin University

Active

AUSTRALIA

SLurl

Cuyahoga Community College

Active

UNITED STATES

East Carolina University

Active

UNITED STATES

Glendale Community College

Active

UNITED STATES

University
Community
College
University
Community
College

Active

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

Active

UNITED STATES

Consortium

SLurl

Rutgers University

Active

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

Saint Leo University

Active

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

Texas A&M University

Active

UNITED STATES

SLurl

Tulsa Community College

Active

UNITED STATES

University of Denver

Active

UNITED STATES

University
Community
College
University

University of Hawaii

Active

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

University of Idaho

Active

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

University of Kentucky

Active

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

Texas Wesleyan University

Active

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

EdTech, Boise State University

Active

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

Exploratorium
Florida State College at
Jacksonville
Geneva School of Business University of Applied Sciences
Western Switzerland
Global Kids

Active

UNITED STATES

Other

SLurl

Active

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

Active

SWITZERLAND

University

SLurl

Active

UNITED STATES

SLurl

Howard Community College

Active

UNITED STATES

K-12
Community
College

Active

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

Active

SPAIN

University

SLurl

Active

AUSTRALIA

University

SLurl

Active

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

Institution

Indiana University, Kelley School

of Business
Rockcliffe University Consortium

Literature Alive! @ The Hotchkiss

School
Madrid Open University - UDIMA
Monash University
National University School of
Media and Communication

Location

Second Life
URL

SLurl
SLurl

SLurl
SLurl
SLurl

SLurl
SLurl

SLurl

AFTER THE HYPE: INSTITUTIONS LEAVING SECOND LIFE?

14

Nova Scotia Community College

Active

CANADA

Owens Community College

Active

UNITED STATES

PATINS Project

Active

UNITED STATES

Seneca College

Active

CANADA

Splo

Active

UNITED STATES

Community
College
Community
College
K-12
Community
College
Other

Stockholm School of Economics

Active

SWEDEN

University

SLurl

Tecnologico de Monterrey

Active

MEXICO

SLurl

Texas State Technical College

Active

UNITED STATES

The Abyss Observatory

The Hong Kong Polytechnic
University
the Raymaker Field Studies Centre
at Bowness
Universidade do Vale do Rio dos
Sinos - UNISINOS
University of Delaware

Active

JAPAN

University
Institute Of
Technology
Other

Active

HONG KONG

University

SLurl

Active

SINGAPORE

Other

SLurl

Active

BRAZIL

University

SLurl

Active

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

University of Derby

Active

UNITED KINGDOM

University

SLurl

University of New England

Active

AUSTRALIA

University

SLurl

University of Porto

Active

PORTUGAL

University

SLurl

University of Sheffield

Active

UNITED KINGDOM

University

SLurl

University of South Florida

University of Southern
Queensland, Australia
University of Texas Pan American

Active

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

Active

AUSTRALIA

University

SLurl

Active

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

University of the Incarnate Word

Active

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

University of Western Australia

Active
Active
(A Better Place
To Be, Dotoorak)
Active
(SLurl listed is
broken)"
Active
(Bearkat Island)
Active
(EduFinland)
Active
(EduIsland)
Active
(EduNation1)
Active
(ELearning at
UWE)

AUSTRALIA

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

FINLAND

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

UNITED KINGDOM

Other

SLurl

UNITED KINGDOM

University

SLurl

University of North Carolina at

Pembroke
Clemson University
Sam Houston State University
Laurea University of Applied
Sciences
Eight Educational OutreachASSET
Oxfordshire LA
University of the West of England

SLurl
SLurl
SLurl
SLurl
SLurl

SLurl
SLurl

AFTER THE HYPE: INSTITUTIONS LEAVING SECOND LIFE?

15

Air University (Air Force)

Active
(Massively
Minecraft)
Active
(Math Dept)
Active
(Media Zoo)
Active
(MMAB
Collaborative,
Teaching 2)
Active
(Morga09
Resident,
Eduisland 2)
Active
(ReallyEngaging
Accounting)
Active
(SELU Regents)
Active
(Virtual State
Fair)
Active
(Western Front 1917 - Training
Camp 2,
Frideswide)
Active
(Within Ten
Years)
Not found

Coastline Community College

Not found

UNITED STATES

Deakin University
Diaconia University of Applied
Sciences (Diak)
Dongguk University-Gyeongju
Campus
Florida International University
Online
Iowa State University Center for
Excellence in Learning and
Teaching

Not found

AUSTRALIA

University
Community
College
University

Not found

FINLAND

University

SLurl

Not found

KOREA, REPUBLIC
OF

University

SLurl

Not found

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

Not found

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

Santa Barbara City College

Not found

UNITED STATES

The University of Akron

University of Florida Levin
College of Law
Eastern Iowa Community Colleges
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University

Not found

UNITED STATES

Community
College
University

Not found

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

Not found

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

Not found

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

Islands of jokaydia Community

University of Warwick
University of Leicester

Fashion Institute of Technology

Senior Project Center at P4DL,

Inc.

University of Central Florida

Southeastern Louisiana University
eXtension

Oxford University Computing

Services

Leiden University of Applied

Science

AUSTRALIA

Other

SLurl

UNITED KINGDOM

University

SLurl

UNITED KINGDOM

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

Other

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

Consortium

SLurl

UNITED KINGDOM

University

SLurl

NETHERLANDS

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

SLurl
SLurl
SLurl

SLurl
SLurl

AFTER THE HYPE: INSTITUTIONS LEAVING SECOND LIFE?

Fontbonne University

Not found

UNITED STATES

Henry Ford Community College

Not found

UNITED STATES

Not found

16
University
Community
College

SLurl

UNITED KINGDOM

University

SLurl

Not found

IRELAND

Library

SLurl

Not found

UNITED KINGDOM

Other

SLurl

London Metropolitan University

Not found

UNITED KINGDOM

University

SLurl

Marlboro College Graduate School

Not found

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

Marshall University

Not found

UNITED STATES

SLurl

midisoft

Not found

GERMANY

NASA eEducation

Not found

UNITED STATES

University
Institute Of
Technology
Other

Northern Kentucky University

Pellissippi State Community
College
Skoolaborate

Not found

UNITED STATES

SLurl

Not found

UNITED STATES

Not found

AUSTRALIA

University
Community
College
K-12

Tasmanian Polytechnic

Not found

AUSTRALIA

Other

SLurl

The University of Nottingham

Not found

UNITED KINGDOM

University

SLurl

TOLC Mountain Campus

Transforming Assessment
(University of Adelaide)
University of Ulster

Not found

UNITED STATES

K-12

SLurl

Not found

AUSTRALIA

University

SLurl

Not found

UNITED KINGDOM

University

SLurl

University of Wales, Newport

University of Wales, Newport's
Institute of Digital Learning
Washington University

Not found

UNITED KINGDOM

University

SLurl

Not found

UNITED KINGDOM

University

SLurl

Not found

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

Wright State University

Not found
Not found--Abandoned Land
Not found--Abandoned Land
We are unable to
locate the region
"AACC Virtual
campus"
We are unable to
locate the region
"ALA Island"
We are unable to
locate the region
"Anteater Island"
We are unable to
locate the region
"Behavioural
Studies"

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

AUSTRALIA

Library

SLurl

UNITED STATES

Other

SLurl

UNITED STATES

Community
College

SLurl

UNITED STATES

Library

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

AUSTRALIA

University

SLurl

International Academy, University

of Essex
James Joyce Library, University
College Dublin
LanguageLab

Security Market Brokers

Virtual Realty Learning Institute

Anne Arundel Community College

American Library Association

University of California, Irvine

Behavioural Studies, Monash

University

SLurl

SLurl
SLurl

SLurl
SLurl

AFTER THE HYPE: INSTITUTIONS LEAVING SECOND LIFE?

Buena Vista University

College of DuPage

Dallas County Community College

District
The University of Ioannina - The
Educational Approaches to Virtual
Reality Technologies Lab
University of Leeds

University of Illinois at Chicago

Australian Film TV and Radio

School
East Tennessee State University

Universitt Bielefeld

Tacoma Community College

Georgia State University

University of Silvaner Inc.

Hispanic Addictions Studies

Program, U. of Texas El Paso
HCU Hamburg

ICS-Connect, Inc

Ramapo Central School District

We are unable to
locate the region
"Buena Vista"
We are unable to
locate the region
"College of
DuPage"
We are unable to
locate the region
"DCCCD"
We are unable to
locate the region
"Earthlab
Education Island"
We are unable to
locate the region
"Education UK"
We are unable to
locate the region
"Erudio
Consortio"
We are unable to
locate the region
"Esperance"
We are unable to
locate the region
"ETSU"
We are unable to
locate the region
"European
University"
We are unable to
locate the region
"Evergreen
Island"
We are unable to
locate the region
"Five Points"
We are unable to
locate the region
"Ginny Business
Center"
We are unable to
locate the region
"HASP IPED"
We are unable to
locate the region
"HCU Hamburg"
We are unable to
locate the region
"ics connect"
We are unable to
locate the region
"ISTE Island 2"

17

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

Community
College

SLurl

UNITED STATES

Community
College

SLurl

GREECE

University

SLurl

UNITED KINGDOM

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

AUSTRALIA

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

GERMANY

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

Community
College

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

PANAMA

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

Germany

University

SLurl

UNITED KINGDOM

Other

SLurl

UNITED STATES

K-12

SLurl

AFTER THE HYPE: INSTITUTIONS LEAVING SECOND LIFE?

Faculty of Information and Media

Studies

University of South Alabama

College of Education

Kennesaw State University

Lone Star College-Kingwood

University of Liverpool

Loyola Marymount University

The Ohio State University

Montclair State University

The Open University

Oregon Community Colleges

Distance Learning Association

Penn State World Campus

California State University, Chico

We are unable to
locate the region
"ITRC at
Western"
We are unable to
locate the region
"Jaguarland USA
Education"
We are unable to
locate the region
"Kennesaw
University 1"
We are unable to
locate the region
"Kingwood
Island"
We are unable to
locate the region
"Liverpool
University Port"
We are unable to
locate the region
"LMUPsychology
Island"
We are unable to
locate the region
"Minerva"
We are unable to
locate the region
"Montclair State
CHSS"
We are unable to
locate the region
"Open University"
We are unable to
locate the region
"OR Community
Colleges"
We are unable to
locate the region
"PSU World
Campus"
We are unable to
locate the region
"South Sea Isle"

18

CANADA

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

Community
College

SLurl

UNITED KINGDOM

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

UNITED KINGDOM

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

Community
College

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

Southern Lehigh School District

We are unable to
locate the region
"Sparta Island"

UNITED STATES

K-12

SLurl

Texas Woman's University

We are unable to
locate the region
"Texas Womans
University3"

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

AFTER THE HYPE: INSTITUTIONS LEAVING SECOND LIFE?

Texas Woman's University

Tulane University School of

Continuing Studies
University of the Pacific

University of Arizona

University of Cincinnati

University of Kentucky

University of Queensland

University of Texas Arlington

University of Texas at Brownsville

UT Dallas

Kansas State University

University of the West of Scotland

We are unable to
locate the region
"Texas Womans
University4"
We are unable to
locate the region
"Tulane SCS"
We are unable to
locate the region
"U Pacific"
We are unable to
locate the region
"University of
arizona"
We are unable to
locate the region
"University of
Cincinnati"
We are unable to
locate the region
"University_of_K
Y"
We are unable to
locate the region
"UQ Religion
Bazaar"
We are unable to
locate the region
"UTArlington I"
We are unable to
locate the region
"UTB Learning"
We are unable to
locate the region
"UTD SOM"
We are unable to
locate the region
"Wildcat One"
We are unable to
locate the region
"xyz"

19

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

AUSTRALIA

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

UNITED STATES

University

SLurl

UNITED KINGDOM

University

SLurl

Source: http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Second_Life_Education_Directory

AFTER THE HYPE: INSTITUTIONS LEAVING SECOND LIFE?

20

Appendix B: Research Survey

1. What is the name of your institution?
The University of Western Ontario
University of Illinois at Chicago
The Ohio State University
Montclair State University
The Air University
University of Texas at Austin Center for Science Edcation
Fontbonne University
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Worldwide
Henry Ford Community College
The Educational Approaches to Virtual Reality Technologies laboratory (EARTH lab),
Department of Primary Education, The University of Ioannina, Greece
University of Ulster
Behavioural Studies, Monash University, Australia My department no longer has a
presence. Others might, but I will respond only in relation to mine as it is more
informative, I think :-)
Universitt Bielefeld, Germany
2. Does your institution still maintain a Second Life site?
Yes

No

Not sure
Total

15.38%
2
76.92%
11
7.69%
1
14

3. If your institution no longer maintaining a Second Life presence, when did they make the
decision to leave Second Life?
2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

22.22%
2
22.22%
2
11.11%
1
22.22%
2
22.22%
2

4. How does/did your institution use Second Life (check all that apply)
Holding online class sessions

Simulations

69.23%
9
53.85%
7

AFTER THE HYPE: INSTITUTIONS LEAVING SECOND LIFE?

Research

Hosting and streaming events

Community building and student life

Role playing

Orientation and general campus information

Recruitment and marketing

Retail
Total Respondents: 13

21

53.85%
7
38.46%
5
38.46%
5
30.77%
4
23.08%
3
0.00%
0
0.00%
0

Other (please specify)

Independent learning modules

Immersive language teaching

5. If your institution is no longer maintaining a Second Life presence, how important do

you think the following factors were in making that decision?

6. At the highest point, how many students and faculty do you think used your institution's
Second Life site on a yearly basis?

AFTER THE HYPE: INSTITUTIONS LEAVING SECOND LIFE?

22

7. Is your institution implementing or considering implementation of other virtual world

technology?
Yes
No
Not sure.
Total

30.77%
4
46.15%
6
23.08%
3
13

no interest from faculty

OpenSim and Unity

Opensim
We have contracted with an outside company to build virtual labs.
OpenSim

The faculty way short on money an decided not to fund any E-Learning projects

8. What capabilities or functionality do you think were missing from Second Life that
would have increased the adoption by students and faculty for educational purposes?
ease of use; separate education from general use (it was like using the internet early on
without any filtering or guidelines that required adult sites to be clearly labeled and not
show up in search engine results)
8/6/2014 1:39 PM

nothing but many students would be in sl to execute group prjoects but actually plan
them on facebook since they were already there and often SL was new. Actually since I
began using SL other colleagues began using it -- several others still are using it
8/5/2014 5:23 PM s

The most relevant problem is the perception of Second Life as a silly "game" not worthy
of our educational goals. I recognize that this is not true but both students and faculty

AFTER THE HYPE: INSTITUTIONS LEAVING SECOND LIFE?

23

tend to think this way.

8/5/2014 1:31 PM

No infrastructure in the Linden Lab organization for interface with education. Total lack
of understanding of the needs of educators.
8/5/2014 9:56 AM

portability of content
8/5/2014 6:37 AM s

Real facial expressions, ease of avatar creation, danger of unsavory avatars, lack of AF
branding
8/5/2014 6:20 AM

Ease of use and ability to support more avatars at the same meeting
8/5/2014 6:04 AM

Campus and personal hardware capabilities

8/5/2014 5:27 AM

Personal support at the beginning of the process. If we had clear answers, we would not
have had the loss of interest at the beginning of the project. I wish you could have seen
our "build." It was beautiful and dynamic. It could have been so much more it we were
put in touch with the right people.
8/5/2014 4:49 AM

learning curve was too steep

8/5/2014 4:00 AM

It was nice, but the cost was extremely high

8/5/2014 3:47 AM

Needed to be browser based

8/5/2014 1:38 AM

A less resource-hungry web-based interface. Lag and computer crashes were a

frequent problems. Frustration affected engagement in the first few weeks.
8/5/2014 1:13 AM

9. Do you have any other feedback you are willing to share about your institution's
implementation and experience in Second Life?
You need a driving project and interest from the faculty to build and expand a virtual
presence in any platform. Few have the time to invest; computer access to equipment
capable of maximizing the experience is also sometimes a problem.
I would have appreciated more institutional support (other than paying for the platform
access) but our Instructional Technology Centre has been very supportive at the level of
the Island maintenance but I did class orientation since I began using SL in 2007
8/5/2014 5:23 PM

Your survey is flawed. I am answering for my department, Dept. Women's Gender &
Sexuality Studies. Ohio State is huge. I don't know what others are doing. Also, the
address you have is outdated. We lost our site due to funding difficulties, and then were
refunded for another year. These sites are fluid, they respond to yearly needs. Our site
will be going down again this month, but we could well open another site next year. I've
started a new wiki, here: www.vwed.org It might be helpful to you.
8/5/2014 9:56 AM

my comments relate to my departments use, not my institution. I have no way of

AFTER THE HYPE: INSTITUTIONS LEAVING SECOND LIFE?

24

knowing how much others are using. I retired, and my department quit using as I was
providing the support.
8/5/2014 6:04 AM

Even though we no longer own our own island in Second Life, we are leasing space
from another owner. Our presence is on a smaller scale than before, but we are still
able to offer students the opportunities to learn more about virtual worlds and their
potential for instruction. We currently offer 1 course on a regular basis as an
introduction to using virtual worlds for education, and two other more advanced courses
on demand.
8/5/2014 5:27 AM

You need leadership behind any project in SL and a team willing to experiment and
think out of the box.
8/5/2014 4:49 AM

we just could not get other profs to use it in their classes IT would not install it on
campus computers IT would not open the wired network to SL
8/5/2014 4:00 AM

No
8/5/2014 3:47 AM

Cost was also a factor

8/5/2014 1:38 AM

I would return to this sort of teaching if it was supported by my institution as it increased

social inclusion. See http://www.editlib.org/p/38347/
8/5/2014 1:13 AM

The second life project ended with end of the project funding, due to political decisions
at the faculty.
8/4/2014 10:07 PM

AFTER THE HYPE: INSTITUTIONS LEAVING SECOND LIFE?

25

References
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U. S. (2012). Growing the use of Virtual Worlds in education: An OpenSim perspective.
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Departamento de Ingeniera Telemtica. Retrieved
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Beaumont, C., Savin-Baden, M., Conradi, E., & Poulton, T. (2014). Evaluating a Second Life
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