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The Ohio State University

TELRport

Pilot Participants

Leta Hendricks (Libraries)

Leta Hendricks, Assistant Professor with the University Libraries, has ambitious plans for Second Life. She wants to give the Ohio State Libraries a virtual presence and also use the virtual world to teach students the finer points of modern research methods.

"It is important for librarians to develop along with new technologies," explained Hendricks. "It is our job to not only to find, organize, and manage information, but also to help others refine their own research skills. Students need to learn there are much better ways to do research than just using Google. I think Second Life will not only be a great way to keep students interested in the topic of research, but will add a whole new dimension of interactivity to their research."

Hendricks plans to send her students on virtual field trips to historically significant neighborhoods, such as Harlem in the 1920s, to show research doesn't always just involve books. "It would be great, too, if students could show what they have learned by dressing their avatar as a historical figure and then interacting with others as if they were that person."

Hendricks is also building a virtual home for the Ohio State Libraries on TELRport, and she has planned several library-related interactive displays. One of them is a race track that requires a player to navigate a book cart down a winding pathway.

Christopher Hill (American Language Program)

Christopher Hill, an Academic Program Specialist in the American Language Program, is dedicated to teaching English to foreign speakers. Over time, he has used many methods to keep his courses fun and engaging. He sees Second Life as an opportunity to do just that in the American Language Program's pre-college courses.

"These students want to study at Ohio State, but are not yet proficient enough in English to do so. To become fluent in a language requires a lot of repetition and practice," explained Hill. "Using interactive tools like Second Life can help keep these students interested while allowing them to effectively practice their language skills."

Hill's students will be able to communicate online with each other, but he also wants them to approach strangers in Second Life and attempt a conversation. He currently asks his students do this in the real world, but sees Second Life as a promising alternative. "In Second Life, the students can relax. They don't have to worry about being rejected or making a mistake in their speech," said Hill. "They also have more time to properly construct a response." The medium also affords the students a chance to practice their typing skills, which according to Hill, can help with speech skills.

Hill also plans to lead students through various activities, such as building and navigating obstacle courses in Second Life. "The students could compete in teams, [which] would require them to use more grammatically difficult language in discussing plans and strategies."

Beth Kattelman (Libraries & Theatre)

Beth Kattelman, a professor in both Theatre and Library Sciences, wants to use Second Life as a venue for students in Theatre 693 (an independent study course) to design, script, and perform a play based on Edgar Allen Poe's short story, The Masque of the Red Death.

"Second Life is perfect for this type of project because there are no creative constraints," explained Kattelman. "In a real-world production students might only have time to work on a couple aspects of a play. In Second Life everything can be changed instantly, allowing students to work on everything from set design to lighting to scripting—all at the same time."

Professor Kattelman also sees the potential for the class to consider new theories of theatre. "Having a production in a 3D environment like this—where the audience might be able to explore the performance area during the play—opens up ways of thinking about the nature of performance and provides new avenues for creative expression."

Kattelman plans the play's Second Life premiere for the close of autumn quarter and hopes to invite other students using Second Life to attend.

Jack Nasar (City and Regional Planning)

Dr. Jack Nasar, a professor of City and Regional Planning, teaches C&RP 732—a course that concentrates on how the physical environment and people affect each other. Previously, he had used other virtual worlds as a teaching aid. However, nothing he had used matches the creative tools and interactivity of Second Life.

"Usually, I would have students go out to real locations, consider the environments and their design, and then interview people regarding their mental maps of the areas," said Professor Nasar. A mental map is the mental picture that individuals construct of real spaces. It can help City planners, designers, and architects understand how people perceive and navigate locations. Elements like landmarks and clear edges in areas and pathways affect the clarity of a mental map.

"However, in Second Life I can create separate neighborhoods for students to explore and gather together. I can make concrete examples of the concepts we discuss in class," Professor Nasar explained. "I could create a neighborhood that is conducive to causing an unclear mental map. Students could then walk around the environment and discuss the negative and positive aspects of it and, eventually, try to fix what they see as negative."

Professor Nasar also hopes people outside of the class will explore his space. "It would be really informative for the students to be able to ask visitors about their perception of these areas," he said.

Alan Woods (Arts & Theatre)

Professor Alan Woods of the Theatre Department wants to use Second Life to explore the past. His students will use it experience historic theatres that no longer exist, such as Shakespeare's Globe Theatre or the large amphitheatres of ancient Greece. "I want students to see what the physical structures were like because the nature of a theatre can greatly influence the performance of a play," said Woods.

Woods elaborated: "To us it seems odd that in Greek plays the characters would describe another character ten or twenty lines before he was in the scene. This was a common practice back then because the theatres in which the Greeks performed were massive and it usually took an actor a long time to get from offstage to the center. I want students to see why this was the case, and then discuss the need and value of such performance choices for today."

Woods also plans to build a theatre on TELRport where students can both perform plays and interact as audience members. He hopes that Second Life can help students get a sense of the social and communal qualities plays used to have.

"Up until around hundred years ago or so, theatres were places dedicated toward social interaction. It was where people went to drink, eat, and talk. Plays were often ancillary to all of the activity in the theatre. Seats were not fixed either. It was not uncommon for audience members to wander onto the stage. In fact, there were often seats set aside for patrons on the stage.

Summaries by Daniel Lombardy