Future Medicine in Second Life

Despite heavy RL snow, eager college students flock to first-day nursing classes at Second Life's UNCP Campus (Picture 1). Telecommuting and virtually present for class, these students are starting an intense learning experience: 12 hour days in Second Life, rehearsing every conceivable future medical situation they will encounter in real life (RL). During my visit to the SL Hospital for Nursing, coeds entirely new to Second Life (SL) were having a wonderful time modeling their virtual nursing uniforms and learning to navigate virtual life.

University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP), an innovator in Second Life (SL) education, has a sprawling SL campus built entirely by new media Professor Anthony Curtis. As Stone Semyorka in SL (Picture 2), Dr. Curtis constructed 50 buildings at many elevations over 2 SL regions, and engages numerous students and faculty from journalism, art, library science, education, astronomy, environmental science, and now the Hospital for Nursing (Picture 3).

Each year, Dr. Curtis hosts the Teaching and Learning with Technology Conference (TLTC), drawing over 1000 participants in this entirely SL-based academic symposium. On his extensive UNCP in SL web, Dr. Curtis explains his SL activities and about UNCP, a public state university with about 7000 RL students and a large nursing program.

Surprisingly, there are almost 1000 universities engaged in SL, some with massive footprints, dozens of sims. Imagine... projects like UNCP in SL X 1000! Of course many are young programs, and very few are likely to compare with what UNCP has achieved in only 3 years in SL. Virtual education is an exciting endeavor, with new possibilities, and enthusiastic faculty and students fearlessly immersing themselves in virtual worlds.

Second Life and Internet Resources:

UNCP in SL Hospital for Nursing, visit in SL: Dasom (118, 240, 1101)

SL Hospital for Nursing and SL UNCP on the web: http://www.uncp.edu/home/acurtis/NewMedia/SecondLife/HospitalForNursing.html

UNCP Nursing Department RL website: http://www.uncp.edu/nursing/

Dr. Curtis' Faculty Home Page: http://www.uncp.edu/home/acurtis

About Teaching and Learning with Technology Conferences (TLTC): http://conference.unctlt.org/ (This message from Dr. Curtis)

The 2011 UNC Teaching and Learning with Technology Conference will be April 12-14 in Second Life. Theme: "Learning Forward: Teaching Technologies for Engaged Learners."

Held since 2000 about effective use of technology and learning environments face-to-face and online, the TLTC has topics of interest to education professionals regardless of grade level or geographic location, from effective practices to emerging technologies. We anticipate participation by faculty and staff from UNC system, NC community colleges, other private colleges and K-12 educators from anywhere in North Carolina and beyond.

Watch for registration and proposal deadlines on the web http://conference.unctlt.org/. Registration is free. TLT Conference is hosted by UNC-Pembroke. Presentations will be primarily on the NC Education islands funded by the community college system. I hope you will want to present or view presentations. Please send me any any questions and feel free to share this announcement. Thanks!

(Originally posted on CNN)

Any1 Gynoid