SecondLife and Legal Education

My university is currently running a competition "to find pilot projects that will investigate potential uses of 3D virtual worlds to support learning and teaching within the University": i.e. SecondLife.

In part, I'm struggling to see the benefit of SecondLife as an education tool; beyond architecture, computing, geography (possibly) or the sociology of online gaming theory!  I'm certainly not against using it, I just can't find any educational benefit for law beyond the tools we already employ such as webCT, Moodle, Blackboard etc.

Why sit around a camp fire with *witches/ *bumblebees/ *promiscuous looking ladies (delete as appropriate) with a classroom instructor *typing/ *watching a powerpoint presentation/ *listening to a podcast/ *debating an issue (delete as appropriate) when we can use discussion boards or VLEs to support these activities using less computing power?

I have, however, found a few interesting places in SL for legal academics to visit.  The idea of a virtual courtroom is quite intriguing, and would be ideal for distance learners to simulate the Moot Courtroom exercises that 'home' students undertake, so that's one possible benefit.  For those with SL accounts (residents), the following links can take you straight there:

Harvard's traditional oak-panelled court (oddly, its outdoors in the open, near a river): http://slurl.com/secondlife/Berkman/128/232/24/

The Virtual Law Association's indoor facilities (first floor): http://slurl.com/secondlife/Costard/156/219/33

The SecondLife Bar Association (mainly meeting rooms): http://slurl.com/secondlife/Malfelonius/209/69/61

If, however, you're more interested in the 'traditional' websites, see Harvard's CyberOne project and their use of e-learning (I think the general public can also sign-up to a course, but places are limited);

Also, see Elizabeth Townsend Gard's project on property law, comparing real estate, chattels, transfer of property and IPR using students in groups within SecondLife, but collectively as one avatar - Fizzy Soderberg!  It looks interesting, but I also wonder (in awe as well as fear) at the expense of time, and effort taken to make this work.  The project receives a second blogging at TerraNova by the research assistant, who is also a law student.  The final outputs are also available online (Fizzy's blog) along with student videos - I've linked to one below, which I think is really good!

And PS, if anyone can think of a worthwile SL project in legal education, I'll share the prize!

Comments

[Term Papers]

I have been visiting various blogs for my Term Papers Research. I have found your blog to be quite useful. Keep updating your blog with valuable information... Regards

[Michael]

Hi Caroline, thanks for the interesting comments and ideas. I'll have a look at some of the links - wwww.lawspotonline.com has some good links for law resources, especially law firms. My avatar is Forensis Michalak if you, or anyone else, wants to contact me in SL.

[Caroline Coles]

I ve been looking at this too.There are some interesting sites for noticeboards and exercises in computing as you say ( see Bromley FE college) and some good examples of tutorials re Seond Life activites ( see TUI tutorials in events). Re law, some UK firms are putting in a toe for PR as well as major UK consumer businesses ( see Boots the Chemist No 7 cosmetics for your avatar). I wonder whether this could develop the role play and triage exercises that we' ve seen. I m just a little reluctant to see how its being used as there has been quite a bit of bad press lately.However we have a SL island so if you d like to meet up in SL i m happy to talk further