Testing the Virtual Waters: The School of Second Life

Washington State University bookkeepers scratched their heads this spring when David Cillay submitted an invoice, for about $50, for an island. It was awhile before they learned he was buying land in Second Life, the online immersive virtual world where WSU has begun offering courses for students from across the globe. Cillay, an assistant dean for distance education at the Pullman, Wash., campus, launched WSU’s first full-fledged course in Second Life this spring. The graduate-level course in instructional design had seven students logging on and communicating over the Internet.