The Daily Tar Heel

Issue date: 3/20/07 Section: Features

Graduate student Larry Taylor has started to put the finishing touches on Wilson Library. He's already finished constructing the Bell Tower.

Taylor, one of the builders of UNC's 3-D online campus, said he wants to add the Pit in the future.

But the most realistic part of this virtual playground might not be the landscape.

"Imagine you would be sitting in a class. There would be a professor or teacher at the front. He would be showing a PowerPoint and writing on a white board," Taylor said. "You would be able to raise your hand and ask questions in real time."

And you wouldn't even have to leave your dorm room.

In the world of Second Life, virtual interactions such as these occur daily. Second Life, created in 2003 by the private company Linden Lab, is a 3-D virtual environment in which users from around the world can interact online. Users can build their own homes and offices, establish businesses and socialize with one another without ever having to leave their computers.

"It has some similarities to a chat room. The difference is that you have this sense of place," Taylor said. "In Second Life, you might be at a beach lying down in the sand, and somebody might be riding a jet ski at the beach, and there's chatting, but you're talking about what's going on around you."

In December, Information Technology Services purchased the first of two UNC islands in Second Life. In total, the land costs $5,560 a year, including a set-up fee and monthly maintenance. So far, ITS employees, other UNC staff and graduate students such as Taylor have built Chapel Hill landmarks such as the sundial and Forest Theatre.

With almost 5 million people registered worldwide and millions of U.S. dollars exchanged among users per month, Second Life is its own world complete with a global economy and infrastructure. Users can go to the beach, attend concerts and even go skydiving. It also provides unique ways for students to learn, UNC officials say.

"It creates a sense of community that I have never seen before in an online environment," said Kathleen Kyzer, senior manager for teaching and learning outreach at ITS.

Kyzer plans to gather UNC students, professors and other staff to develop project ideas for the online campus.

"These could be instruction-based, class-related projects. They could be student life projects. … These could be any sort of projects that our campus would like to explore in Second Life."

Continued...

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