Second Life: Exploring the Immersive Instructional Venue for Library and Information Science Education

摘要

A two-stage study was conducted to examine how Second Life (SL) can be used in delivering Library and Information Science (LIS) education. At the first stage, the study surveyed the early adopters of SL from other disciplines in terms of their teaching practice in SL, and found that most educators used SL to create an environment for constructive and experiential learning as well as distance education; then the results were shared among the faculty at San Jose State University School of Library and Information Science. A following study was conducted among the faculty with regards to their intention of bringing their classes to SL. Findings indicated that there were interests in using SL to teach classes in areas like reference, library services for children and young adults, and library history.