Preparing to Teach

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Preparing to Teach Field Research in Second Life
Edward Lee Lamoureux/Professor Beliveau NMC
Regional Meeting San Antonio,TX November 8, 2006
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Course Goals
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• Teach our students about virtual worlds/immersive
  environments.
• Most of our students want to learn to author 3D,
  immersive media. Doing meaningful things in SL
  (like holding class, making presentations,
  observing other, etc.) will help them further
  understand the products they want to someday make.

• Teach students to better understand how new media
  impacts society by learning a valuable and
  oft-use strategy/method for doing research
• (ethnographic field methods) that they may later
  use (in more detail) to study how new media is
  used.

• Learn about virtual worlds for distance education

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My Goals and Motivations
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• Im the theory guy in our program, have been
  opposed to teaching games directly as Im
  uninterested in shooting, killing, and fantasy.
  But SL presents us with a wonderful opportunity
  to learn and teach about virtual environments for
  living and learning.
• Helps keep me engaged and relevant to our
  students.

• In my previous life I was a field
  researcher/conversation analyst. This course
  gives me the opportunity to teach ethnographic
  methods to neophyte researchers in an environment
  that is safer for both students and subjects than
  is RL.

• And not to be ignored, SL offers a distance
  education platform unmatched by other modalities,
  thereby giving me a chance to teach and earn
  additional income over an otherwise dark period
  at Bradley. We offer courses in the January
  interim, but few students want to come to Peoria
  in order to take them.

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About the Course
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• Entering
• Casing, approaching, relationships, presenting
  the self the study, reciprocal negotiations.
  HSP/ethical practices/protocols.
• Getting organized
• Mapping/tours (places, people/functions, action
  zones)
• Establishing a sampling strategy (location, time,
  aspect/event, and amount)
• Data Collection
• Watching/listening as passive presence or with
  limited interaction
• Interviewing an informant
• Data recording, data coding and data security
  (subject protection and physical security)
• Data Analysis
• Developing theoretical leads from the data
• Taxonomies and categorization
• Constant comparisons
• Drawing inferences from data.
• Writing up results

• Field Research Strategies for a Natural
  Sociology
• Leonard Schatzman, Anselm L. Strauss
• Virtual Methods
• Christine Hine (Editor)
• Second Life The Official Guide
• Michael Rymaszewski

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Interesting Challenges So Far
Protection of Human Subjects
Doomsday Planning
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Protection of Human Subjects

• In an unexpected role reversal, we are faced with
  more procedural challenges over human subjects
  protection in SL than we would face in RL.
• The research Ill teach my students to do would
  normally get an exemption from review if
  undertaken in RL, due to its nature as pure
  observation and interview.
• However, in SL proposals have to first be
  submitted to Linden Labs for their approval.
  Then

• Our universitys human subjects committee has
  determined that they want individual proposals
  from each student prior to approval. I was hoping
  for a blanket OK on a generic, class-based form
  that Id submit instead.
• The committee takes seriously the fact that most
  SL residents wear name tags over their heads as
  evidence that even observational research cant
  be done---the subjects in SL arent anonymous in
  that environment, so we have moved to produce
  strong protections for them.

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Protection of Human Subject Procedures

• Follow Linden Lab procedures for planning and
  notification.
• Linden Labs will announce the research and
  identify the research class and members to the
  community.
• Create Researcher group identification for all
  student avatars
• However, the casing portion of entering will
  be done without this designation, before any data
  collection takes place.
• Once data collection and class begin, the
  designation will be displayed prominently.
• Bradley HSP committee requires that students
  research proposals for approval. Expedited review
  promised.
• Create a HSP handout carried by every student as
  a notecard offered to any avatar who inquires as
  to the research work/researchers presence or on
  whom data is collected.

• Maintain subject confidentiality in data
  management (coded names, etc).
• Forbid students from copying and saving
  transcripts of talk from subjects from whom they
  have not gotten permission (and who havent been
  given an HSP handout)
• Forbid students from using camera controls to see
  through objects and into spaces where they are
  not co-present with the subjects.
• Publish the URL for the student course blogs on
  the Linden Labs blog site.
• Review the student blogs regularly to catch any
  beginners mistakes that might compromise
  subject protections.
• Block out avatar names and faces in cases of
  publishing photos of subjects without their
  permission.
• Copy of final papers posted to the student blogs.

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More Protection of Human Subject Issues

• Almost every observed avatar can be identified by
  avatar name. Only some can be cross-identified by
  RL name. Those who list RL names can be
  identified by anyone in the game via a search
  mechanism.
• Our permissions will have a check off for just
  using the SL name and image without coding . . .
  some/many dont care.
• Virtually every text chat generates a transcript
  for anyone within 200 meters.

• Camera controls allow/enable seeing through some
  otherwise seeming to be solid surfaces.
• We cant post a notice in all regions (though
  we might be able to post one in some depends).
  If pressed, we might be able to get each land
  owner to allow us to post.
• Our permissions will have a check off for images
  as well. We can block out the names and faces.

• Havent yet heard back from Linden Labs about our
  plans

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DoomsdayWhat happens if the University
closes?In this case, if SL goes down?

• With the growth of SL has come DOS attacks and
  the chance of a sudden sale and closure. What
  happens to students if the class is cancelled
  midway due to loss of SL?
• BU doesnt have a clear policy for closure of the
  university mid-term.

• We had a week of tense negotiations, leading to a
  solution 3, 1-credit enrollments that get us
  money and grades in a step-wise fashion. Cant be
  used by the students, only by the program and
  only for doomsday.

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Preparing Students, orI LOVE THIS COUNTRY
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I have a kind of perfect storm

• My Students are, generally, Multimedia degree
  majors some gamers almost all want to make
  games or do animation they have equipment,
  network, know how.
• By application only, specially chosen. Up to 8
  for research 1 machinima maker as historian.
• We have a little room so weve invited one
  student from Trinity, Ball St. and UNR.

• Application requirements
• Meet or exceed system requirements and broadband.
• Create account and Avi prior to 2 hours F-2-F
  Dec. 2 meeting in our labs and SL.
• Orientation Island Help Island join NMC and
  class group before December 2.
• Identify group of interest before January 2.
• Complete research application/proposal before
  January 5.

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Build it and they will come(and theyll bring
their notepads)
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http//slane.bradley.edu/com/faculty/lamoureux/web
site2/slstuff.html
-Talking with the Professor (audio
interview)?-Preparing for the class, part
one?-Preparing for the class, part two
?-Background and class poster (word.doc)?-"Right
Click to Learn," Boston Phoenix,
8-17-06?-HOI-19 interview article, 8-19-06
"Virtual Classroom to Start at Bradley" ?-BU
gets a virtual second life (BU Scout,
9-8-6?-"A Whole New World," PJS, 10-17-06?-PJS
photos?-BU spotlight
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SL sites that help me keep up and and better
understand
http//www.simteach.com/wiki/index.php?titleSecon
d_Life_Education_Wikihttp//www.nmc.org/sl/http/
/planet.worldofsl.com/http//blogs.law.harvard.ed
u/vvvv/http//www.simteach.com/blog/http//rpfoli
o.com/cblog/http//www.simteach.com/SLCC06/slcc200
6-proceedings.pdfhttp//www.youtube.com/watch?vi
RNP6IJwY90http//secondlife.com/newsletter/2006_1
0/sevenhttp//www.blip.tv/file/74378/http//cte
rport.ed.uiuc.edu/technologies_folder/index.htmls
lhttp//www.cxknowledge.com./Intro_SL.htmlhttp/
/gwynethllewelyn.net/article27visual1layout1.html
http//signpostmarvmartin.wordpress.com/2006/09/17
/intellagirl-tully-presentation-on-avatars-and-ide
ntity-in-sl/http//secondlifelibrary.blogspot.com
/http//www.youtube.com/watch?vsynxFmQJ_0Ahttp
//www2.kumc.edu/netlearning/SLEDUCAUSESW2005/SLPre
sentationOutline.Htmhttp//blogs.law.harvard.edu/
cyberone/http//www.lovelymachine.com/Dolmere/ht
tp//secondlife.com/showcase/ http//www.trinity.
edu/adelwich/worlds/students.htmlhttp//www.trini
ty.edu/adelwich/games/students.htmlhttp//www.sec
ondlifeherald.com/http//www.stanford.edu/class/c
asa155/http//www.brandeis.edu/pubs/jove/HTML/abo
utJOVE.htmlhttp//www.cybersociology.com/http//
www.lse.ac.uk/collections/ethnobase/http//secondl
ife.com/knowledgebase/http//simteach.com/wiki/in
dex.php?titleSecond_Life_Grad_Student_ColonySeco
nd_Meeting_May_31.2C_2006.2C_Research_Ethicshttp
//www.simteach.com/wiki/index.php?titleTop_20_Ed
ucational_Locations_in_Second_Lifehttp//nwn.blog
s.com/nwn/http//www.alphavilleherald.com/http//
www.infoisland.org/
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A site for learning some important SL
activitiescompliments of Univ. of
IL.Curriculum, Technology Education Reform
Program (CTER)
(QuickTime Player required)?How to build a chair
in Second Life?How to create an interactive sign
in Second Life How to embed an image (texture)
onto an object in Second Life How to embed a
notecard onto an object in Second Life How to
link an object to a webpage in Second Life How
to create links within a notecard in Second Life
How to create a dropbox in Second Life How to
create a teleport link in Second Life
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Here we come again catch us if you can. Hope to
see you inworld soon.
blacktail ridge retreat