SLENZ Update, No 154, December 06, 2009

Where is education going in Virtual Worlds? An earlier (2008) view of a Duke University  foray into virtual worlds – just one of  the university’s many virtual projects With the  Obama Administration  turning to the virtual world to extoll the virtues of a science education through expansion of the STEM Education Initiative and NASA also using [...]

SLENZ Update, No 140, September 28, 2009

THE SLENZ PROJECT Virtual world makes mastering interview skills  much easier … when virtual ‘really feels real’ “Fabulous”,  “amazing” and “fantastic” were only three of the superlatives used by the  more than 20  educators and researchers who toured the SLENZ Project’s two builds on Kowhai  in Second Life and listened to commentary from educators, developers [...]

The SLENZ Update – No 107, July 01, 2009

STOP PRESS – AN INVITATION Party Party Party Where:  Koru Dance Floor When: Sunday July 5th 7pm NZT (Saturday July 4, 12am (midnight) SLT) Why: To celebrate being ready for our first students! Who: SLENZ Project team and Friends, Kiwi Educators and friends. What: Dancing, games, fireworks, live music (probably!) ….and who knows what else! [...]

The SLENZ Update – No 96, June 9, 2009

WASHINGTON STATE U Another university launches distance education campus in Second Life Distance degree programmes are a key part of  Washington State University (WSU) decision to  establish a a new campus in Second Life. The new campus has been designed by staff and students who work for  the university’s Center for Distance and Professional Education [...]

The SLENZ Update – No 89, May 25, 2009

Distance education with a difference Otago Midwifery students to learn about birthing in virtual world Today, for the first time,  New Zealand midwifery students began  to enhance their regular study programme with learning in the virtual world of Second Life. The 27 first year students and 23 second year students were introduced to the Otago [...]

The SLENZ Update – No 87, May 20, 2009

AUCKLAND U’s  VIRTUAL MEDICAL CENTRE Students learn those communication, teamwork, clinical  skills – virtually Virtual simulation in an Auckland University, New Zealand, virtual medical centre  training environment is returning similar results to a  real life training facility at a fraction of the cost of a facility of that type, according to Dr Scott Diener PhD [...]

The SLENZ Update – No 84, May 18, 2009

DISTANCE EDUCATION Memorial University  wins Canadian award  for  SL  shipyard project Distance education – Memorial University’s shipyard. Canada’s Memorial University of Newfoundland, in the province of  Newfoundland and Labrador – similar to New Zealand  with its rural isolation -  has  just won a Canadian  national award in recognition of its innovative use of Second Life’s virtual [...]

The SLENZ Update – No 21, November 02, 2008

How ‘real’ are VWs? A research team, led by North Carolina State University’s Zelnak Professor of Marketing and Innovation, Dr Mitzi M. Montoya, has developed a new way of measuring how “real” online virtual worlds are – an important advance for the emerging technology that can be used to foster development of new training and [...]