Virtual education: a specialty in its own right Going to your study group on a horse and attending lectures in an amphitheater on an island: for Anne Rutkowski’s students this is the most normal thing in the world. Rutkowski teaches in the virtual world Second Life.
Text: Irene Faas
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ach with their own avatar, the students walk into the amphitheater. Some look like themselves, others have dressed up as an angel or a zombie. The avatars sit down, while the avatar of Professor of Information Management Anne Rutkowski stands in front of the group to start her lecture. This virtual environment is part of the program Second Life, designed to simulate a social, virtual world. “It’s really an environment and not a game,” stresses Rutkowski. “In a game, you have a goal to work towards. By completing
tasks, you can achieve that goal. Second Life doesn’t have that: its only purpose is social contact.”
Natural contact Rutkowski first used the program in 2008, when she led a project with students from, among others, Hong Kong and the United States. In 2010, the project ended and with it her use of Second Life. When the country was shut down by the corona crisis and scientific education went digital, Rutkow-
“Second Life is a sustainable option for education” Anne-Françoise Rutkowski Anne-Françoise Rutkowski is Professor of Information Management. With her background in psychology, she bridges information systems and social sciences with topics such as decision-making, emotions, and socially responsible use of IT. Applications of her research can be found in organizations with a great deal of responsibility, such as hospitals or banks, with a focus on decision-making or cyber security.
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ski breathed new life into the program. “I knew right away I wanted to use Second Life again,” says Rutkowski. “I teach a course on innovation, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to introduce students to a new technology.” The classes look just like on a real campus: Rutkowski gives lectures and groups of students can work in their own workspaces. Outside is a square where students can relax and catch up. If they have any questions, the students can come by Rutkowski’s office. “Second Life is a much richer environment to teach in than, for example, Zoom,” says Rutkowski. “Zoom works just as well for a lecture, but for discussions and interaction Second Life offers many more options.” For example, she can drop in on the groups of students to see how things are going. Conversely, students can wait for her when she’s talking to someone else. “You see the same natural dynamics that you see on campus.” It is also easy to have discussions or share ideas via Second Life. “We can hang posters on the wall to pitch ideas,” says Rutkowski. “Then you can walk over to them together and look at them. The interaction begins spontaneously: you really have the feeling that you are together.”
Research tool Rutkowski knows her way around Second Life. She uses it not only in education, but also for her research. “In psychology, we
