Last week we put SL to the test as a quick fix to solve what could be described as a "distance education" opportunity. One student in my Contemporary Visual Culture evening class could not attend but did not want to miss out on the discussion and related class activities. After dismissing several options for webcam fixes we decided to use SL voice to at least include this student in a real time discussion.
The technology worked very well. The sound quality was good and clear and, after we adjusted the volume on the computer we were using in the classroom, all students in the room could hear the "distance education" student and be heard on her end of the line. Prior to class I sent the "distance education" student an e-mail with a PDF of the slides we planned to discuss that evening. Had I been thinking more clearly--and had there been a bit more time to prepare--I could have loaded the slides into one of the slide viewers in the TLAVC house and the student could have viewed the slides we were viewing in class. Unfortunately, the "distance education" student had to diminish her SL screen to view the PDF and then switch back which made for a somewhat awkward experience.
Perhaps we will hold most or all of a future class session in SL and use voice to facilitate discussion along with slides in world. I think I am changing my views of what distance education can be.
