ICC March Talk

Constructing an Intercultural

Communication coursein Second Life

David RichardsonHögskolan i Kalmar

david.richardson@hik.se

The Plan …

•15-minute presentation slots

•Buzz Groups

•for comments and questions

Where I work (and what I do)

Högskolan i Kalmar

Kamimo Islands Project

• January 2007: Project start (300,000 NOK - €38,000)

• Spring 2007: decisions … and land acquisition

• September 2007: Grand opening

• September - October 2007: pilot course

• October 2007: Oral Production (3 ECs) decision

• December 2007: Project re-funding for 2008

• January - March 2008: course activities on Kamimo

• February - April 2008: Oral Production Course 1

Time for a Buzz!

We’ve gone to Kamimo Island.

If you have the Second Life program on your computer (and if you’ve got an avatar), you can join us by clicking on

the Kamimo Island SLURL link in the Web Links pod down to the left

of your screen.

No Second Life? We’ll back in 10 minutes

Time for a Buzz!

Putting a Course Together in Second Life

•OP Parameters

• Departmental backing

• Funding

• Syllabus passed

• www.studera.nu

• SL audio chat in operation (August 2007)

Making Things Work 1

•OP Formalities

• 3 European Credits

• Standard oral proficiency skills course

• Course Launch + 5 Meetings

• 3 Assessed Tasks

• Individual Presentation (20 marks)

• Role Play (30 marks)

• Group Presentation (50 marks)

Making Things Work 2

Making Things Work 3

• Entire course delivered in world

• Registration (ID check & US buddy)

• Teaching Activities and Learning Practice

• Assessment and Examination

• SL as a place of study - not an object of study

• All group activities take place on Kamimo

• Individual study anywhere in world

• Linking up with the Yanks

• Central Missouri Composition Course students

• US course activities not the same as ours

Time for a Buzz!

How things worked in practice …Registration Day

How things worked in practice …Practising Register

How things worked in practice …A visit from Catwoman!

Some General Conclusions

•A great place for affective learning

• Quick transition to ‘avatar-speak’

• It’s my avatar that made the mistake …

• Learning English lying in bed!

•Norwegians - Swedes - Estoniansone big happy family!

•Italians found lack of body language inhibiting …

Any questions?