It's raining on campus but you don't get wet. The hub is completely deserted. A sign next to the seal says, "don't tread on me," so you don't, not that you could if you wanted to because there is a giant purple bubble covering it.
You fly over the Beta Bells, which don't ring yet, and look down at the red brick and signature light posts of Miami University, but it is missing the masses of students, desks, and the Shriver Center.
No it's not a dream. You are at Miami University in Second Life.
Second Life is a 3D virtual world that can be accessed by downloading the program. Users create an avatar, buy land and live an uninhibited life through their computers.
Brenda Boyd, instructional design technology specialist for IT services, said there are typically 50,000 to 80,000 users on Second Life at any given time and avatars live like they would in the real world, only it is a virtual world so they have much more freedom. They can fly, teleport, drastically change their appearance and mute the people that annoy them.
"The big thing about it is it's a virtual world not a game," Boyd said. "Second Life, like real life, is what you make it."
Land in Second Life is divided into islands and Miami has joined the ranks of more than 250 universities that have purchased islands on Second Life to build their institutions.
Other universities that have purchased land in Second Life include Ohio University, Ohio State, Harvard University and MIT, according to Sim Teach, a community dedicated to educators using virtual environments.
Glenn Platt, director of the interactive media studies program, said Miami is behind the curve in terms of joining Second Life's higher education scene.
Boyd said members of Second Life retain intellectual property rights to anything they create, so businesses can make a profit by selling their creations to other users.
Avatars, like people, need clothes, cars, furniture and houses. Products are sold in the Second Life currency called Linden Dollars, which can be converted to actual dollars through Linden Labs, the company that created and manages the program.
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Classes can also be taught through Second Life, where the students and professors meet at a designated times in virtual classrooms on Miami's island.
Second Life can also be used to create situations that may otherwise be difficult to explain.
Platt cited a University of California-Davis psychology professor that was having a hard time explaining schizophrenia to his students, so he created a model of a psychiatric ward on Second Life.
Platt said he sees this as one of the most valuable aspects of Second Life.
"I don't think it will take off where we suddenly have virtual classrooms instead of real ones because that's not the Miami way," Platt said. "But if we can create experiences like this which students can't get in the classroom we could add a lot."
One example of Second Life used in the classroom is in Miami University English professor Heidi McKee's first-year honors rhetoric seminar.
One of her main goals in using the program is to give students the chance to use their communication skills in a virtual world.
"It makes them come back to the basics of rhetoric," McKee said.
McKee also uses Second Life to introduce her students to a new emerging media, which even she knows very little about.
"It's a collaborative effort," McKee said. "We work together, explore the world, and learn together."
The island itself cost a few hundred dollars to purchase from Linden Labs, with a monthly maintenance fee of about $150, according to Boyd. Linden Labs also gives educational institutions 50 percent discount on all purchases and fees.
Though the real estate itself is inexpensive, some other institutions spent much more time and money building and maintaining their island.
"(Ohio University) spent a ton of money on what they built there," Platt said. "If our island is going to take off, it will take off because the individuals will spend the time."
Boyd pointed out that it could actually end up saving the school money because professors, especially in media studies, can attend conferences in Second Life with out ever leaving their offices.
Since the island was just recently completed it does not have many users, but Boyd hopes it will increase as faculty learns how to use Second Life. The program will be shown at the CELT Teaching and Learning Expo March 18.
Platt added that Second Life is far from perfect. It can be slow and clunky at times, and only top quality computers can run it almost seamlessly.
"It's not the Google of the virtual worlds, there are some out there that could be better," Platt said. "But it's the biggest, it's where everyone is, so that's why you join."
A basic account in Second Life is free and downloaded at www.secondlife.com, but if users want to own land they must get a premium account for a monthly fee of $9.95.
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