Virtual Communities

Monash University meetings in Second Life©

The University is involved in research on virtual worlds and their application in teaching and research. The Faculties of Arts, Business and Economics, Education, Information Technology, Law, Medicine and Pharmacy are all investigating the possibilities of virtual communities to add to their research and teaching agendas.

Topics being researched by Monash academics include:

• identity and self in virtual worlds;
• legal constructs for virtual worlds;
• cross-cultural communication;
• governance; privacy; ethics;
• communities of practice; cognition and motivation in learning; learning theory; social organization; and
• language immersion.

A number of virtual worlds and online platforms are being utilised, such as Second Life©, Croquet, Active Worlds, EVE-Online, Lively by Google, and ‘hybrids’ such as SLoodle (interfaces Moodle to Second Life©).

Monash staff have hosted and participated in a number of conferences on virtual worlds. A number of Monash staff are involved in organising the Australasian Virtual Worlds Workshop to be co-hosted with other universities in November 2008. http://avww.org/?q=cfp

Monash has an island in Secondlife© to support this activity. For further information please visit the Monash Second Life webpage.

For any additional information regarding Virtual Worlds, please contact:

Office of International Engagement
odvci@adm.monash.edu.au