Campus:Second Life
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Frequently Asked Questions about Campus:Second Life
Campus Land 'Scholarship'
PLEASE READ: From time to time, Linden Lab accepts applications from educators who want to experiment with Second Life for their classes. Land is granted for the duration of a semester. The deadline to apply for Spring 2008 has passed. This paragraph will be updated when applications re-open. More information about how to apply is below. If you are looking for temporary land for your class the Summer semester, you might try posting on the SLED list to see if any other educators in Second Life might be able to help you!
What are the rules on Ethics and Behavior?
We ask that all class participants be made aware of the Second Life Research Ethics Policy, available at Research Ethics in Second Life.
All students will also be expected to adhere to the Second Life Community Standards.
Who is it for?
College-level students whose classwork can be extended by utilizing the simulation and creativity tools available within a large, heavily populated digital world. Classes in disciplines such as media studies, design, urban planning, game design and sociology have found Second Life to be a fascinating place to prototype and explore their real world ideas.
How does it work?
The Campus:Second Life program is a competitive program. A call for proposals is put out a few times a year. Eight projects are selected and given the use of land on the Campus islands for a semester to develop their proof of concept. Please note: you will have the land for a single semester (e.g., Fall or Spring). After that semester is over, we will reclaim the plot.
If you are planning to teach a class where you think the students might benefit from spending time in Second Life and want to participate in the Campus:Second Life program, please contact Claudia Linden at claudia@lindenlab.com using the Subject "Campus Second Life"
Please include a syllabus, schedule, and a proposal on how you plan to use Second Life in the class. Include why Second Life will make a difference to the learning experience you're offering, whether you're planning any research leading to publication, and whether your project is intended as a proof of concept or not. At the end of the semester we'll ask you to send us a brief summary of your experience and any insights into what we might do to improve the Campus:Second Life program. We'd also appreciate copies of any student work that you can share.
We have not yet set the deadline for the next round of applications. The program is currently full.
What are the computer hardware and networking requirements?
Details here on system requirements.
Please make sure you check with your network/workstation administrator on the following technical requirements to make sure you don't run into any roadblocks.
If your school has a firewall, Second Life needs to connect to ports 443/TCP, 12035/UDP, 12036/UDP, and 13000-13050/UDP. You should configure your firewall to allow outbound traffic on those ports, and related inbound traffic. For more details on firewalls, please see this page in the knowledgebase.
Second Life also has network bandwidth requirements. Each computer running Second Life will need an average of 80 kbps downstream, spiking at about 400 kbps on initial connect and during teleports. Upstream is much lower, requiring 30 kbps on average. Make sure your network connection can handle these bandwidth requirements if you plan to run Second Life on multiple computers at the same time.
Are there any age restrictions?
The main Grid of Second Life is for adults only (18+). We also have a Teen Second Life, and that world is strictly for teens (13-17).
We don't allow anyone under 18 years old in the adult world of Second Life, and likewise we do not allow adult Residents (18+) on the mainland of the Teen World. Both of these worlds are separate from each other, and we do not allow inworld travel or communication between them.
Teen Second Life is a world for teens, created and shaped by teens. Please remember that falsely registering as a teen to gain access to Teen Second Life is a serious offense, and cause for permanent banishment from all of Second Life.
The only adults allowed on the mainland in Teen Second Life are Linden employees. If you are an educator and want to work with teens in Teen Second Life, there is the opportunity to buy a private island on the Teen Grid and participate, but you will not be able to leave that island and visit the Teen Grid mainland. Teens from the mainland will be able to visit your private island if/when you choose, but they will be automatically informed that there are adults present. Also, if you are planning to use a private island on the Teen Grid to interact with teens from the mainland, we will need to run a background check on you for security and safety reasons.
If you'd like more details about getting a private island for education work on the Teen Grid, please see our Educators Working with Teens page.
What does it cost to bring my students and faculty into Second Life?
All basic accounts in Second Life are now free to everyone. This means that students can sign up on their own for a basic account for no charge whatsoever.
Can I set up a large permanent private classroom in Second Life and restrict access to just my own students and faculty?
You can do this by purchasing a Private Island! Private Islands provide the ability to create secure "intranet" spaces with restricted membership, or you can open up access to allow educators and students to interact with all the residents of Second Life. Educators receive a discount on 16-acre private island purchases, so please see the private island order page for more details.
I participated in the Campus: Second Life program previously, and now I'd love to have additional classes in Second Life! How can I go about setting up another class without buying a private island?
The Campus:Second Life program is focused on introducing new educators to the possibilities of Second Life, giving them an initial free land grant for the duration of their class as a way to let them "test the waters" of Second Life. If you have already participated in Campus:Second Life and would like to run additional classes, you will need to purchase land for your new class. Go into Second Life and click the "Find" button and select "Land Sales" to search for available plots of land that you can purchase. We do not offer education discounts for land purchased on the mainland, but we do offer discounts on Private Islands to educators (see above).
How do I connect with other educators currently working on projects in Second Life?
Linden Lab maintains a very active Educators Mailing List to keep interested individuals alerted to education opportunities and events in Second Life. This is an ideal way for you to share experiences as well as connect with colleagues and potential collaborators. Please visit this page to subscribe!
There is also a Group in Second Life called "Real Life Education in Second Life" which is also comprised of people who are interested in the educational possibilities of Second Life. If you'd like to keep in touch with other educators inworld, please feel free to join this Group (click the Find button and search under Groups for "Education"). The group is open for anyone to join, and it's another great way to find colleagues and collaborators to help you with your education work in Second Life.
Is there a way for students in my class to communicate with each other using voice chat?
Currently we do not have a integrated solution for voice communication in Second Life. However, check out Voice Chatting with Ventrilo for Educators in Second Life for free access to one possible solution!
I still have questions Campus Second Life. Who should I contact at Linden Lab?
Please contact Claudia Linden at claudia@lindenlab.com using the Subject "Campus Second Life"
