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Article
The Mean Business of Second Life: Teaching Entrepreneurship, Technology and e-Commerce in Immersive Environments
MERLOT Journal of Online Teaching and Learning
  • Brian E. Mennecke, Iowa State University
  • Lesya M. Hassall, Iowa State University
  • Janea Triplett, Iowa State University
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-1-2008
Abstract
Second Life is a three-dimensional multi-user virtual environment with a vibrant economy, where avatars (virtual representations of users) can engage in innovative and unique business and collaborative activities. The immersive nature of this application creates ample authentic opportunities for teaching entrepreneurship, technology and ecommerce. This article describes a Masters of Business Administration elective course, in which Second Life was utilized to teach strategic and managerial issues related to ecommerce. The collected data indicate that the students in this course experienced a steep learning curve with regards to the complicated interface of Second Life, its complex social canvas and non-traditional framing of teaching and learning. The article discusses an array of pedagogical issues to be considered in the design and development of an immersive course.
Comments

Published in MERLOT Journal of Online Teaching and Learning, 4, no. 3 (September 2008): 339–348.

Rights
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Citation Information
Brian E. Mennecke, Lesya M. Hassall and Janea Triplett. "The Mean Business of Second Life: Teaching Entrepreneurship, Technology and e-Commerce in Immersive Environments" MERLOT Journal of Online Teaching and Learning Vol. 4 Iss. 3 (2008) p. 339 - 348
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/brian_mennecke/2/