Using Second Life to Teach Operations Management

Abstract

This paper describes the use of Second Life to enhance the author’s delivery of the core MBA Operations Management course at a major northeastern university. The purpose of the Second Life Project was to help students to attain the learning objectives for the course and to expose them to a Web 2.0 technology. The students wrote brief papers summarizing their research findings and presented their work inside of Second Life. Resident course delivery and in-world student work were augmented with in-world office hours, guest speakers and technical assistance provided by the instructor and the university’s instructional design staff. At the completion of each term, students were asked to complete a questionnaire that asked them whether the Second Life experience helped them to meet each course objective. They were also asked their opinions regarding whether Second Life has a place in the MBA curriculum. My findings indicate that some of the learning goals were met and that although some students were not sure within which course Second Life should be included, the consensus was that virtual worlds are the wave of the future and should be included in the curriculum.

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