Success Story In Second Life

Full Story: Using Robot Avatars in Second Life Simulations and Training by AHG Hallard AHG, Inc. Education & Training Introduction AHG developes Second Life tools and simulations for education and training Success with Second Life AHG had recently finished developing two new training simulations in Second Life. These simulations are the first ever that use robotic avatars for training. With the introduction of specialized e-learning "smart robots" Second Life training switches to asynchronous mode. Smart robots developed by AHG interact with trainee during training session. They look and act like regular avatars controlled by real people but in fact are operated by computer software. In a "Communication / Sales" simulation, robotic avatars play roles of a receptionist and a client. Trainee has to navigate his way through the sales call negotiating in an environment closely resembling real life. "Working Under Pressure" checks how well a person can handle job stress, as well as teaches multitasking and organizational skills. In this simulation robot avatar plays a role of manager. This manager unexpectedly appears in front of the trainee, demands report on the progress, orders new tasks to be performed and in general distracts and puts additional pressure on the trainee. Our Second Life robot avatars are quite sophisticated in terms of their reaction to trainee's actions. Not only they provide appropriate verbal response, but non-verbal clues -- gestures, face mimics, sounds -- as well. This makes AHG's Second Life training systems uniquely fit for "soft skills" training such as leadership, communications, sales, cultural and others. More information is available at http://second-life-e-learning.ahg.com/second_life_training_simulations.htm Advice As it often happens, the hardest part of all is to find out what exactly client needs and then negotiate what is possible and feasible and what is not. Once that is done, everything else is strictly technical knowledge and experience. Using Robot Avatars in Second Life Simulations and Training's Second Life Location

Doing Business 2008 by Hurley McMahon The SLAgency Events Introduction The SLAgency is a full service Second Life Marketing Agency. We are an approved Linden Lab Developer, and also provide services ranging from in-world event promotion to general Second Life consultancy. Parent company Moderne Promotions boasts over 20 years of Real World event marketing experience, much of which translates very easily into virtual event marketing expertise. This background also creates the potential for exciting "Mixed Reality" events. Success with Second Life On October 26th, 2007 the World Bank hosted a launch event for its Doing Business 2008 Report. The event was hosted at the Theater on ACTIV8 Island. A live presentation was made by Dahlia Khalifa, a representative of The World Bank. She narrated the Powerpoint presentation on the screen behind her through live streaming audio. Between in-world attendance and live audio streams available on the web, the event attracted listeners from 101 countries around the world. Following the presentation was a live Q&A session, where avatars in attendance had their questions answered by Dahlia Khalifa. This project was a great success for The SLAgency and The World Bank Group. It attracted attention to both entities, and made apparent the opportunities available to businesses in Second Life looking to speak to a global audience. Advice Some companies and brands that have entered Second Life, either for an isolated event or for a lasting presence, have been disappointed by the reach of their programs. The keys to a successful Second Life engagement are interactivity and effective marketing. The Q&A session in the event made it interactive as the attendees were able to get directly involved. The promotion of the event was accomplished through multiple channels, including interactive advertisements throughout Second Life via The SLAgency's proprietary Interactive Media Network as well as an official Press Release via PRWeb. An event such as the Doing Business 2008 Launch event has a wealth of organic global interest that is easily converted into attendance once the awareness has been created. Doing Business 2008's Second Life Location

Ohio University, Evolving Educational Environments by Stephen Rotaru Ohio University Education & Training Introduction Ohio University is expanding educational environments into Second Life. In August 2006, the first land was purchased and active development has been performed by faculty and students on the OU campus in Athens, Ohio. The Ohio University Virtual Immersive Technologies and Arts for Learning (VITAL) Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research and development unit, is a collaboration of the Russ College of Engineering and Technology, the College of Education, the College of Fine Arts, Outreach and Regional Campuses. The mission of the VITAL Lab is to create appealing immersive virtual environments and synthetic worlds to enhance teaching, learning, and training activities. Ohio University is on the cutting edge of technology. Merging the first world with the second, we are entering possibilities for learning that never existed before. Success with Second Life Ohio University is a prestigious higher education facility that attracts people from all over the world. Expansion of learning facilities into Second Life allows the sharing of ideas and expanding of knowledge in a virtual environment suitable to anyone anywhere. Many activities being developed by OU, with the cooperation of other educational facilities and financial support, are helping to educate the community about real world challenges through virtual world activities hosted by Second Life. One building on the virtual campus, Old Stocker Center, was modeled after the real Stocker Center on the OU campus in Athens, Ohio, but the limitations and advantages of Second Life required modifications to the interior of virtual Old Stocker Center. To be more effective, the rooms had to be enlarged and redesigned. Solid walls were replaced with glass walls in strategic positions to give the feeling of a larger space, to make navigation easier for new residents, and to provide a professional working environment. The staircases made perfect sense for real life, but were unsuitable for virtual Old Stocker Center. Replacing them with telepads addressed the problems of staircases blocking an avatar's view, disrupting the avatar's camera as the avatar climbed the stairs, and being hard to find and use. Not only did the telepads remove these disadvantages, but why walk when you can teleport? In addition, telehubs were added to provide a map to assist an avatar's navigation and allow the avatar to instantaneously and easily be transported to key locations without needing to know about the surrounding area. Doors were enlarged, outside walls were made phantom, and more attention was paid to line of sight to make navigation easier. Decorations were added to the whole building to make it more inviting and appealing to new residents. With more furniture, automatic fans, controllable lights, posters, food trays, plants, "trash" and other additions, virtual Old Stocker Center was transformed from a sterile and uninviting environment to a visage of a lively building. Before the decorations were added, the building only appeared half finished and did not greet the visitor with the expected feeling of comfort when entering a thriving building. The changes created a more attractive meeting place for

the community to gather, share ideas, and convey their messages. Ohio University's Virtual Campus is evolving educational environments to help teach in a new manner. Advice It is important to remember the differences between Second Life and the real world. Although it may seem obvious to add stairs for moving to the second floor, it may not be the best solution in Second Life. The virtual world makes many things possible. When designing and building inside Second Life keep these differences in mind and focus on what will please your visitors. Be willing to explore new educational opportunities and work with current students to create learning activities that will appeal to other current and future students. Have fun with exploration in Second Life. Take advantage of the unique offerings of Second Life and do not be afraid to experiment. Educational environments must continuously change with the ever evolving world. Second Life opens up many new venues and possibilities for educational activities and also appeals to new generations. In your project, gather input from people who will be using your environment. Ohio University has created teams of students and faculty who work together to build in Second Life. Weekly team meetings, phone conferences, email, even working in the same office inspires rapport and leads to exiting, new ideas. Collaboration between students and faculty will lead to a professional, fun, and educational environment that will appeal to many different people with many different backgrounds. If you would like to know more about the changes to Virtual Old Stocker Center and the thoughts behind those changes or other Ohio University Second Life projects, please see the videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/VITALLab. Ohio University, Evolving Educational Environments's Second Life Location