Doctors Train in Second Life Savanna Millen MIS 304 April 6, 2009

Second Life helps teach doctors to treat patients  At Imperial College London, medical students navigate a full-service hospital where they see patients, order X-rays, consult with colleagues and make diagnoses.  These prospective doctors are treating virtual patients in Second Life, the Internet world where users interact through online alter egos called avatars.

Game-based Learning  The third-year med students are taking part in a pilot program for game-based learning, which educators believe can be a stimulating change from lectures and textbooks.  Their aim is to develop a more engaging learning environment, rather than just replicate what they have in real life.  A senior learning technologist at Imperial College London feels that, "Game-based learning plays a very important role."

A Day in Training  In a real-life classroom, students sit at computers and enter a virtual Second Life hospital whose detailed grounds are designed to resemble Imperial College London. There's a 3D replica of the landmark Queen's Tower and signs point the students toward the respiratory ward.  The students pair up for the study, but they are allowed to collaborate only through their avatars, they aren’t allowed to talk to each other in the physical world.  Once the students are in, a number of steps are designed to reinforce lessons about responsibility and hospital protocol.

Second Life  Created by Linden Lab in 2003, Second Life is a free, 3D virtual world where digital personas travel, work, play and socialize through chat rooms and other online gathering places.  Millions of users enter Second Life daily to meet friends, play music and even buy and sell property, while many companies, universities and organizations have an online presence in Second Life.  Medical students at Imperial College London began their Second Life training without knowing what to expect. Most of them had heard of Second Life, but none were current members.

The Verdict  The students unanimously agreed they preferred walking the wards of real hospitals and interacting with real patients.  Game-based education is not intended to replace traditional face-to-face training, and it's not part of Imperial College London's official curriculum, but educators see the program -- which is available online 24 hours a day, seven days a week -- as a way of connecting to today's wired, computer-savvy students.

Purpose & Vision for Second Life  Toro-Troconis is looking into possible partnerships with other universities around the world and envisions a day when nursing students from Australia use Second Life to collaborate with physical therapists from Japan and medical students from the U.S.  All of these countries would be playing and learning together in a virtual environment.  They recognize that their students come equipped with incredible computer skills, and feel it's a new way of learning for them.

Video Clip of Second Life

Works Cited  CNN.com/technology  Bradley, Jeremy. "Can Second Life help teach doctors to treat patients?." Edge of Discovery. 27 Mar CNN.com/technology. 30 Mar treat patients?." Edge of Discovery. 27 Mar CNN.com/technology. 30 Mar 2009.