ACADEMIC ADVISING IN SECOND LIFE: An In-World of Possibilities

Academic advising of students is a common activity in higher education. Traditionally, advising takes places in a faculty member's office on the campus of the institution. The emergence of an Internet program, Second Life, provides new avenues for assisting students with academic planning. Second Life is a virtual reality program located on the Internet. One of the fastest growing populations of users in Second Life is institutions of higher education. One of the reasons for the rapid growth of Second Life is its appeal to undergraduate students for engaging in creativity, autonomy, and social networking. Institutions of higher education regularly tap into Second Life for delivering instruction but other services such as academic advising have not been explored. The focus of this article is on exploring the possibilities of using Second Life for academic advising.