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Second Life Project
CU There Planned Projects

Following Project proposals await executive approval but are likely to be realised

The Eye in the Sky [working title]

This proposal is based on existing interest and aspirations within Glasgow Caledonian University and is supported by academic staff.
The project would involve the creation of a pair of huge interactive eyes, one of them in cross section. Avatars can walk around in them, press colour receptors, pull muscles, play with the lens and so on. Various disorders can be represented virtually and can be diagnosed and treated by students. The Glasgow Caledonian University sim (simulation) could employ BBC content from the Spoken Word repository to create an interactive multimedia exhibition about the human eye that periodically changes (for example every three months). It would be available to the general public, allowing for incidental learning, positive public exposure and publicity potential. Students from Visual Neuroscience, Optometry and related disciplines would be involved during the design, creation and texturing of the eyes and staff during the development of the strategy for use of this asset.

(coming soon : The Eye in the Sky - project description and meaning by Velitchko Manahilov, Professor of Visual Neuroscience)

[Gender Bender] – Title to be decided

This proposal is based on existing interest and aspirations within Glasgow Caledonian University and is supported by academic staff.
Second Life allows the creation of gendered ‘avatars’, which represent the user in the virtual world. In SL a ‘gender swap is quick, easy and surgery-free’ (Linden Labs, 2007). As a result, a gender-swapping subculture has been noted to exist in SL (The Register, 2007) and many users choose to have both a male and female avatar and switch between them. This raises many interesting issues for the study of gender in psychology, including the manipulation and fluidity of gender identity, online deception and the availability of cues to ‘real life’ gender in online interactions. The aim of this project is to enhance significantly the student experience of learning about gender issues in cyberspace, particularly 3D worlds, through an innovative learning and teaching activity.

(coming soon: Project description and meaning by Dr. Jane Guiller, Department of Psychology, School of Life Sciences)

 

Updated: 06 March, 2009 | Site editor | Legal