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Second Life may give some colleges a second chance
A couple of weeks ago I got my first in-depth view into Second Life. Being in the business of higher education, I couldn’t help but think of how, over time, this may have some significant impacts in the way students learn about institutions, institutions offer distance learning, alumni and development offices cultivate groups of alums, etc.
Of course, assuming utility spikes and Metcalf’s Law being in full force, there are huge implications for higher education. The first being in marketing, branding and relationship building. Although they are diminishing in importance, colleges and universities still spend a significant amount of staff and financial resources traveling the country attending college nights and college fairs. The goal: to establish a close enough relationship with the student and parent so that the institution becomes part of their evoked set, or in their checklist for consideration. Imagine a college fair that is open 24 hours, allows institutions to disregard current geographic barriers, and provides a fairly meaningful experience? Moreover, at the hours and times that are convenient to students: any time. Colleges and universities have been organizing around “one-stop shopping” for a long time (putting commonly needed resources in a like area). Now, it may take on a new meaning. It could truly be the most disruptive technology to enrollment marketing yet. Exciting.
From a learning perspective……forghetaboutit (if you go to school in Jersey). As robust as learning technologies are, they don’t provide much of an experience to the student, or for that matter, the faculty member. Literally, raise your hand in class; show emotion when someone in class challenges your thinking; do a team project with all team members standing in front of class. This does not seem too far from a Second Life reality.
We are in an experience economy, and in the business of higher education, institutions are rewarded for creating a great experience for their students and families, alumni and other stakeholders. For those institutions that are held back by geographic disadvantages, or have missed the transition of adapting more relative marketing processes, Second Life may be just what the doctor ordered. It will be interesting to see which institutions will be the pioneers of applying Second Life to their infrastructure. Hopefully, it will provide a more equal level playing field between the super brands (Ivy, Big-1o, etc), and the schools that have a lot to offer but are overshadowed by current media mediums.
