The Virtual Learning Commons for Nurses: Using Second Life (SL) to Support Nursing Education Authors and Contributors:

Mark D. Puterbaugh , Librarian; Malinda Shannon, Research Assistant; Heather Gorton BA, Research Assistant JinJu Kang RN BSN; Hyun Mi Lee RN BSN; Mi Young Lim RN BSN; Swoo Alexandrov, Librarian; Joy Dlugosz, Librarian; Aina Kuo, Librarian and Translator

Eastern University, Warner Memorial Library, St. Davids, PA

RN22%

BSN26%

MSN26%

PHD22%

Other4%

Professional Status

Have you made social contacts in

SL?

No

17%

Yes

83%

Have you made contacts through

VLCN?

Yes

35%

No

65%

“Thank you very much for this chance to participate .... This would definitely improve our

chances in meeting people from all over with the same professional background in RL.”

“First I would need to be able to find VLCN on Teaching 10 Island on

the map.”

“I haven't had much time to explore VLCN yet, but would love to learn

more about it. The couple times I did stop by the sim was empty. “

Objective: With funds from the Donald A. B. Lindberg Research Fellowship of 2008, the Virtual Learning Commons for Nurses (VLCN) was created in the virtual online social world Second Life (SL). As part of the project, a series of basic information literacy classes were offered to nurses using SL for edu-cation and recreation. This provided a means to foster social and professional interaction of nurses from a variety of backgrounds and evaluate SL as a tool for promoting socialization and professionalization among nurses and those supporting nursing education. Methods: In-person observation and real-time interaction provided a subjective analysis of the project. Surveys and quizzes using in-world tools provided objective analysis of the nurses’ learning experience in the VLCN and in generally in SL. Conclusions: SL provides an excellent tool for nursing education and social interaction. However, SL requires a significant investment in finances, per-sonnel time and social capital to make it an effective tool

VLCN Facts:

There have been 4 Eastern University Nursing Informatics classes introduced to SL through the VLCN. Currently 17 Information Literacy Friday open class sessions have been presented. 15 Video Tutorials were created to run in the VLCN, as a tool for library instruction. 22 PowerPoint presentations were created to run in the VLCN, as a tool for library instruction. The SL Group Learning Commons for Nurses boasts over 115 members. To date, over 200 individual visitors have come to the VLCN site on Teaching 10 Island.

Rating the VLCN and SL on a Scale from 1 to 10. How would you rate your SL class experience?

Score 7.9 How would you rate your SL experience overall?

Score 8.2 Rate the learning materials found at the VLCN.

Score 7 Rate the VLCN as a place to make personal or professional contact.

Score 7.6 How would you rate SL as a place to meet people?

Score 7 How likely is your attendance to additional VLCN events?

Score 7.6 How likely is your attendance to additional VLCN classes?

Score 6.6

Who They Are:

What They Are Doing: