Times Higher Education Awards

I recently attended the gala Awards dinner for the Times Higher Education Awards at London's Grosvenor House Hotel with Derby University colleagues and saw St George's University collect the award for 'Outstanding ICT Initiative of the Year 2009'. Their Second Life project has been at the forefront of innovation utilising Daden's PIVOTE technology to train paramedics in the virtual world. The project was judged on its demonstration of an ‘innovative, strategic and potentially far-reaching use of ICT in support of the goals of that institution’. Key criteria were innovation, institutional impact and implications for the HE sector.

The award-winning project, launched in October 2008 and developed with the help of David Burden from Daden Ltd, helps to train paramedic students using problem-based learning (PBL) in the virtual world of Second Life. It sees students enter the virtual environment as paramedics on the St George’s Island, where they are immediately called to one of five different emergency scenarios. They work in small groups to assess and treat patients in the same way they would in the real world, before safely transporting them to hospital.

The virtual paramedics are able to replicate real-life tasks such as speaking with the patients, checking vital signs, dressing wounds and administering drugs. The scenario unfolds in response to their actions. Once they have reached the hospital, they submit handover notes on the patients, which are emailed to their real-life tutor for feedback.

Emily Conradi, e-Projects Manager, explained why the project has proved so useful to paramedic students: “Paramedic students spend a lot of time in work placements, which can be based anywhere in the country, so it can be hard for the students to meet face-to-face with each other and with their tutors. The advantage of Second Life is that it feels more real. Students get a sense of being there together and can decide what to do from what they can see in front of them.”

The application, developed by St George’s, is now available free of charge through Google Code to other institutions that wish to develop their own training courses. The universities of Coventry and Greenwich have already trialled the scenarios in their paramedic courses, and the concept has the potential to be used in other disciplines.

We've also used the PIVOTE technology at Derby University to set up Psychology Problem-based Learning scenarios. We plan to extend the technology to incorporated virtual chatbots and rudimentary Artificial Intelligence as the platform becomes more conducive to weaving in other server-based services.

Congratulations to St George's on a well-deserved win.

Note: Some of the above text was taken from St George's webpage

Dawkins on Second Life Sex

"I could imagine having virtual sex in Second Life for example, which might be very interesting. Erm, so I'm looking forward to... some progress in the technology and I'm glad that people are already doing Second Life because the technology improvements won't happen unless the first steps are, are err... taken."  

Prof. Richard Dawkins (6m14s-6m42s).

It's just as well there isn't a God, Richard.

I like the cheeky look just after he realises what he's just said at 6m40s. In all seriousness, Prof. Dawkins here suggests using head tracking with stereoscopy in Second Life which is something we've been working on recently at University of Derby. I'll be reporting results from these studies soon.


Here's a link to Richard's latest book in case there is a God or anyone from the Royal Society happens to read this blog. His website is subtitled 'A clear-thinking oasis' and I agree.

Guest Article: 'Why Online Relationships Work' by Adrienne Carlson

This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of forensic scientist schools . Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: adrienne.carlson83@yahoo.com

Why Online Relationships Work

There are times when relationships can drive you up the wall, when you feel both love and hatred for the same person and it confuses you no end. But there are also other times when relationships are the lifeblood of your existence, when they are the reason you are happy and content and peaceful with your life. They’re complex, they’re compelling and they’re contradictory, and relationships are a vital part of our lives. Some are easier than others though, and in my book, online relationships work better than those we maintain face to face, because:

• You are more in control: When you have an online relationship with a friend or a lover, you don’t have the luxury of showing your emotions immediately. This means that you avoid showing even your anger and other negative emotions in the heat of the moment. Instinctive reactions are responsible for more break-ups that you would care to count, and when this option is removed and you have more time to think and reply after a while, you tend to stay together for a longer time without any major arguments or fights. You learn how to control yourself and your mouth (or rather your fingers) the longer you are in an online relationship.

• You are able to stay in touch more regularly: Since the whole world has shifted online, it’s easier to stay in touch when you’re in an online relationship. You’re both on the same social networks, you have dedicated IMs for each other, and emails are reserved for romance and even sex. With all these avenues of communication, it’s easy to keep track of each other and stay together even though you’re far apart.

• It offers the best of both worlds: Online relationships allow you to be as intimate as you want even while giving you your own space and privacy. You always have the option to meet and enjoy each other’s company, but when you want some breathing space, it’s easy to just go back to sitting behind the computer screen. Any relationship thrives only when both partners have their own space, so you can see why online relationships work.

Of course, on the downside, there is the fact that there is no sense of touch or sight in the online world, and you lose out on a lot because of this. There is also the lack of emotions or rather the perception of emotions. But as with everything in life, we have to embrace the advantages while ignoring the disadvantages if we are to enjoy the best it has to offer.

by Adrienne Carlson