What would YOU like to see on a virtual university campus?

I am helping develop a virtual campus for a university and was curious as to what SL users think would be interesting and/or useful to include on a campus.

What types of information do you want available? Activities? Simulations? Class-related things? Disability-related things? Cultural centers? What do you want to know about/see/do/experience/etc, etc, etc?

The more information and ideas and details you throw out here, the more helpful it will be.

Thanks in advance for any insight you impart. :}

Virtual fraternities and sorority houses. Keggers, lack of morals in inhibitions. All the good stuff I somehow missed the first time around.

Students.

To be authentic, there must be an avatar hanging out in the quad handing out Gideon Bibles.

Definitely all of the above. Meet-and-greet events with actual students and professors for prospective students. Course materials available inworld, for actual students and career counselors as well to help alumni. Shinies: Multimedia stuff - videos/machinima. If your university has sports, a field house with info about the teams. Information about the surrounding area - places to go, things to do in the surrounding towns/cities and info about public transportation.

And the same group of students protesting whatever is fashionable to protest that day. Same students only the signs change.

And photocopied ads for roommates and "study guides" with tear-off phone numbers confetti-style across the bottom staplegunned to every potentially notice-board-like surface.

And an idealized view of some fictitious society with the firm belief that they live there.

And lower tuition fees!

I am disabled and entering college this year was made extremely easy by having a special office to assist the disabled (both physical and mental). I cannot tell you how invaluable that was just getting counseling and registering without going through the usual hoops. This seems like an excellent opportunity to reach out to the disabled and be able to offer that extra service when possible. I would think this would be one of the primary things to focus on for success.

A nutty professor or two wouldn't go amiss.

And a perennial clot of drummers across the quad from the Student Union.

I'd like to see the people running the project actually be somewhat engaged with the rest of the world, so they know what 99.44% of SL is.

(Sorry, worked with a couple universities, and they do so often seem to actively avoid engaging in this world of ours)

Kinda like rl.

Stop reading my mind...*shakes fist*

Think of the types of things that would go on the university web site. Start with putting that type of information in-world (or at least link out to the web site). That's just for a start.

Since Second Life is a 3D world, take advantage of that. Recreate your campus so people can see how it's laid out. Full-scale would be cool but in miniature scale would work too. Label everything and make it like a 3D map.

Got dorm rooms? Recreate them so people can more easily see what they're like (better than just photos).

Second Life is also a collaborative world. Hold events where people can meet the dean, professors, or registrar staff. Be active in-world.

Second Life is an interactive world. Have the chemistry department create a lab where people can run experiments. Advertise it as something that students can come learn more about if they come to your school and take chemistry.

Freebies! Free hats, shirts, cool gadgets with your university's logo.

I enjoy the college campuses in world. They are often nice builds (that's what we call virtual design) and make me feel academic even if no one is around.

Those that I enjoy the most have art galleries and venues for live music events, author readings, guest speakers, and so forth. Libraries too - with virtual books about the history of the campus.

But the most important feature I'd like to see on a virtual campus is a detention area for students who want to write a thesis about Second Life and who come here to survey us about the "game." Have a thesis writer dunking booth and you could raise money for the rest of the build, at least from those of us who frequent these forums.

Naked cheerleaders.

Voice enabled student union (hangout/cafeteria). Where no one studies and everyone goofs off instead...

Like a lot of real universities.

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Off topic a bit but I have yet to find a sim where people can help others learn a foreign language in a PG setting simply by having an informal conversation...not for lindens just to chat and be helpful.

One of those in-world would be nice, and might apply to some university sim in fact.

I'd like to improve in other languages and I've met some who cornered me wanting to learn English...

This. Also a few pie-eating contests couldn't hurt.

I agree with this! We are not research subjects! Encourage mixing of the academic and social worlds. A public square with guest speakers and live music would encourage this.

For a virtual campus, I also like the idea of big leafy trees to mark and food-grubbing squirrels to chase. A nice library with books to read and chew on - I'm a literary-minded canine.

How about outdoor tables to sit comfortably at and listen to lectures/performances while being served food/drinks. Can be shared with any four legged visitors wandering by. Squirrel isn't a balanced diet. How about popcorn and croissants.

I prefer this to indoor/outdoor stadium seats/bleachers.

Don't forget the stoner kids playing hacky-sack!!

Or the hippie kid that smells like patchouli & B.O.

Streakers.... Hung-over people vomiting in the parking lot... Panty raids...


All of a sudden, I want to go watch "Animal House"

Touch football, mud wrestling, frisbee in the quad. (Does anyone study on campus?)



Dibs on picking your pledge name.

Sex, drugs and rock'n'roll.

Pie (or has it changed in the last thirty years?)