FAQ for CSL

Deb Sartre asked some questions. There may be other people with questions. If we want to promote CSL, we wiil want questions answered. Pathefinder Linden can probably supply definitive answers. but meanwhile, here are own. (Not based on authority, just arrogance.)

1) When using Campus Second Life, you get an acre to work with, can you divide this up so that different student groups can build in their own sections of the acre?

>>You certainly can. They are your students. Assign areas, make fences, lay down the laws of you area. If you want SL to control usage as it does with other areas, there is no technical reason why they can't do this. LL may not have the implementation in place. And they may not be sure of what you want. If it is important, start another thread about that issue specifically.

2) When the class is over, is there a way for students to save what they have created and upload those files later using their own non-class account?

>> That is purely a question of implementation. I assume that they can ger their own free (landless) accounts and their own independent avatars. Then the builds can (I assume) be transferred to the independent avatars by whoever (you, maybe) owns the builds.

>> It certainly should be possible to save the files, but I would not try that. Version changes could make them obsolete and unloadable. This is a technical issue that LL can best advise on.

3) I read that nudity is only allowed in mature areas; however, when I teleported from the initial tutorial area there were two nude avatars visible. Is there a way to prevent this on a classwide or individual basis for students who might be offended by nudity/mature content?

>> You, in control of the area, can determine who has access. You would list your students and any other avatars you choose. Your students could still see though the boundary. You might have a private island. It probably can be left off the map. The boundary can probably be made opaque, but Pathfinder probably knows about that.

>>For the free acre, you could put up walls around it. Integrate them into the buiild and you probably won't use any extra prims.

4) Does anyone have a sample disclaimer/agreement that you give to students before working in SL? (E.g. "Just like when working on the Internet you may find content that you find offensive or objectional.... etc." so they are warned beforehand about some of the issues that may come up?)

>>I'm not sure any general disclaimer would do. In the institutions I am familiar with, the issue you mention would not come up. My suggestion: "As instructor, I only control the designated class area. If you venture out of this area, you are on your own. Find out what to expect before you leave the area."

Thanks for the response Thinkerer - I appreciate it

Re #3: I realize now that the avatar nudity I thought I saw in the PG areas was just an issue of textures loading slowly.

Re #4: I drafted a sample disclaimer for my students and would be happy to share with other educators.

If you would post the dicslaimer here, I ouwld pick it up and include in the the FAQ I am building. TM

Here's the file. If anyone has edits/suggestions, please let me know.

Thanks. I have picked up the file and will use the section on risks in the FAQ. TM

Catchy title. Dull follow-through. Just like the TV news.
Here is an item for FAQ in CSL. I think it is in usable form as is, but welcome changes.

Q. SL has nudity and sexually explicit content in some areas. Is there a sample disclaimer/agreement that might advise students about this and about possible courses of action?

A. Here is a version derived from a disclaimer from one of the educators in CSL. And keep in mind that all students using the adult version of SL should be over 18.

“As with other places online or in the real world, you may run into things you find offensive. SL designates some areas as “mature” and others as “PG”. This class will stick to the PG areas. But you still might run into offensive people, content, or situations. If this happens, you can ignore the offensive material, “teleport” within the game to the class home, or log out of the game. You may also contact me to discuss any issues or concerns you have about using SL.”