Case Story: Oi! Cubist!

Summary
Group / workshop	Digital Identities	Status	seed
Project details...

Situation

What was the setting in which this case study occurred?

This case study is about some students getting to know my avatar quite well, and then encountering the 'real' me later.

As part of the Open Habitat project, I ran a pilot study with a small group of first year Graphic Design students. The pilot started just four weeks into the course, and as I'd spent most of this time trying to working out what a new course leader was supposed to do, I'd not really had any dealings with these students. Although the ten students in the pilot had attended a half-hour OpenSim induction that I'd run for first years, the first real contact I had with this group during the pilot was when my Second Life avatar, Cubist Scarborough, met their newly minted avatars.

Task

What was the problem to be solved, or the intended effect?

The task was to get to know the students, understand their particular needs and adapt the structure of the pilot to provide them with the optimal learning experience over the 3 weeks of the pilot.

Actions

What was done to fulfil the task?

The pilot was structured to provide a range of mini projects for the students to get working on, helping me and my colleague to identify their needs through dialogue around the work produced. Conversation was a big part of the experience, and our digital selves all got to know each other quite well in a short space of time.

Results

What happened? Was is a success? What contributed to the outcomes?

The students' avatars seemed more relaxed and willing to open up to my avatar than an average first year student would to a course leader after four weeks. I managed to dig deeper, earlier, and I felt like I'd helped some of the students to progress more rapidly than I would otherwise. However, when met up with the real students, I didn't really feel the same connection with them, and there was an awkwardness between our 'real' selves.
The other slightly disconcerting thing that keeps happening is that one of the students from the pilot shouts "Oi! Cubist!" whenever he spots me in the corridor. I'm not quite sure what to think, or how to react when I'm Ian.

Lessons Learned

What did you learn from the experience?

Acting through fantastic digital identities can help to break down some of the barriers between students and tutors, and this is particularly useful when learning relies on open and honest conversations. However, on a physically located course, it is inevitable that the lights will get switched on at some point, and puppeteers will see each other - warts and all.

Licensing

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