Synopsis for Virtual Reality for Art Students: Using Second Life as an Interactive Learning Environment

In general, art students are unwilling to learn programming and engineering aspects in 3D or game design courses. They take these skills as “hard” ones compared to drawing and sketching in art courses. Therefore, the teachers at CIT are developing a virtual reality course using Second Life for art students, in which we emphasize collaborative learning and engagement. The goal is to involve art students in the VR environment with little programming and guide them through the basics of programming with tools provided in Second Life. Since the interfaces of SL are visually immediate and direct to art students, they will appreciate the programming skills embedded in the courses. And hopefully this approach will encourage art students to learn more about computer languages.