The student behind the avatar: using Second Life (virtual world) for legal advocacy skills development and assessment for external students – a critical evaluation

Abstract

In 2009 the virtual world Second Life (SL) provided a setting for the flexible delivery, in a sustainable cost effective courtroom, of an advocacy exercise to external students enrolled in a Criminal Law course (Law programs) at the University of Southern Queensland. In doing so SL added an enhanced overlay to the already widely recognized pedagogies regarding advocacy skill development through situated role play, which would not have otherwise been available to external students using alternative communication technology. 'The student behind the avatar: Using Second Life (virtual worlds) for legal advocacy skills development and assessment for external students – a critical evaluation' explains the advocacy exercise skills development program in the Criminal Law course (USQ) as against professional accreditation requirements (Au) and pedagogical value. It discusses the positive and negative aspects of the delivery of the program to external students in a SL courtroom and presents the results of a survey of participating students regarding their advocacy experience in SL.