Loyalist College has won a distinguished 2008 Colleges Ontario Award for creating a ‘virtual’ campus known as Loyalist College in Second Life.
As the first Canadian college to establish an on-line campus, Loyalist College in Second Life is recognized for the innovative learning opportunities it provides students. Second Life is a 3-D, virtual world where people can interact with others from around the world.
"Second Life provides a unique learning space where students can experience new approaches to learning and interacting with professors and other students," said Loyalist College President Maureen Piercy. "We are proud to be able to offer students an opportunity to learn in this new environment. This is another example of Loyalist’s learning-centred philosophy in action."
Loyalist staff members who have led project development and who are recognized in the award nomination are: Vice-President Enrolment Management and Student Services and Acting Vice-President Academic George Burton; e-Learning Facilitator Ken Hudson, and Director of Information Technology Services Mark Kirkpatrick.
Joining Harvard, Stanford and approximately 200 other academic institutions from across the globe, the Second Life programs allow students to participate in learning activities in an on-line environment supported through the web. Second Life allows students to interact with other Second Life "residents," safely participate in workplace simulations, and gain experience in a sophisticated environment.
"Loyalist College’s development in Second Life helps us meet the students’ demand for a new value equation that is significantly affecting the learning culture. Markedly different from the traditional model, students are engaged in the learning process as active participants, collaborating to ensure content is timely, relevant and memorable. As a result, the role of the institution shifts from purveyor of information to facilitator," commented George Burton, Vice-President Enrolment Management and Student Services.
The Colleges Ontario Awards were established in 2000 to recognize individuals, organizations and volunteers who have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of Ontario’s college system.
The 2008 award winners for all eight categories are listed on Colleges Ontario’s website: www.collegesontario.org under "News". The awards will be presented February 11, 2008 at the Colleges Ontario annual conference in London.
Media contact: Dianne Spencer, College Advancement & External Relations, Loyalist College, (613) 969-1913, ext. 2235