Associate Professor, Multimedia Program & Department of Communication
Co-Director, Bradley University New Media Center
Bradley University
Peoria IL 61625
Global Communication Center 315
(309) 677-2378 ell@bradley.edu
AIM/IM: dredleelam
2nd Life: Professor Beliveau
office:Tues: 10:30-12; Thurs: 1:30-2:30
Goals
Spring '09
Requirements/Expectations
Grading
Texts
Special Considerations
Flexible Schedule
Assignments
Blogs

Field Research in Virtual Worlds: MM 444

Course Goals

The purposes include:

  • Teach students about virtual worlds/immersive environments, especially as social/community environments rather than as quest games.
  • Teach students a valuable and oft-use strategy/method for doing research (ethnographic field methods).
  • Learn about a community of practice in Second Life
  • Learn about ways Second Life can be used for distance education.

Requirements/Expectations

Class attendance is required. Monday + Wednesdays, 6:30-7:45pm. Students should read and study the textbooks according to the schedule. Students will discuss readings, take oral quizes, report on their research preparations, and/or conduct research, daily in class. Additional work outside of class is expected.

Grading
Examinations (3) over books (and lectures about them) (1 & 2= 75 each; 3= 50) 200
Student presentations: 100
Research assignment/exercises: 250
Blog entries: 100 (50 each grading)
Final Paper: 350 (in two parts; 150 draft & 200 completed final)
Total----------------------------------------------1000* (final total could be more or less than 1,000)
<58.5

Texts :

The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research. (Paperback) 
Barney Glaser & Anselm L. Strauss. Aldine, 1967, 1995, 1999, Revised, 2006.

Coming of Age in Second Life: An Anthropologist Explores the Virtually Human. Tom Boellstorff. Princeton UP: 2008.

Special Considerations

Your attendance during class time is required. Please limit multitasking and focus your attention and energy on class activities. Later in the term, some of the time will be spent on your own, doing research. I may join you/supervise from time to time. Blog work is homework, to be done out of class time. In cases of Second Life failure, iChat or Skype audio will be substituted during class.

Our class may be visited, both in world and "over Ed's shoulder" by guests throughout the term. I'll notify you of visitors. Please remain respectful and focused. Do not invite friends to class. All visitors must be approved by Professor Beliveau/Ed. Refer potential guests to me for clearance and scheduling (I DO welcome them and make arrangements for them).

We have a class e-mail alias <mm44401-sp@bumail.bradley.edu>. Please check it daily (if you forward your mail out of it, be sure to empty the BU box regularly). I deduct 25 points (I'll notify you) from your score total each time--after the first (I'll warn you of this one)-- that I get bounced mail because your box is full. There is a Sakai site for grades.

Protection of Human Subjects Procedures

HSP Procedures:

  • Register for and complete CITI online Bradley student protocol and deliver "certificate/proof of completion" to Dr. Lamoureux, no later than noon, January 26 (assignment 1).
  • Uphold LL/SL "community standards" in all contact with residents.
  • Uphold LL/SL "terms of service" with regard to "conduct of users," IP rights, the DMCA, and other matters in the agreement.
  • Create a HSP handout as a notecard offered to all avatar subjects and land/venue owners and any avatar who inquires as to the research work/researcher’s presence.
  • Maintain subject confidentiality in data management (coded names, etc.) from informal conversations.
  •  Forbid students from copying and saving transcripts of talk from avatars with whom they have not gotten permission (and who haven’t been given and returned a signed HSP handout).
  • Forbid students from using camera controls to see through objects and into spaces where they are not co-present with the subjects.
  • Publish the URL for the student course blogs for the purpose of returning knowledge to the communities of practice in question.
  • Faculty review of the student blogs regularly to catch any “beginners’” mistakes that might compromise subject protections.
  • Block out avatar names and faces in cases of publishing photos of subjects without their permission. Similar adjustments made to location shots and maps where needed.
  • Copy of assignment progress and final papers posted to the student blogs.

  • Class Research Ethics FAQ
  • The Belmont Report
  • CITI

Policy regarding student absence due to an illness:
When missing classes and related assignments due to an illness, it is the student's responsibility to provide a document issued by a medical authority to verify the student's absence due to illness, unless the Office of the Associate Provost for Student Affairs informs an instructor of the basis for the student's absence. Instructors will not call the Health Center or any other source to verify the student's reason for absence. Verification does not excuse the student from assigned work.

Policy regarding e-mail communication about grades:
As a matter of the Multimedia Program policy to protect student privacy and in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, questions and concerns regarding grades must be presented in person or in a written letter. Instructors will not respond to questions and concerns communicated through e-mail or telephone calls regarding grades.

Flexible Schedule [may be revised with notice]

1/21 class 1
In Class: Orientation to class; CUHSR application status. Quick look at the target {you should visit the target location often in the next week. Do not collect any data. Without being rude, make minimal contact}.
For future class: CITI BU student certificate must be completed and passed to Ed no later than noon, February 26. Establish new blogspace. Students without completed certificate will be asked to drop the class. No research data may be collected until we receive positive notification from BU CUHSR. For 1/26: Read Glaser & Strauss, pp. 21-31; bottom 35-43; Read Boellstorff, Chapter 1. Complete Assignment 1 before noon 1/26.

1/26 class 2
In Class: Assignment 1 due before noon. Glaser & Strauss, pp. 21-31; 35-43; Boellstorff, Chapter 1.
For future class: Read Boellstorff, Chapter 3.

1/28 class 3
In Class: Boellstorff, Chapter 3/methods comparisons; group chat about research strategies and responsibilities {you may need to meet further about this before 2/2}
For future class: Glaser & Strauss, III, Theoretical Sampling (45-77) Assignment 2 by noon 2/9.

February

2/2 class 4
In Class: Glaser & Strauss, III, Theoretical Sampling (45-77)
For future class:Read Boellstorff, Chapter 4; Assignment 3 due by noon 2/11.

2/4 class 5
In Class: Boellstorff, Chapter 4
For future class:Read Boellstorff, Chapter 5

2/9 class 6
In Class: Assignment 2 by noon Discuss plans for research; Boellstorff, Chapter 5
For future class:Read Boellstorff, Chapter 6

2/11 class 7
In Class: Assignment 3 due by noon; Boellstorff, Chapter 6
For future class:Read Boellstorff, Chapter 7

2/16 class 8
In Class:Boellstorff, Chapter 7
For future class: Glaser & Strauss V, Constant Comparison (101-116); Download the TAMS software and read through the “TAMS Analyzer User Manual”

2/18 class 9
In Class: Glaser & Strauss, V, Constant Comparison (101-116); “TAMS Analyzer User Manual”

2/23 class 10
In Class: Ethnographic film and discussion
For future class: Assignment 5 due by noon 2/25. Assignment 6 due before noon, 2/25

2/25 class 11
In Class: Assignment 5 due by noon; Assignment 6 due before noon; Ethnographic film and discussion
For future class: Assignment 7 due before noon, 3/2

March

3/2 class 12
In Class: Assignment 7 due before noon; class discussion of research progress and plans.
For future class: Assignments 4 & 6 due by noon 3/9. Exam 1 will be given in class, 3/4.

3/4 class 13
In Class: Exam 1 (readings from Glaser & Strauss)
For future class: Exam 2 will be given in class, 3/9.

3/9 class 14
In Class: Exam 2 (readings from Boellstorff)
For future class:

3/11 class 15
In Class:
For future class: move some data into files for the TAMS Analyzer software. Read Glaser & Strauss, Chapters 9,10,11 for 3/25

spring break march 14-22 Midterm grades due the 25th Implement TAMS Analyzer if you have not already done so

3/23 class 16
In Class: TAMS Analyzer Implementation
For future class: Assignment 8 due before noon, 3/30

3/25 class 17
In Class: Glaser & Strauss, Chapters 9,10,11
For future class: Assignment 9 due before noon, 4/1

3/30 class 18
In Class: Group discussion, assessment, and planning.
For future class: Assignment 10 due before noon, 4/8; Read Boellstorff, Chapters 8 & 9. Blogs will be graded after midnight tonight.

April

4/1 class 19
In Class: Assignment 8 due; Boellstorff, Chapters 8 & 9

4/6 class 20
In Class: Exam 3 (remaining combined readings & lectures)

4/8 class 21
In Class: Assignment 10 due before noon
For future class: Assignment 11 due before noon 4/15

4/13 class 22
Assignment 13, Final paper draft due by noon 4/22.

4/15 class 23
In Class: Assignment 11 due
For future class: Assignment 12 due before noon 4/20

4/20 class 24 Assignment 12 due before noon

4/22 class 25 Assignment 13 Final paper draft due by noon

4/27 class 26
In Class: One on one meetings toward final paper

4/29 class 27: Blogs will be graded after midnight tonight

May

5/4 class 28
In Class: Assignment 14: Final paper due

Final Exam period TBD: thursday may 7 or tuesday may 12, 8-10pm

Assignments

1. Complete and submit CITI certification

2. Articulate a plan of study for the first month of the term (Feb). Include the following:

  • A list of 2 topics of interest about the group that you will explore. Explain and justify.
  • A list of 3 types of interviewees you need to engage with potential topics of foci for your interviews. Explain and justify.
  • Sampling grid: Observation times in world and how you will spend it clearly indicating how the plan relates to various aspects of the topics of interest (how are you going to sample those topics?)
  • Note rendering and transcription times/sessions.

3. Re-work your permission notices for real research and MM 444. After BU CUHSR approval, re-establish contact with land-owner/coordinator and, as a group, present yourselves and obtain signed permission.

4. Indicate 4 "groups/subgroups" for data collection for the purpose of comparisons. Identify two "groups/subgroups" for comparison; two "groups/subgroups" for contrasts. Explain and justify.

5. Identify a principle "informant" for in-depth interview series (at least 3), tours, guidance, etc. Obtain permission (if not yet completed). Explain and justify. Present schedule for 3 interviews, spread out, across term.

6. (a) Submit "completion report summary" from first month's research plan (single page); (b) submit ALL completed work to this point in one combined file with headings indicating what is what.

7. submit plan for month 2.

8. (a) Submit "completion report summary" from second month's research plan (single page); (b) submit ALL completed in one combined file with headings indicating what is what. Be sure that all the work is dated for when you collected or rendered (completed) it.

9. submit plan for month 3 (separate document).

10. Submit a chronicle and review of all completed interviews; submit a "concept map/schematic" detailing major concepts and their relationships.

11. Complete a review of the literature (5-10 pages) studying communities or concepts similar to our target(s).

12. Re-submit assignment 10's "concept map/schematic," with listing of all categories, linkages, note sets organized within.

13. Final paper rough draft.

14. Final paper.

Blogs will be graded at the end of March and April

The final paper/report for this class can be accessed here
© Ed Lamoureux

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