CAN YOU DEVELOP VIRTUE IN A VIRTUAL WORLD? TEACHING ADVERTISING ETHICS IN SECOND LIFE

There are a variety of social networking tools that are in wide use by advertising educators, but the use of virtual worlds is slow to emerge as a pedagogical option. The purpose of this article is to introduce a virtual world learning environment, specifically a Second Life island for teaching advertising ethics. Virtual worlds are not a panacea, but understanding how to incorporate this technology into advertising education may bode well for future students who, unlike the present generation, are already immersed in virtual worlds. An assessment of a student experience in the virtual world is provided that, in this pilot application, indicates for this present generation of learners, in the subject matter increased, however the use of Second Life was less than optimal.