Using virtual world technology to deliver educational services

Despite increasing educational use of immersive virtual environments for seminars, lectures and teaching related events, there is an absence of ceremonial events such as graduation. Graduation is not simply an ‘event’ but a cultural practice, a ritual, marking alife-transition point and public recognition of achievement. This case study reports a recent innovation in the delivery of educational services in which university students take part in an official graduation using the virtual world technology, Second Life (http://​www.​secondlife.​com). This case study has previously been reported in Keeling et al., 2009