International launch for Eduserv funded Second Life browser

The Sloodle browser (www.sloodle.com/browser), a collaborative web browser that enables groups of users in virtual world Second Life (www.secondlife.com) to interact with web pages, is to be launched by the University of the West of Scotland on Sunday 7 September at the Second Life Community Convention in Tampa, Florida

The Sloodle browser has been jointly developed by the University of the West of Scotland and San Jose State University with funding and support from Eduserv. The browser overcomes some of the current limitations on interacting with the web within Second Life.

The University of the West of Scotland has also developed quizHUD, which supports the creation of educational content that fully exploits Second Life's rich 3D environments, and includes a web-based authoring system for developing tutorials and assessments which are then taken inside Second Life.

Andy Powell, Head of Development at Eduserv, comments: “Eduserv has funded a number of major research projects every year to promote innovative use of ICT for learning and research. This is a significant project that builds on the interest in virtual worlds in academia and Eduserv is delighted to be supporting it.”

For more information on the launch, visit the University of the West of Scotland website.