Uni campus: see the sites

Every university has its own website, but where do you go if you want to find out more? Well, if you want to know what life on campus is really like, whether the accommodation is suitable and if the student union bar is up to scratch, there are a number of websites to visit.

The internet now offers many opportunities to size up universities and the courses and accommodation options they offer. It is even possible now to become part of the student community at a college before deciding whether you want to go there! Social networking sites have become a daily feature for most of us and are an easy way to keep on top of hectic social lives. Universities and colleges are aware of this, so most have a MySpace page or a profile on Bebo. This provides access to existing students and the websites, forums and discussion groups they are part of.

The UCAS forum at www.yougofurther.co.uk is well worth visiting, bringing together prospective and existing students so that valuable advice on university life can be passed on. The Independent’s student forums (www.independent.co.uk/student/forum) are another great option, with the opportunity to discuss things such as career planning, getting into university, student life, media and culture.

It is Second Life, the virtual 3D world, where universities and colleges are really making bold strides. Many have a virtual campus where you are free to roam around at will.It provides the chance to become familiar with the place and interact with other students who are online at the same time.

Daniel Hawkins studies at the University of Brighton and is helping put together a virtual campus for the University of Sussex as part of a course project, seeing first-hand the benefits of Second Life. “If you were to walk round the campus after visiting it online it looks pretty much the same,” he says. “While I have been working on the Sussex virtual campus I have had students who are thinking of coming here approach me online and ask questions about the place, so it been great to be able to help and tell them what it is like.”

The University of Sussex has been developing the online campus this year, using it for teaching and as a showcase for student talent. They believe taking a “flight” around their computerised campus is the perfect way for potential students to explore. “People can land on the virtual campus and immediately strike up an informal chat with a student and find out what it is all about,” says Dr Judith Good, a senior lecturer in informatics at Sussex. “I cannot see how this would happen so easily anyway else, even on social networking sites. It leads to a completely different encounter.”

While much excitement is being created by the new learning techniques that the virtual world offers, there is little doubt that Second Life is helping to facilitate the transition to higher education. The people working behind the scenes see it as an ongoing movement.

“We’re proud of the fact that Second Life users are playing such a leading role in democratising and modernising the education system,” says Catherine Smith, director of marketing at Linden Lab, the virtual world technology company that created Second Life.“The flow of universities into virtual worlds has definitely been a force for good.”