The management and security of virtual world university campuses and teaching environments

The successful operation of virtual world teaching, learning and social environments requires careful planning and management. This involves controlling a range of factors including entry, building and object permissions, role responsibilities, security of facilities, personal safety, emergency procedures and the development of a comprehensive risk management plan. There are many parallels between the management of real world campuses and those that can be created in the virtual world. This paper presents a discussion and critical review of virtual campus management issues and illustrates their application with examples from established university and university partnership environments created in the virtual world of Second Life®.