University chief holds virtual meeting

TOWSON, Md., April 7 (UPI) -- The president of Maryland's Towson University said he has moved his monthly "study break" meeting with students to the virtual world of Second Life.

President Robert Caret said he holds the meetings every month to allow students to ask questions and voice concerns, and his very first virtual meeting last week attracted more than 30 students and faculty members -- record numbers for the meetings, The Baltimore Sun reported Tuesday.

"I thought having one of the study breaks in Second Life, we'd probably get a different group of students," said Caret, who also uses Facebook, a blog and a podcast to communicate with students.

LaTonya Dyer, an instructional designer and trainer at Towson University, said the online meeting came after several professors at the school posted office hours on Second Life, which has 1 million users globally.

Towson student government president Kristen Guy, 21, who organizes the monthly meetings, said the Second Life study break was a complete success.

"When I saw how many students were in the (virtual) room, I was overwhelmed," Guy said. "I thought it was an innovative new way to increase communication."