Loyal reader JW sent along an article last week on the use of the virtual world 'Second Life' in teaching. Along with businesses, Harvard University has a class taught online there, and one online campus has been built into it. Here's a discussion held by teachers about how they use online environments. The use of Second Life for campus learning has been around for awhile. (The original press release.)

I was visiting with some people this morning during my usual breakfast and talked about this. We wonder whether experimental economics is using these controlled virtual worlds to test economic theory. Indeed they have. The economy is even being measured.

Worth thinking about: Building an economics course -- with a lab -- in a virtual world.