Innovating the didactical methodologies applied in Universities through Second Life and Practice Firm: case study

Background Today we live in a world where the limited spatial boundaries are overcome by virtual ones derived from the advancements reached in ICTs that pushed virtual communities to share information, interests and targets in a wider environment. In last years, virtual words (VWs) such as Second Life (SL) are increasingly used by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) as shared, interactive and immersive environments where people identified by avatars communicate, collaborate, innovate and trade (Foster 2008). Second Life is an online three-dimensional virtual environment launched by Linden Labs in 2003 that explores and develops different areas of intervention such as education and training; communication and collaboration; marketing, sale and innovation (Kaplan and Haenlein 2009). In SL, people are represented by avatars (their 3D representations) and communicate through chat (voice or written text), note cards, their profiles or Instant Messages in the case she/he is not online at the moment she/he logs in. Moreover, they can immerse Abstract