It May be Cool, But Is It Better?

Information technology analysis firm Forrester Research Inc. released last week a case study (purchase necessary) presenting how tire manufacturer Michelin Group uses the virtual world Second Life to train employees. The report outlines how Michelin uses Second Life to teach enterprise architecture theory to IT employees, including how it organizes materials and how employees interact with it. Unfortunately, the report is thin on the empirical evidence indicating whether Michelin's virtual "islands" train employees better than, or at least equally as well as, the traditional classroom.