News 03-25-2003
Make Plans Now to Attend Syllabus2003: July 27-31
Syllabus2003 is celebrating its 10th annual summer conference for education
technology professionals with five days of don't-miss keynotes, general sessions,
break-outs, and more. Monday, July 28, will be spent at Stanford University
where you'll see and experience the latest education technology in action. Four
days of high-level programming at the San Jose Marriott feature five new tracks
on topics of strategic importance. Plus, you'll enjoy networking and exhibits
in Syllabus' traditional collegial atmosphere. Don't miss out. Early Bird registration
in effect until June 27--Save up to $200 on the Gold Package and attend all
five days. For details and to register go to: http://info.101com.com/default.asp?id=828.
http://info.101com.com/default.asp?id=828
India's IIT Wins IBM Linux Open Source Challenge
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in New Delhi, India, was named the
top winner of IBM's Second Linux Scholar Challenge, receiving the highest overall
average score among student winners who enrolled in the challenge. A total of
20 individual winners were picked from the 2,871 students who registered from
646 universities in 68 countries. Each of the students developed a project or
solution to a problem using the Linux open source software. IBM created the
contest in 2001 to put focus on Linux and the workings of the open source community.
In the spirit of the open community, students were encouraged to consult with
others, research the problem, and use all open source resources to obtain the
best results. The projects represented a wide range of Linux applications, from
enhancing existing security and monitoring applications, to building a network
of Linux-based translation tools to create unified global communications. All
of the final projects can be viewed at http://www.ibm.com/university/linuxchallenge.
UT Links Research Centers with Visualization System
The Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at the University of Texas-Austin
deployed a network-based visualization application at two of its advanced computing
centers to facilitate real-time collaborative visualization between them. Installations
at TACC's advanced visualization laboratory on its main campus and in the main
computing facility at its research campus, separated by approximately eight
miles, will enable researchers on both campuses to work together to analyze
the results of computational simulations. For example, researchers in the UT
Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences will be able to collaboratively
analyze data from high performance computing simulations with their colleagues
in the UT Institute for Geophysics at the research campus. The university is
using Wide Area Visualization Solution from TeraBurst Networks Inc. as the collaboration
platform. The company designed the solution to provide real-time connectivity
between geographically separate centers that use high-resolution, 3-D stereoscopic
graphics and video for visualization applications.
Private U. Offers Degree in Online Game Design
The University of Advancing Technology (UAT), a Tempe, Ariz.-based for-profit
school said it will offer via its online division a degree program entirely
devoted to designing online games. UAT said students would work closely with
instructors having in-depth experience in game design and programming. Students
would graduate with an education in multimedia arts and expertise in 3-D modeling
and animation, game documentation, interactive story telling, interface development,
as well as proficiency in a number of interactive software development platforms.
The school said the video gaming industry continues to grow "at an incredible
rate [and] finding trained game developers has become a big obstacle for game
studios."
New Products: SCORM Simulation Tool for eLearning Market
A simulation software company released what it called the first
SCORM-compliant simulation software based on Flash designed
for the eLearning market. eHelp Corp. markets RoboDemo, a
Flash-based simulation application that enables trainers to create
simulations with quizzing and scoring capabilities. The simulations
can be integrated with a learning management system, viewed on a
Web site or intranet, burned on a CD, e-mailed to an end user, or
integrated into a Help system. RoboDemo can record the use of any
application or on-screen activity, and creates a movie in Flash
format with visible and audible mouse clicks. Simulations can be
easily enhanced by adding rollover and transparent text captions and
images, audio, interactive text fields and click boxes,
eLearning-specific features like quizzing, scoring and branching,
hyperlinks, and special effects.
New Deals, Awards, Contracts in Higher Education
3-D DESIGN—The University of Ottawa adopted SolidWorks as the three-dimensional
computer-aided design software it uses in its mechanical engineering design
curriculum. Students learn how to finalize mechanical product designs in a simulated
real-world business climate. Every semester, all fourth-year students spend
four months collaborating in teams of three using SolidWorks software to design
different aspects of a given product. For the Spring 2003 semester, it's an
all-terrain vehicle (ATV) that travels over snow, mud, and rocks.
CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT—Ohio State University's Department
of Athletics is using a CRM package from ForeSee Results as a tool for what
it calls "online customer satisfaction management." The system helps isolate
market factors that will most influence user satisfaction and loyalty, which
helps OSU make high-impact, cost-effective content and design decisions. The
software helps predict how satisfaction levels with various Web site elements
will affect future behaviors such as the likelihood to purchase again or return
to the site. It also provides real-time data on what Web site visitors are looking
for so changes can take place almost immediately. The system incorporates the
methodology of the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index.