Tata Interactive Systems (TIS), a world leader in custom e-learning design/ development and organisational performance improvement, has participated in an online (‘in-world’) symposium on ‘Creativity in Second Life’ organised by the New Media Consortium (NMC).

Not only did the symposium cover Second Life (SL) but it ran in the SL environment by the NMC. It involved studio sessions, hands-on sessions and exhibitions on several key topics related to the virtual world.

TIS’s Software Solutions practice is collaborating with the Federation of American Scientists (www.fas.org) on a project in SL. Within a session entitled ‘Gaming Second Life’, Dinesh Dwivedi of TIS joined Alice Petty from Stanford University and two presenters from FAS – Michelle Roper and Sachin Patil - to discuss the need for worldwide collaboration to develop 3D content for subjects such as archaeology, and to determine how the research product can be used for instructional delivery.

Dinesh Dwivedi discussed the technical goals of the TIS/FAS project and the future directions that online virtual world technologies may take, especially in the field of education and e-learning.

The session, which lasted just over an hour, was well attended.

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Notes for editors

Screen grabs of Dinesh Dwivedi’s presentation in Second Life are available on request from Bob Little Press & PR (tel 00 44 (0) 1727 860405; email bob.little@dial.pipex.com)

About the New Media Consortium (NMC)

The New Media Consortium (NMC) is an international not-for-profit consortium comprising nearly 250 learning-focused organisations dedicated to the exploration and use of new media and new technologies based in Austin, Texas. Member institutions are drawn from the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia. Among the membership are colleges and universities, museums, research centres, foundations and companies.

Further details from: http://www.nmc.org/symposium-on-creativity

About Federation of American Scientists (FAS)

The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) is a non-profit organisation founded in 1945. FAS promotes the humanitarian use of science and technology. Its Board of Sponsors includes 68 Nobel Laureates in chemistry, economics, medicine and physics. The FAS Learning Technologies Project works on strategies to harness the potential of emerging information technologies to improve how we teach and learn.

The Learning Technologies Program is developing prototype games and learning tools; publishes reports and policy analyses; holds workshops and conferences; briefs members of Congress and administration officials; and assembles design teams and community leaders to form research partnerships. Educational games are an important component of the program. By building and evaluating learning games in-house, FAS is addressing two key areas identified in the Learning Science and Technology R&D Roadmap: 1) design of games for learning; and 2) adapting simulations to learning environments. The Learning Science and Technology R&D Roadmap (www.fas.org/learningfederation) incorporates advice from 100 researchers to define state of the art learning science and identify key research challenges.

For more information please visit www.fas.org.