Coventry University has joined withCiscoand Giunti Labs to create a
unique mobile and virtual learning environment in itsSerious Games Institute.
The Serious Games Institute (SGI) is the first of three new
institutes being opened at the Coventry University Technology Park.
The SGI aims to support regional development through game-based
learning and interactive digital media resources for a range of
uses.
The university wanted to give its SGI a technology platform to
build a digital model of the campus building, so that students'
movements in both the real building and its virtual reconstruction
could trigger location based access to learning content and
experiences.
This means that content can be pushed to students by the most
suitable method for their location and the device they are
using.
The solution uses Cisco wireless location services to track
real-world positions and movements integrated within the Giunti
Labs learn eXact learning content management system.
The Giunti Labs software also allows any form of digital
learning content to be repurposed "on the fly" for use either in
the virtual SGI environment or via any device connected to the
Coventry University Cisco wired and wireless networks.
Giunti Labs, SGI and Cisco are also planning to start work on
what they call "extended positioning" - that is, the standard
inter-working and interoperability of position detection systems
within real and virtual copies of the same facility.
These systems will help enable students visiting a place, either
in the real world or online, to meet - despite being physically
separated by thousands of miles. The capability is being brought
about by real-world and avatar-based positioning.
"Blending mobile and virtual world technologies has unmatched
potential for producing effective technology-based learning," said
Giunti Labs' CEO, Fabrizio Cardinali.
The SGI deployment is part of a much wider transformational
project by Coventry University. It wants to create a smart campus
by 2010 that will help it take on more UK and overseas
undergraduate and doctoral students, improve student and staff
satisfaction, achieve a 50% annual growth in applied research
income, and create a series of leading applied research centres and
groups.
John Latham, pro vice-chancellor for business development at the
university, said, "Our SGI has a number of advanced virtual
learning capabilities, such as drag-and-drop positioning of digital
learning contents, three-dimensional hotspot positioning, and
triggering and tracking of learning content by an avatar."
He sdaid, "We also have the tools and functionality for the
creation, packaging and management of Shareable Content Object
Reference Model (SCORM)-compliant content, which can be
contextualised and delivered to Windows Mobile 5 personal digital
assistants within the SGI Cisco Wi-Fi network."
Location based content can also be reused on other virtual
worlds platforms, such as Forterra and Second Life, he said.