Virtual U Released; University Management Goes High Tech
Computer Simulation Tackles the Management Challenges of Higher Education
NEW YORK, NY -- The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Jackson Hole Higher Education Group, and Enlight Software are proud to announce the release of Virtual U, a new software product that simulates a university system and provides a compelling new way to understand and work with the challenges of higher education in America.
"After several years and a lot of effort, I'm happy to say we are shipping an incredible piece of software that puts a university into a box," said Jesse Ausubel, program director for Virtual U at the Sloan Foundation.
Designed to foster better understanding of management practices in American colleges and universities, Virtual U provides students, teachers, and parents the unique opportunity to step into the decision-making shoes of a university president. "Players" are responsible for establishing and monitoring all the major components of an institution, including everything from faculty salaries to campus parking. Players can make decisions such as decreasing faculty-teaching time or increasing athletic scholarships. However, as in a real college or university, the complexity and potential effects of each decision must be carefully considered. And the Virtual U Board of Trustees is monitoring every move.
Virtual U was conceived and designed by William F. Massy, a professor, writer, and university administrator for more than 30 years and the president of the Jackson Hole Higher Education Group. "Much of my experience in how universities are managed and how they work is represented in Virtual U," Dr. Massy said. "I'm excited to have helped create a tool that should help anyone who is involved in the management of our nation's higher-education system."
Virtual U's sophisticated design is driven by a state-of-the-art simulation engine built by renowned game developer Trevor Chan of Enlight Software, creator of the award-winning Capitalism, a simulation of corporate America. "Enlight Software is honored to have helped design and program Dr. Massy's vision of a university simulator," Chan said. "Virtual U is one of the most complex pieces of programming we've ever undertaken at Enlight and I'm proud to see how well it has turned out."
Virtual U models the attitudes and behaviors of the academic community in five major areas of higher education management:
- Spending and income decisions such as operating budget, new hires, incoming donations and management of the endowment;
- Faculty, course, and student scheduling issues;
- Admissions standards, university prestige, and student enrollment;
- Student housing, classrooms, and all other facilities; and
- Performance indicators.
Virtual U players select an institution type and strive for continuous improvement by setting, monitoring, and modifying a variety of institutional parameters and policies. Players are challenged to manage and improve their institution of higher education through techniques such as creative resource allocation, minority enrollment policies, and tenure parameters, among others. The program measures the passage of time at a rate selected by players, allowing them to watch as the results of their decisions unfold. Players receive a letter of review from Virtual U's board every "year," informing them of their progress.
The Creation of Virtual U
The development of Virtual U was made possible through a partnership that includes the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, the Jackson Hole Higher Education Group, the Forum for the Future of Higher Education, Institute for Research on Higher Education, and Enlight Software. The program's creation was motivated by Massy's and Ausubel's desire to help a range of college and university stakeholders better understand their institutions as dynamic systems.
Virtual U is available from Anker Publishing (www.Ankerpub.com) or call 978-799-6190 and retails for $130. Strategy and Technical Guide is sold separately for $32.95.
For more information or to download a demo of Virtual U, visit www.virtual-u.org.
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