EDUCATION REFORM GOES HIGH TECH
Virtual U Computer Simulation Tackles the Challenges of Higher Education
New York, NY (October 28, 1999) - It looks like a computer game and it's fun to use, but "winning" means much more
than a high score. Virtual U, a new software product sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, provides a
compelling new way to understand and work with the challenges of higher education in America by simulating a
university system. 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 a
university president's decision-making shoes.
Do you ever wish you could change the way your tuition dollars are spent?
With Virtual U, you can experiment with a number of allocation and management scenarios. "Players" of Virtual U
act as president and manage an institution's affairs. As president, you are responsible for
establishing and monitoring all the major components of your institution, including everything from faculty
salaries to campus parking. You can decrease faculty teaching time or increase athletic scholarships, but
you must keep in mind that each decision affects another part of your university system. As president,
you must consider the complexity of each decision and regulate your progress because the Virtual U board is
carefully monitoring your every move.
Driven by a sophisticated simulation engine developed by renowned game developer Trevor Chan
(creator of award-winning Capitalism, a simulation of corporate America), Virtual U models the attitudes and
behaviors of the academic community in five major areas of higher education management:
- Resource allocation and finance;
- Academic operations;
- Enrollment management;
- Physical plant activities; and
- Performance indicators.
Virtual U "players" select an institution of their choice 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 time passing at a rate
chosen by players, allowing them to watch as the results of their decisions unfold. Players receive a letter of
review from Virtual U's university board every "year," informing them of their progress.
The Creation of Virtual University
The Sloan Foundation effort entitled "The University as a System and the System of Universities," Virtual U was
conceived by Program Director Jesse Ausubel and long-time Stanford professor and administrator William Massy, who
is also the president of The Jackson Hole Higher Education Group. 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.
The development of Virtual U was made possible through a partnership including The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation,
the Spencer Foundation, the Jackson Hole Higher Education Group, the Forum for the Future of Higher Education,
the Institute for Higher Education Research at the University of Pennsylvania, and Enlight Software.
Virtual U is scheduled for release in March 2000 and will retail for $129.95.
Contact: Justine Clegg
(207) 773-3700
jclegg@dmill.com
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