TATA Interactive Systems (TIS), a global leader in e-learning, has been awarded
the APEX 2004 Award of Excellence in the ‘Education & Training Campaigns
& Programs’ category for its work on simulation-based learning objects
(SimBLs) on business ethics at the University of Phoenix Online, in the USA.
Sambit Mohapatra, the head of TIS in the UK and Europe, commented: “SimBLs
provide learners with an engaging and highly motivating way to interact with
e-learning materials, greatly enhancing the learning experience and increasing
the retention of information. They simulate specific topics by substituting
fidelity-to-concept for fidelity-to-reality, helping learners to focus on the
key learning points in the material.
“They can be used as standalone learning tools or can be blended with
other forms of learning for use as ice breakers, pre-assessments or even assessment
tools.”
Sanjaya Sharma, chief executive of TIS, added: “Using SimBLs at the University
of Phoenix has demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach in facilitating
learning. The University now incorporates SimBLs in its business management
program and uses SimBLs simulations on other courses being taught throughout
the university.”
Being more tightly focused than many online business simulations, SimBLs can
offer a cost-effective way of learning – being available on a ‘pay-per-user’
basis.
About the award-winning entry
The Business Ethics Simulation-based Learning Object was created for the online
MBA program at the University of Phoenix (UoP), Arizona, USA, who aimed to:
· Increase instructional efficiency
· Handle larger classes
· Cover ‘difficult to learn’ concepts
· Focus on real-world application
TIS’s solution was to develop small, self-contained chunks of learning
for each subject – including business ethics – that simulate real-world
scenarios and aid focused learning. The solution provides
§ Uncertainty and unpredictability
§ Instant feedback
§ External influences
§ Opportunities to review decisions
The solution focuses on comprehensive feedback to improve learning effectiveness,
by discussing their decisions, the optimal solutions and the rationale behind
them.
TIS’ simulations helped enhanced conceptual understanding, boosted relevant
classroom discussions and reduced the number of doubts that the teachers had
to respond to. Their effectiveness is reflected by the fact that today UoP offers
nearly 100 simulation-based courses in its online MBA program.
(More information at www.apexawards.com)
About the APEX Awards
The APEX Awards for Publication Excellence is an annual competition for writers,
editors, publications staff and business and nonprofit communicators. It is
sponsored by Communications Concepts, Inc., publishers of business communication
reports, including Writing That Works, a subscription monthly for professional
communicators, and special reports on topics such as Writing for the WEB.
According to the APEX 2004 judges: "The awards were based on excellence
in graphic design, quality of editorial content and the success of the entry
in conveying the message and achieving overall communications effectiveness."
In the 16th Annual APEX Awards, awards were given in 109 communications categories,
in 11 main categories including: newsletters; magazines and journals; magapapers
and newspapers; annual reports; brochures, manuals and reports; video and electronic
publications; Web and intranet sites; campaigns, programs and plans; writing;
design and illustration; and special publications.
5,462 entries were received (across 109 categories) including 329 entries in
the Campaigns, Programs & Plans category, in which Tata Interactive Systems
won an Award of Excellence.
About Tata Interactive Systems (TIS)
Tata Interactive Systems (TIS) has one of the world’s largest teams for
the design and development of custom-built e-learning solutions. It is part
of the Tata group, India’s largest business house, employing over 330,000
people and accounting for some two per cent of India’s gross domestic
product (GDP).
TIS’s services include: building corporate e-learning solutions, creating
learning portals; courseware conversion, and developing education products.
It focuses on developing high quality products, using mature systems and processes.
TIS, established in 1990 and fully operational within the UK since 1998, is
an offshoot of Tata’s involvement in the IT sector. TIS now employs over
400 people – most of whom are
based in India – who work with many of the UK’s largest companies,
along with commercial publishers of e-learning materials.
TIS clients include blue chip corporations and publishing companies including
Abbey National, Barclays Bank, Transco (British Gas), CGNU, BP-Amoco, the Chartered
Institute for Personnel Development (CIPD), Quisic.com, SkillSoft Inc and Unilever.
TIS offers a personalised service to each of its clients. Its many years experience
of producing high quality programmes, along with the size of its operation helps
to reassure clients that it can provide anything and everything that they want
from e-learning materials effectively and efficiently.
Apart from holding ISO 9001 certification, TIS is the first company providing
custom-built e-learning solutions to be assessed at level 5 on the Capability
Maturity Model (CMM) scale. The Software Engineering Institution (SEI), a federally
funded body set up at Carnegie Mellon University to deal with various issues
affecting the software industry, established this quality assurance model in
the late 1980s. Designed as a method for evaluating defence software subcontractors,
the CMM evolved into a model that can be used to assess internal process improvements.
For further information, see http://www.sei.cmu.edu/sema/pub_ml.html
TIS’s products have won numerous awards, including gold awards from
BIMA, the Personnel Today E-learning Award in 2001, along with a BETT Award
in 2002.
About Tata Group
The Tata Group was established nearly 100 years ago by Jamsetji Tata to help
build India’s industrial infrastructure. Tata established India’s
steel, chemical and automobile engineering industries. It founded Air India
and was instrumental in establishing the information technology (IT) industry
in India.
It is now India’s largest business house, employing over 330,000 people.
The Tata group accounts for some two per cent of India’s gross domestic
product (GDP).
Currently, there are 86 companies within the Tata group, which continues its
original practice of distributing a proportion of its profits to charity –
including funding India’s largest cancer hospital.
Within the IT sector, the Tata group employs some 25,000 consultants working
across the globe – some 900 of them in the UK servicing 100 or so clients.
Further information from:
Sambit Mohapatra, Tata Interactive Systems, 020 7235 8281
Bob Little, Bob Little Press & PR, 01727 860405
www.tatainteractivesystems.com.
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