PIVOTE launches – an open-source learning system for virtual worlds, the web and iPhone

March 12, 2009 - PRLog -- A new open-source learning system called PIVOTE has been launched today which lets educators and trainers build learning exercises on the web and then play them in virtual worlds, on the web, and even on mobile phones.  

The PIVOTE system was developed by virtual worlds specialists Daden as part of a UK Government Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) funded project, called PREVIEW, looking at problem-based learning in virtual worlds. A key element of PREVIEW was to explore how Second Life® could be used for training paramedics at St George's, University of London and Kingston University – and the resulting system is now being made available as the PIVOTE open-source system.

PIVOTE exercises are created on the web using a simple  forms-based application. In virtual worlds virtual objects are linked to the activities in the training session, and exercise played out in an immersive space. Users can also view images and video, and hear audio recordings. Web and mobile phone users can access the same text, media content, and exercise structure, but without the immersive capabilities of virtual worlds. All student activity is logged and ready for export into a learning management system.

Daden's Managing Director David Burden says, “PIVOTE offers 3 key advantages over existing approaches to creating learning content for virtual worlds.  Firstly it allows tutors to create the content on the web without having to learn about the intricacies of each virtual world. Secondly, it lets institutions move training exercises between virtual worlds – so they aren't locked in to one platform. Finally it allows users, regardless of virtual world access, to practice the same training exercises.”

With PIVOTE all the structure and information content of an exercise is stored on the web, not in the virtual world. Since the structure and content are also separate users can experience the same exercise but with different levels of detail - from guided exercises for beginners, to assessment exercises for experienced students. It also allows tutors to easily and quickly create new scenarios from existing templates.

Alan Rice, Senior Lecturer in Paramedic Science, at St George's, University of London said “This programme provides the students with a fun learning environment, where they can afford to make mistakes online, which they could not afford to make in the real world. When they make a mistake online, they are always keen not to make the same mistake again.”

Fiona Cropp, a second year paramedic student from St George’s, who has tested the application, says: “It’s a really useful tool. It’s much better to be able to actually perform treatments rather than just talk about it. Everyone is online at the same time so you can bounce ideas off each other and make an informed decision. I had never used Second Life before, but I found it really easy to get on with.”

David Burden, Daden's Managing Director continued “Whilst created initially for training medical professionals in Higher Education, we believe that PIVOTE could become a valuable tool for anyone delivering training or education in any topic at any level in a virtual world. ”

PIVOTE has been released as open-source under a GPL v3 license. It currently supports users in Second Life (and OpenSim), but it is possible to create interfaces for other virtual worlds. Organisations can use PIVOTE either by downloading and installing the software on their own servers, or by using a hosted service (such as the one offered by Daden).

For more information on PIVOTE visit http://www.pivote.info or http://www.daden.co.uk/pivote.html

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Daden Limited is a Virtual Worlds consultancy and information 2.0 specialist. Our focus is on virtual worlds, virtual personalities, 3D data visualisation and integration, helping clients to communicate, teach and engage internally and externally using some of the most interesting technologies around today. Daden's virtual world clients include educational institutions (such as the Universities of Coventry, Southampton & Wolverhampton), several councils (including Birmingham City Council), marketing agencies and consultancies, consumer brands such as Vauxhall and Visa, and B2B brands such as CIBA. Daden are based in Birmingham, UK

The Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) is funded by UK HE and FE funding bodies to provide world-class leadership in the innovative use of ICT to support education and research.

St George’s, University of London provides education and training to a wide range of more than 2,600 healthcare and sciences students on one site.