Maxed Out
Because the System i can run at redline speed all day long . . .
March 23, 2009
MBA Students Learn Power Systems in Second Life
Three Midwest universities have teamed together to use the online virtual world Second Life to teach more than 100 MBA students core concepts exemplified by IBM's Power Systems and IBM i. Second Life is a three-dimensional environment that lets its inhabitants buy, build, learn, and interact online.
The program is a collaborative effort between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Iowa State University, and Wright State University. While most IBM i-focused training aims to teach the next generation of programmers or administrators, the Second Life project focuses on the higher rungs of the corporate ladder.
"We're working to expose business managers and executives to Power Systems," says Dr. Keng Siau, E. J. Faulkner Professor of MIS for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Most of the MBA students are business managers and executives by day who take graduate classes in the evenings and weekends to complete their MBA degrees.
Power Concepts
To kick off the project, the students were presented with 34 key computing concepts that were, of course, exemplified by IBM Power Systems. Some examples include virtualization, server consolidation, green computing, disaster recovery, and capacity on demand. They then researched the relevant IBM solutions and concepts on their own, with a deeper dive into IBM i, AIX, Linux, BladeCenter, RPG, WebSphere, and the like.
In the Second Life phase of the project, the MBA students worked in groups of two to discuss the IBM Power Systems solutions and concepts, and then selected a topic to present in a Second Life-based virtual design/presentation. The teams worked together for five weeks to complete their designs.
On the Island
Just like real estate in our own world, virtual land in Second Life is valuable, too. Companies like IBM have used real dollars to purchase their own islands in Second Life in order to maintain a virtual presence. For the MBA projects, the universities have their own island, the Power Academic Island, which provides a playground for the students to showcase their work.
They used primitive elements to build 3-D interactive representations of their chosen concepts, and the results are similar to what you might find in a museum exhibit.
"The process of doing the project is more important than the output," Siau says.
"By going through these phases of understanding, researching on the web, and discussing with their partners . . . I bet that after five weeks, they'll remember this for the rest of their lives--it's not just another guest lecture for three hours," he notes.
What's particularly cool about the Second Life project is that now more than 100 middle and higher level managers and executives--the MBA students in Nebraska, Iowa, and Ohio--are now aware and informed about IBM Power Systems. Siau says the students averaged 3-5 hours a week on the hands-on Second Life project, which has created a deep impression of IBM Power Systems that should not only stay with the MBA students, but let them use that knowledge in their own companies.
Better yet, the project is ongoing.
"We'll be having another batch of MBA students in April," Siau says.
Nice.
Posted by cmaxcer at March 23, 2009 10:19 AM
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