Mobile learning content management solutions provider Giunti Labs has announced a collaboration with Coventry University's newly formed Serious Games Institute (SGI) and Cisco to provide demonstration software showing what can be achieved in combining mobile and virtual worlds e-learning.

The fruits of the collaboration between the SGI, Giunti Labs and mobile learning specialists Ambient Performance will be on display at the Serious Virtual Worlds conference being held at the Coventry University Technology Park TechnoCentre on September 13th and 14th.

The conference will also feature the launch of Coventry University's Second Life island and highly visual and interactive demonstrations including presentations from the Institute's industry and academic partners. Among those making presentations at the conference are Cisco, Forterra, Linden Labs, Giunti Labs, Daden ltd, Ambient Performance, PA Consulting, IBM, and Trusim.

"The extraordinary success of virtual worlds such as 'Second Life' as virtual social spaces for play is leading us to examine the potential for the serious uses of these worlds," said the SGI's director, David Wortley. "The theme for this first Serious Virtual Worlds conference is 'The Reality of the Virtual World' and examines how virtual worlds are now being used for serious professional purposes.

"SGI is focusing on virtual worlds and immersive environments because these are key elements for serious games," Wortley explained. "The SGI is going to be the place in Europe to find expertise in virtual environments as applied to learning - especially as they are used to link virtual and real environments."

Angus Turpin, manager for Giunti Labs in the UK and Ireland, commented: "Giunti Labs are supplying the SGI with back-end development, consultancy and software based on our flagship e-learning and mobile learning content management platform learn eXact, Europe's leading
solution for learning content production and authoring now adding mobile and virtual learning worlds authoring capability."

This will enable the SGI to demonstrate drag-and-drop positioning of digital learning content; 3D hotspot positioning, and triggering and tracking of learning content by the avatar into those zones. It will also allow SGI to have the tools to create, package, manage and track SCORM-compliant contents which will be contextualized and delivered to Windows Mobile 5 PDAs within the SGI Cisco Wi-Fi network. The X, Y and Z co-ordinates of the mobile devices may also be used by other virtual world applications.

"Giunti Labs are proposing to supply the tools, training and support to enable the creation and repurposing of content using its authoring suite and to test extended third party deployment via this test suite, as well as offering the requisite training and support," said Turpin.