Visitors to Tata Interactive Systems’ stand at Learning Technologies reveal trends

Business simulations – both those that simulate an entire organisation and those that look at one aspect of business life – along with blended learning programmes on health and safety and electronic performance support systems were the most popular topics with visitors to global e-learning producer, Tata Interactive Systems (TIS)’s stand at this year’s Learning Technologies event, held recently in Olympia, London.

TIS produces TOPSIM, Europe’s leading decision-making multiplayer simulation that offers learners a systemic perspective of the business environment and which is currently being used by more than 1,000 customers. TOPSIM provides decision-making multiplayer simulations that offer learners a systemic perspective of the business environment and provide a ‘thrilling way to learn’.

According to TOPSIM developer, Dr Georg Fehling: "The objective in a TOPSIM is to train learners on specific business functions while retaining the context of the overall business and operating environment - so learners manage an entire business, making decisions across various business functions like marketing, production, and R&D to logistics and HR.

"Principally, simulations are used to develop business competence in areas such as project management and to support the roll-out of new management concepts, such as ‘value-based management’," Fehling explained.

Custom-built TOPSIM simulations cover a wide variety of topics including marketing, logistics, business start-up, business development, and e-commerce. There are also currently 13 generic TOPSIM simulation titles and these are being used by more than 1,600 organisations around the world.

"Visitors to the TIS stand also rated highly the blended learning programmes on health and safety which we have developed in partnership with health and safety management specialist Solutions Training & Advisory Limited," explained Alan Samuel, head of UK operations for TIS.

Initially covering safety issues for ‘first response units’, including fire and ambulance services – and now in use among Kent Fire and Rescue Services staff – these materials are gaining popularity among the corporate sector too.

According to Paul Meek, founder and managing director of Solutions Training: "There is a real need for the sort of blended learning programmes that we are producing with TIS. The key benefit of having these programmes is that they deliver up-to-date vital safety information to front line professionals at their work bases – which will not only help these professionals to perform their duties but will also help them to keep the rest of us safe!"

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Notes for editors

About Tata Interactive Systems (TIS)

Tata Interactive Systems (TIS), a global leader in e-learning, is a part of the $22bn Tata Group. Truly international, TIS has a presence across the US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, Japan, India, and mainland Europe. TIS offers corporations, universities, schools, publishers, and government institutions a diversified and innovative bouquet of learning and training solutions including Simulation-based Learning Objects (SimBLs™), Story-based Learning Objects (StoBLs™), courseware and curriculum design, special-needs education, assessments, electronic performance support systems (EPSS), mobile learning, along with other corporate training and consultancy services. Our multi-disciplinary expertise and 16 years’ experience across domains helps us design e-learning programmes that are unique to clients’ requirements and specifically crafted to boost knowledge retention and application.

Apart from holding ISO 9001 certification, TIS is the only e-learning organisation in the world to be assessed at Level 5 in both the SEI-CMM and P-CMM frameworks. TIS’s quest for excellence is reflected in numerous prestigious industry awards, including a Silver Brandon Hall Excellence in Learning Award 2005 and 2004, APEX Award of Excellence in 2005 and 2006, BETT Awards in 2004 and 2006, and two Business World–NID Design Excellence awards.

For more information log on to www.tatainteractive.com

Further information from:
Alan Samuel, Tata Interactive Systems, 020 7235 8281, www.tatainteractive.com
Bob Little, Bob Little Press & PR, 01727 860405, www.boblittlepr.com