Joint projects between ITG and their imaginative collaborators are carefully chosen to reach a wide variety of users and span a range of sectors within industry, education, and government communities. Every joint project tests the feasability and useability of integrating new technology with existing systems, developing new ways of learning and collaborating in the cross-platform, global computing environment of today's world. Special attention is paid to human-computer interfaces, particularly to the design of graphic layouts. Collaborative projects include components such as use of Web servers, information design, graphic design, and the use of software interfaces such as forms and search engines.
Emphasis is placed on each partner's participation and training.
By the end of the project, collaborators are able to take on the full responsibility of maintenance and further development of their projects. The NCSA netWorkPlace 's user interface is designed to mimic an office building setting, combining familiar terms and spatial structures in a telecommuting environment. It integrates familiar, pre-existing collaborative tools with new tools created to address specific netWorkPlace demands. Using this modular framework, a standard Web browser, and an Internet connection, teams then have the flexibility to manage their own floor within the larger building's infrastructure of shared resources. NCSA netLearningPlace TM Building on the strengths of netWorkPlace and other collaborative tools developed at NCSA, netLearningPlace is a collaborative environment focused specifically on teaching and learning.