This helps attendees better understand Virtual U and the key observations and real-world situations from which the software draws. Some workshops may instead focus on team-building, in which case students might play Virtual U for a short period before spending a longer period of time discussing as a group how they were able to make the decisions they made. The key point is to establish before a seminar and workshop what the specific role or use of Virtual U will be. Table 2 offers some suggestions on applying Virtual U to create interesting seminars and workshops. Workshop Varieties Contrast Workshop Students play Virtual U in open-ended mode trying to improve their university and then contrast its results or operational manner with those within their own university.
Virtual U instigates critical analysis of the attendees' personal university.
Teambuilding Workshop Students play Virtual U scenarios or open-ended play as a group. One user controls the product while others offer suggestions and try to build a consensus strategy. Seeks to build better teamwork or provide forum to work out team interpersonal issues. Also useful to build awareness between disparate department groups about their peers' overall role within an institution. Assessment Workshop Players are presented with several universities that have been played out over a 5-10 year period by a facilitator.