Media Contact:
Jim Ong
650.931.2710
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
STOTTLER HENKE'S SIMBIONIC SIMULATION AUTHORING TOOLKIT RECEIVES AN
EXCELLENCE IN LEARNING AWARD FROM BRANDON-HALL
Judges praise SimBionic for its ease-of-use and ability to create
training simulations that
provide students with complex, realistic,
and engaging learning experiences.
SAN MATEO, California, December 7, 2004 –
Stottler Henke has been honored with a
Brandon Hall Excellence in Learning Award
for their
SimBionic(TM)
authoring toolkit
which enables non-programmers to build intelligent characters for education and training
simulations. These awards, bestowed annually by brandon-hall.com, an e-learning research and
consulting firm, showcase exceptional work in the e-learning industry by providing feedback and
benchmarking in an overall effort to advance the e-learning industry. "The winning entries this
year show that innovation in our field is continuing at full speed," said Brandon Hall, Ph.D., CEO
of brandon-hall.com and chairman of the awards program. "The winners are excellent both in
terms of creativity and range of application. These winners are the new cutting edge."
A record number of 254 entries underwent rigorous multi-phase review by 482 independent
judges with expertise in instructional design, online learning, and organizational change.
Numerical ratings based on specific criteria were averaged to determine each entry's ranking.
This year, a total of 72 winners were selected from among three categories - Outstanding
Learning Programs and Initiatives, Innovative Technology, and Custom Content. Stottler Henke
received a Bronze award in the Innovative Technology category.
Stottler Henke's SimBionic software lets instructional designers and subject matter experts
define intelligent behaviors for free-play training simulations quickly and easily, without
programming, using a visual user interface. These behaviors specify how simulated characters
and other entities respond to user actions, other simulated events, and simulation state
conditions. The SimBionic visual authoring tool lets users specify smarter behaviors that would
be too costly or difficult to develop using traditional programming methods. SimBionic also
enables instructional designers to specify logic that assesses student performance during
dynamic, free-play simulations by evaluating each student's actions in the context of the
simulation's current situation and recent events.
SimBionic received some excellent comments from the judges. According to Tom Werner,
Director of the 2004 Brandon Hall Excellence in Learning Awards, "One judge noted that the
marriage of gamer AI and business applications training is a fabulous idea, and that the
SimBionic toolkit would make the problem of disengaged learners and improperly targeted
learning a thing of the past. Another judge observed that the Toolkit lets you specify
combinations of experience, mood, timing, surprise, and unexpected conflicts in simulated
situations, and that its ease of use in doing this is very innovative."
SimBionic is marketed by Stottler Henke. Development of SimBionic was supported in large part
by R&D funding provided by the U.S. Department of Defense.
Founded in 1988, Stottler Henke Associates, Inc.
applies artificial intelligence and other advanced software technologies
to solve problems that defy solution using traditional approaches.
The company delivers intelligent software solutions for education and training,
planning and scheduling, knowledge management and discovery, decision support,
and computer security and reliability. Stottler Henke's clients include manufacturers,
retailers, educational media companies and government agencies.
Stottler Henke was named one of the "top 100" companies making a
significant impact on the military training industry in 2003 and 2004 by Military Training Technology magazine.
Web: http://www.stottlerhenke.com.
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