November 6, 2007 - (ATLANTA, GA) - The J. Mack Robinson College of Business today announced that it has partnered with IBM (NYSE: IBM) to help students develop a specific set of business and information technology (IT) skills required in today's global job market. As part of the new relationship, IBM is working with Robinson College professors to leverage a new category of video games—called "serious games"—in the classroom.

Serious games are games designed for use as educational and training tools. Just as airline pilots initially learn using flight simulators, many corporations and universities see serious games as an effective way of teaching new skills to a generation that has been brought up in the video game era. In fact, according to The Apply Group, by 2012, between 100 and 135 of the Global Fortune 500 will have adopted gaming for learning, with the U.S., United Kingdom and Germany leading the way.

IBM today introduced Innov8—a new interactive, 3-D computer video game designed to help university students and young professionals develop a combination of business and IT skills. Robinson is one of the first universities in the world to use the game in the classroom.

"IBM has, with its Innov8 BPM game, created an immersive environment in which the what, why, how, where and when of business process discovery and improvement are made more accessible to business students," said Richard J. Welke, professor and director of Robinson's Center for Process Innovation. "It replaces often dry and difficult-to-understand, introductory material on this topic with a first-person role who must undertake a process similar to what we expect our students to be able to do upon completion of our course. As such, it provides the basis for engaging students in a dialogue about business process management from the very beginning."

IBM has created Innov8 as a new way to teach business students and young IT professionals about competing successfully in business. Innov8 is specifically designed to help bridge the gap in understanding between IT teams and business leaders in an organization. This type of serious gaming—simulations that have the look and feel of a game but correspond to business activities such as improving operational processes—has emerged as a successful method to train employees or develop new skills.

"IBM views serious gaming as a new and exciting way to develop the skills that are required as business and IT become more closely aligned," said Sandy Carter, vice president, IBM SOA and WebSphere strategy, channels and marketing. "Innov8 was designed to address this specific skills shortage while also helping universities realize the benefits of using serious games as a powerful tool for teaching today's students."

Innov8 is now available through IBM's Academic Initiative, a program offering a wide range of technology education benefits to meet the goals of colleges and universities. As a member of this initiative, participating schools receive free access to IBM software, discounted hardware, course materials, training and curriculum development. Nearly 2,000 universities and 11,000 faculty members worldwide have joined IBM's Academic Initiative.

For more information, contact:
Tammy DeMel
Robinson College of Business 
404/413-7078 (voice)
404/702-9743
tdemel@gsu.edu

The J. Mack Robinson College of Business is one of the world's best 10 ten by U.S. News for the past 12 consecutive years, and its undergraduate business program is ranked among the top 50 in the nation. BusinessWeek ranks Robinson among the top 20 part-time MBA programs in the nation, third in the South. The College's Executive MBA program is ranked among the 60 top programs worldwide by The Financial Times. Georgia State University's Robinson College of Business has an enrollment of more than 7,000 students and is located in downtown Atlanta with campuses in Buckhead, Alpharetta, Brookhaven and Henry County. www.robinson.gsu.edu

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