Iowa State University

Iowa State University's Virtual Reality Application Center is a state-of-the-art interdisciplinary research center that is focused on bringing together humans and technology, and has the general goal of enhancing productivity and creativity of people. This outstanding research infrastructure is able to support the research done by faculty and staff represented in all seven of Iowa State University's colleges, as well as the collaborations with a handful of federal agencies and other industry partners. The Virtual Reality Application Center research community brings together a wide variety of disciplinary experts with specific strengths in top-of-the-line interaction technologies including augmented, virtual, and mixed reality as well as developmental robotics, mobile computing, and haptics interaction. This community is also successful at human centered design and the user experience evaluation, and even assessing the effectiveness of brand-new interaction modalities through formal user studies. To go along with its research mission, the VRAC has established, and now leads, Iowa State University's interdepartmental graduate major in HCI, human computer interaction. There are over 200 students currently enrolled, making it the largest interdepartmental graduate major at ISU. The VRAC staff is friendly, efficient, and service oriented to make this collaborative interdisciplinary culture a successful feat. Administrative support helps with research proposal preparation and submission, purchasing, appointments, and grant admission. The technical staff provides their assistance for hardware maintenance, coordination, system integration, and technical assistance to this research community. The flagship facility, called C6, is the world's best high resolution immersive display environment along with a 240 seat 3D-capable auditorium.

Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA

Drexel University online provides an exceptional learning experience no matter where in the world a student might be. Drexel understands that an investment in education is an investment in the future of a professional. It is a top ranked, regionally accredited institution that is known for its own interdisciplinary approach applied to education. The University constantly get applauded by employers for the online degree and certification programs that it provides. So much so in fact that Drexel has made it their mission to provide students with practical knowledge that will give them professional success. Students will gain knowledge that can be put to work as soon as classes start. The faculty members are made up of energetic scholars that are recognized expert in their field. They are committed to the education of their students—filling in the blank space that is between what they do know and what they need to learn, through engaging their professional interests, building on their valuable experience, and providing students with continuous support. The Drexel community is spread far across the country and around the world, bringing together a diverse group of adults that have varying degrees of life experience, professional know how, and practical advice. So while students are earning a valuable degree, they will also leave with an outstanding network of contacts, colleagues, and friends. Unlike other online education providers, Drexel can offer outstanding study abroad opportunities for all virtual students. Some of these opportunities have even been built into the curriculum.

Charles Sturt University

Charles Sturt University is built upon a community that wholly embraces diversity while nurturing individual growth. The University values social, economic, and environmental sustainability and connects with the communities where it operates, providing excellence in its courses and opportunities that come from them. The university aims to provide an effective and accessible learning environment for all students regardless of their location or mode of study. It also works to strengthen the learning and teaching partnerships with the industry and professions. The University promotes, recognizes, and supports good practice in learning and teaching. In 2009 Charles Sturt University celebrated its 20th anniversary and has reflected on how far it has come as an institution. The first 15 years were seen as a period of amazing achievement that brought together two different yet successful institutions. Over the last several years, the university has focused on the consideration of that achievement and has realized their potential to serve a broad range of academics—creating the world's next industry leaders. CSU holds commitment to achieving excellence in education regarding professions and maintains its national leadership for flexibility and distance education. The university has grown thanks to a balance of strategic investment and financial prudence. It is a leading player within international research regarding theology, ethics, governance, food, security, water, education, agriculture, and environment. Charles Sturt University will never stop its own journey to explore new and innovative ways to advance discovery and learning. Diversity is welcomed and encouraged to contribute to the always growing student body that makes CSU a leader.

University of Canberra

The University of Canberra stands committed to providing a transforming educational experience that is accessible to everyone—regardless of what stage of life they are in and their background. This is one of the most important components for their strategic plan and a value to which they are absolutely committed. Their much valued predecessor, the Canberra College of Advanced Education worked to change many lives in the way that it focused on professional education at a time when the economic and political climate proved beneficial for many, especially those who were not traditionally expected to enter a higher education. The University of Canberra still has a precise professional focus to offer a strong commitment to work-integrated with learning. The education and research provided helps to build fair, prosperous, and sustainable communities to remedy disadvantage. The University of Canberra works to be a university that holds value to equity and diversity while seeking to embody certain values within its students, staff, academic programs, and relations with the community. More specifically, the University recognizes, encourages, and celebrate students from every section of society, promotes an environment rooted in fairness, equity, and respect for cultural and social diversity. It is supportive of students and staff to reach their full potential through promoting reasonable expectations and provisions of a learning environment that is inclusive, offers programs that aim to help overcome disadvantages for students and staff, and works to ensure that staff and students are aware of all of their own rights and responsibilities as a member of the university community.

University of California - Berkeley School of Information

The School of Information at the University of California Berkeley is all about advancing the knowledge and practice in every way that humans interact with digital technologies. It is the newest yet smallest school—located right in the center of campus. It is a graduate research and education community that is committed to broadening access to information and improving its reliability, usability, and credibility while still preserving privacy and security. This practice requires the knowledge and insight from scholars of diverse fields—design, information and computer science, management, social sciences, policy, and even law. The iSchool offers two professional master's degrees as well as an academic doctoral degree. There are about 120 graduate students and 24 faculty members based on the campus's historic South Hall, and about 350 students attending online through distance education. All together they form a wonderful multidisciplinary collective made up of scholars and practitioners.

The School of Information was created in 1994 as the School of Information Management Systems in response to one of the most compelling challenges of society—to enable people to create, discover, manipulate, share, save, and use information in countless forms. In 2006, it was then dubbed the School of Information. Students are at the heart of the School of Information, with students from 6 continents and all over the United States. Two degrees are offered on campus and one is offered online—allowing academic excellence to come together with camaraderie and intimacy that is important for fostering a successful learning experience.