Management staff and scientific investigators and IT support staff from more than 500 higher-ed institutions and research centers.

• To create virtual institute of several hundred scientists doing research the new discipline of "astrobiology."
• To share scientific data and ideas.
• To provide high quality, easy to learn, and easy to use tools that support virtual collaboration.
• To facilitate the evolution of a loose affiliation of researchers into a virtual community of practice.

• Assisted team leader (a cultural anthropologist) with project management. Used ethnographic and other qualitative methods to assess the needs and readiness to use virtual collaboration tools of the institute's 500 plus scientist members.
• Interviewed representatives of all key stakeholder groups to assess current state of the institute.
• Surveyed entire population to identify a list of tools and features they wanted to support their work and communication.
• Got 100% participation from most key stakeholder groups.
• Collected responses from 165 of 500 respondents, including all 15 primary investigators and most of the co-investigators and assistant investigators.
• Researched marketplace and found products to meet the reported needs.
• Winnowed those down to top half dozen products in each category.
• Held open demos and surveyed attendees after each demo.
• Identified prime candidates for piloting
• Launched and ran pilots
• Conducted evaluations
• Created roll out plan
• Provided training and coaching in best practices for virtual collaboration and in use of specific collaboration software.

After 3 years the institute had 17 sites with video conferencing rooms, dozens of desktop video participants, wide-spread adoption of Web-based real-time meetings, early adoption of knowledge management/document management tools.

• Total cost of project: $350,000.
• Total elapsed time: 18 months.

Working Professionals

To create a Continuing Professional Education program based on proven academic courses, but targeted to working professionals who are looking for academic certification rather than a degree.

We designed a market research project to determine if there was a perceived need for this kind of professional education program.

Researched specific human resource (HR) trade publications conducted in-person interviews at major HR professional meetings and engaged in telephone interviewing of thought leaders to determine what kinds of topics were perceived as most needed for leadership and employee development.

Helped client choose and supervise sub-contractor who conducted primary market research by interviewing HR and training department directors within 60 corporations. Participated in creation and delivery of report and used report to design program and develop modules and certificate programs which were then taken to market.

• Total cost of project: $350,000.
• Total elapsed time: 18 months.

Senior Healthcare Managers, Cardiac Physicians, Safety Patient Specialists, Community Organizers

To improve community health, cardiac health, and patient safety.

As part of the continuing professional education efforts of the American Hospital Association, the Health Forum Fellowship's charter is to provide learning opportunities for senior health executives around leadership and community organizing for health initiatives.

FutureU CTO Claude Whitmyer consulted about development of a leadership institute to be delivered partially face-to-face and partially over the Internet (also called "blended learning").

Helped identify products, attended demonstrations to provide feedback. Guided Health Forum Fellowship staff in the choosing, development and deployment of both the technology and the content of the programs.

Designed, developed and delivered three of the seven program modules:

• Technology-Enriched Learning and Communication
• Transformational Leadership: Key Disciplines
• Personal Mastery: The Path to Organizational Transformation

In addition served as faculty advisor to the Health Forum from 1994 to 2006.

• Total cost of project: $10,000.
• Total Development Time: 3 months



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Delivery

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• Annual Teaching Fees: $6,000.
• Total elapsed time: 3 courses, twice per year, each course lasted 2 weeks.