PIVOTE is an open-source virtual learning authoring system. It is designed to enable virtual training exercises to be authored, managed and maintained from the web, and (although designed initially for Second Life) to be independent of virtual world. PIVOTE creates and stores the structure and non-3D content of the exercise on a web server. A web service links this definition to the 3D objects created in the virtual world. The learner only interacts with these objects, but behind the scenes the whole experience is a managed (and tracked) on the web. The objects themselves are completely portable between scenarios since all they define are their real-world, context independent, behaviours. PIVOTE can significantly reduce the cost and skill level needed to create and maintain virtual training exercises, and introduce flexibility in their deployment – since exercises could even be accessed from the web or mobile phone, or lower specification virtual worlds.

You can read more about PIVOTE at www.daden.co.uk/pivote.