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class=""MsoNormal"">SALISBURY, MD---The Sims took the video gaming world by storm, allowing players to assume identities within the game and interact with other characters for unpredictable outcomes. Now, similar technology is being used to teach college students the basics of business management through the SimuLearn Virtual Leader Interpersonal Skills Engine.

class=""MsoNormal"">The program comes to Salisbury University 8 p.m. Tuesday, September 6, in Holloway Hall Room 117, as students, faculty and community members gather for a live Virtual Leader Web cast. Seating is limited. To register or for more information call Carol Brady in the Center for Professional Development at 410-548-4481.

class=""MsoNormal"">“The purpose of this class is to bring to our M.B.A. students a management development program comparable to what is happening in the best run corporations in the world,” said Dr. Frank Shipper, management professor at SU. “Virtual Leader will fulfill that purpose.”

class=""MsoNormal"">The program allows users to interact with others in real time and try various interpersonal communication techniques. It has earned praise throughout the industry.

class=""MsoNormal"">“These simulations contain an almost infinite number of variables. No one—not even the author—can predict all outcomes,” said Don Morrison of E-Learning Strategies.

class=""MsoNormal"">"You practice what you have learned in a game environment to the point that it becomes a part of your own behavior," said Mike Ulven, senior national account executive for The Coca-Cola Co.

class=""MsoNormal"">The American Society of Training and Development last year named Virtual Leader the best online business simulator. Throughout the semester, Shipper will use the online interaction to teach graduate students about the importance of interpersonal business management procedures. "