William G
Harless, Ph.D. President &
CEO
Dr. Harless holds a Ph.D. degree in psychology and
learning theory. He has held faculty positions at five major universities and the Union
for Experimenting Colleges and Universities, where accredited doctorate degrees are
awarded from a multidisciplinary, experientially-based curriculum. He developed the first
natural language computer patient simulation model at the University of Illinois School of
Medicine in Chicago in the early 1960s. He created the first voice-activated interactive
videodisc patient simulation model at the National Library of Medicine in the mid-1980s.
While a professor and director of the TIME Project at Georgetown University School of
Medicine, he integrated the simulations into the medical school curriculum. Dr. Harless
has published over fifty articles on natural language interactive simulation as a learning
strategy and is a recognized expert in the field. In 1991, he was awarded a patent for his
voice-controlled video simulation model. He was awarded a second patent in 1996 for his
dynamic prompting system.
Marcia A.
Zier Executive Vice President
Ms. Zier holds a master’s degree in liberal education
and a bachelor’s degree in foreign languages and secondary education. She has been
creating computer-based products for education and evaluation since the early 1970s. These
include natural language patient simulations for the American Board of Internal Medicine;
interactive videodisc simulations at the National Library of Medicine and Georgetown
University School of Medicine; interactive visual databases for Glaxo, Olympus, and Astra
Merck; and CME-accredited interactive programs for Solvay Pharmaceuticals. Ms. Zier has
been involved in the development of the Virtual Conversations® model from its
inception and every subsequent application of the model. She has co-authored numerous
articles on computer-based simulation and is experienced in all aspects of interactive
video creation.
Robert C. Duncan,
Ph.D. Research Director and Statistical Consultant
Dr. Duncan holds a Ph.D. in biostatistics and is a
professor in the Department of Oncology at the University of Miami School of Medicine, in
Miami, Florida. He is an expert in the planning and analysis of medical clinical trials,
and has more than thirty years of experience as a classroom teacher and administrator in
graduate and medical education. He has published widely in his field and is the author of
a self-teaching course and textbook in biostatistics. Dr. Duncan designed the evaluation
of several computer-based learning methods developed by Dr. Harless, including the
American Board of Internal Medicine recertification procedure; simulated patients at the
National Library of Medicine, Georgetown University School of Medicine, and The George
Washington University; and the Arabic Language Series at the Defense Language Institute.
Michael G. Harless
Director of Multimedia Design
Mr. Harless studied communications theory at UCLA and theater and
television production at Montgomery College. He has a background in
promotional design, non-linear video editing, digital video compression
and is responsible for the "look and feel" of IDI products,
including packaging and the design and implementation of IDI's website. He
has been with IDI since 1994 and has assisted in the development of the
Virtual Conversations™ Windows® interface, IDI's patented
intelligent prompting system, the integration of digital video into the
Virtual Conversations™ model, and the redesign of IDI's authoring
system Conversim™. Additionally, Mr. Harless has been involved in the
development of interactive visual databases Astra Merck, Pentax, and CME-accredited
interactive programs for Solvay Pharmaceuticals.
Twiga
Associates, Inc. Video Production Professionals
Twiga Associates, Inc. is a small independent video production company
located in the Baltimore-Washington metro area. Their primary goal is to
bring their experience in television production to creative and
challenging video and film projects. Twiga professionals have over 15
years of technical and creative experience in electronic cinematography,
lighting design, steady cam, and live remote multiple camera broadcasts.
They have extensive national and international expertise in corporate,
computer, documentary, educational, independent film, music video, news
magazine, and marketing productions. The company is committed to working
with clients to achieve the best possible video product available for
their particular application.
Twiga has been producing IDI's promotional and source video
incorporated into Virtual Conversations® programs since 1994.
They can be contacted by email: twigainc@email.msn.com
