NMC Member Benefits & Services
NMC membership includes a number of advantageous benefits, as well as a full spectrum of free services. NMC members also enjoy substantial discounts on NMC fee-based and custom services . The basic NMC member benefits and services package includes:
NMC Conferences and Events
- Unlimited registrations to the NMC Summer Conference at the deeply discounted member rate of $449 (non-member rate is $799 each). The Summer Conference is one of higher education's most distinctive and practical technology-focused events.
- Regular members receive ten free complimentary registrations a year for the NMC’s NMC Virtual Symposia (non-member rate is $249 each), as well as discounted registration rates for the annual Directors Meeting. Organizations outside of North America have unlimited complimentary registrations for the online events.
- Exclusive early registration access for free hands-on software training at the NMC Summer Conference.
NMC Research and Publications
- Exclusive advance access to NMC research reports, newsletters, and other publications, as well as valuable hard copy versions not generally available to the public.
- Opportunities to participate in major NMC research and publication processes such as the Horizon Project Advisory Board and others.
- Participation in NMC projects and grants (not including the Marcus Grant); in 2007, more than $371,000 flowed to NMC members from these activities.
NMC Member Services
NMC members also enjoy access to a wide range of services that are included as part of the membership package and are thus free to member institutions. These include:
- Use of NMC’s renowned experimental campus in Second Life as a virtual location for member events, space for classes and presentations, and a Second Life venue to accompany real life events. (up to a $2,500 value).
- Advisory Services from NMC Virtual Worlds related to virtual worlds, including planning considerations, configuration and security, and design considerations ($500 value).
- Ten complimentary Pachyderm accounts on one of the NMC’s hosted Pachyderm servers ($1,500 value).
- Early access to NMC research reports, newsletters, and other publications.
- NMC’s exclusive online discussion groups, which explore emerging technologies, solutions to technological challenges, management challenges and issues, staff development and training, and pedagogy.
- Free grant writing consultation services, as well as assistance in identifying partners for funded projects.
- NMC’s Custom Survey Service, which provides members a mechanism to quickly assess the pulse of their peers on issues of the day. The Annual Survey of Member Organizations is included in this service.
NMC Fee-Based Services
The NMC currently offers two suites of fee-based services. Each is heavily discounted for qualified educational and not-for-profit institutions.
NMC Virtual Worlds
The NMC Virtual Worlds Services provides a range of fixed-rate services in Second Life and other virtual platforms, including:
- Land lease plans for educators and institutions (see http://virtualworlds.nmc.org/docs/services.pdf for pricing).
- Daily sim rentals for event overflow ($250/day)
- Event management ($10 per participant with $250 minimum)
- Basic terraforming & landscape services ($1,500 per sim)
Pachyderm Services
The NMC developed Pachyderm as an easy-to-use multimedia authoring tool designed for people who have little or no multimedia authoring experience. Pachyderm Services provides hosting and support services to Pachyderm users, including:
- Discounts for the annual Pachyderm Conference
- Access to the Pachyderm Help Line
- Membership in the Pachyderm User’s Community
NMC Custom Services
The NMC provides a full suite of services in support of virtual worlds targeted expressly to the needs of educational institutions. Qualified educational institutions and museums receive a 10% discount on these services; NMC members receive an additional 25% reduction — often a savings of thousands of dollars. In addition, NMC offers a collection of specialized custom services to its corporate members.
NMC Virtual Worlds
The education and learning full-service provider for Second Life, NMC Virtual Worlds specializes in educational and learning-focused projects of all kinds, large and small, and provides a comprehensive palette of custom services, including:
- Full-service sim and estate development
- Full spectrum design services
- Architectural modeling and rendering
- Custom terraforming and landscaping
- Real-life object replication and modeling
- Custom scripting and animations
- Custom avatar creation
- Property management services
Detailed proposals will be provided on request, contact us at http://virtualworlds.nmc.org/contact. For additional information and client case studies, see http://virtualworlds.nmc.org
NMC Corporate Services
The NMC offers its corporate partners a range of custom fee-based services, including:
- Custom surveys, focus groups, and other market research services for the higher education market
- White paper conceptualization, research, and development
- Demonstration and proof-of-concept projects
For additional information on any of these NMC member benefits and services, email the NMC offices at info@nmc.org or call us at 512-445-4200.
