Teaching, resources, references

Individual LearnScope Project Plan

PROJECT SUMMARY

The project will trial games and simulation based solutions to teaching business skills in the creative industries. This project will seek to develop an innovative, engaging, art and design prototype business game in Adobe Flash, which could be re-used in other contexts.
The project will focus on the commercialisation stages of business development:

• Defining a market
• Developing an idea for a target market
• Setting up the business

 PROJECT CONTEXT

From September 2007 the game will be used with Diploma of Art, Craft and Design students. These students are used to hands-on learning in a studio based setting. They are often strong visual and kinaesthetic learners with literacy and numeracy issues, and are mostly mature age students. In the past the students have struggled with the business units in the course; and we have had a pass rate of around 30%. The teaching and learning approach has been:

• lecture based
• written assignments
• workbook based

The students are often not interested in learning these business skills however these skills are key skills for success in the creative industries. This project is about taking a radically new learning approach for the area.

 PROJECT TARGET GROUPS

• Disengaged Learners
• Creative Practitioner engaged in the industry already

STRATEGIES FOR SHARING KNOWLEDGE

The development of the project will be tracked on my blog at http://www.otheredge.com.au/weblogs/teaching/ This has been started. 
Other ways the project will be shared are:

• At the Engaging Learning Showcase day
• Tasmania Flexible Learning Network
• Edna Networks
• User forums that research the needs of other areas. This will happen at:
• Hobart Campus of TAFE Tasmania
• Clarence Campus, and
• Statewide via Elluminate

This will develop a core group of people that are interested in using the project outcomes in their teaching.

Learning Strategies	Timeline (please include reporting milestones, online events and end of the year showcasing)
Learning Strategy
Blog	Started to use and is ongoing
Literature review	Major Review completed by June
Review and experimentation with business games mods	Completed by June
Conversations with other game developers e.g. Nursery Live	Completed by June
National online conference	June
Conversations with other educators about using games (note these may be online conversations)	Ongoing
Developing the actual game	July - September
User forums to build interest to build an understanding of other people’s needs	July
Excel game to develop the business model	July
Integrated into teaching e.g. share the process with the students	July and then ongoing
1st stage of the Prototype	August 16th mid term progress session
Prototype development	July completed by September
Trial with students NOTE: A new course needs to be developed so the project trial must happen	September to November
Sharing of the results	November networking event and December showcasing day.

 

 ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES

• There will exist a free game engine that can used for different contexts, it can be customised to other areas that require business skills.
• The pass rate will be higher and a higher percentage of graduates will be successful in the creative industries. 

 LEARNERS / CLIENT / INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT

From September 2007 the game will be used with Diploma of Art, Craft and Design students

 IMPACTS ON LEARNER / CLIENTS

The impact for the students will be
The students will be able to learn through a simulated experience:

• that could otherwise take a lot of time
• in a safe environment
• without risk of losing money or time
• It will allow for key skills for success to be developed
• Provides a new type of flexibility for students
• It will lead the students to a more self guided learning experience

This impact will be measured by student feedback and improvements to pass rates.

REPORTING END OF PROJECT

The final report will take the following forms. 

1. Digital Story/ Multimedia production that will include screen captures and video. 
2. The final product will available on the web on one of the open source hosting sites. 

Risk analysis

Risk	Strategy
The project being too large	Prototype in Excel first and then this Prototype becomes the backup Involve Design and Multimedia students in graphics and sound. Use Extreme Programming technique
Other non-teaching parts of Team Leader role take over	Use the time release in way where blocks of time can found.
Lack of IT skills in the Art, Craft and Design students	Focus on easy to use simple interfaces. Produce written user documentation.

How complex should it be

Question ? simulations can be complex ? could my business simulation work in way where to start with only a few variable can be changed. So in actual fact the game could have scaffolding built into it.

Forio

Forio

• ~ forio.com
• Online Business Simulations
  • hosted
  • excel like
  • ?
    • should I be using something like this
  • not that "Game Like"
• features
  • excel like
  • charts
  • business like
    • what the art students don't need
  • each sim only a few variables
  • color to represent how things are going