This is the description of the case 12 for activity 2 in course H807
Background and context
Get up and ran by School of Business of Glamargan University, this project demonstrate a complete development from scratch for a e-learning tool and product. To permit the students to play and learn through non linear case studies, this School already well experienced in blended learning, has developed a tool to create virtual worlds of interactive case studies .The goal was to create an experience that would be highly visual and game-like and avoid the pitfalls of the “interactive spreadsheets” found in many simulations fur business courses. The course is held to be used by second-year students for 2 hours. The students are divided into 4 groups of 25-40 attendees, coached by a member of academic teaching staff.
This School of Business has already a strong command in e-learning and blended learning, and work in collaboration with different high qualified resources (academic staff for the pedagogy, e-learning designer for the scenarios and a multi-media developer / graphic designer).
Project description
The whole project represents an investment of 9 months equivalent people and involves different specialist. The final project is just a part of the whole. In fact the Business School has decided to develop his own authoring tool on which the interactive case studies will be created later. The project has followed the “good standing rules” in project management, contributing to construct an adaptable and tailored tool, reusable for other purposes for other case studies outside the Business School’s scope.
A virtual world creation tool emerged after months of work and has been the foundation for the business non linear case studies development.
The case study has been tested by lambda students before been delivered to formal student during the compulsory module in “Enterprise Planning”.
There was not summative assessment for their work but an evaluation process was developed to capture student feedback through quantitative and qualitative methods following their completion of the blended learning experience.
Tools in use
Virtual World tool development (TileWorld)
The development of the ground tool was made with modern and up-to-date technology as Flash and ActionScript (graphic design and avatar’s comportment development), XML (data for the case studies content, semantic description of virtual object, description of objects and avatars’ comportment) and PHP/MySQL to store, retrieve and manage user data.
Implementation
The project is integrated into already used VLM Blackboard.
Tangible benefits
Following qualitative and quantitative in-depth feedback, students appeared to broadly support the use of the game, suggesting that it was at least as valuable to learning as tutorials and lectures. Furthermore the game was the preferred method expressed by most students for absorbing a case study (75% agreeing or strongly agreeing 10.71% not sure).
After exposure to the game students expressed that they would like further opportunities like this in other modules (78.57% agreeing or strongly agreeing 12.5% not sure).
Academic staff were very enthusiastic for the e-learning tool, both within the delivery team, where staff were both impressed with the tool and grateful for the way in which it was embedded into traditional teaching methods, and more generally across the Business School where some staff requested the use of the tool in other modules and courses.
The game platform was deliberately designed to be reusable, and two further game/case studies have been developed; one as a training simulation for a nursing course (based around a virtual hospital), the other as an induction game for all new students at the university (based around a faithfully produced virtual model of the entire campus). Other environmental possibilities are limitless; a shopping mall; a haunted castle; a sports field; a motor race course. While current versions include human-like avatars on the same scale, other more creative uses could be developed; ships at sea, insects in a field, vehicles in a city.
Disadvantages and drawbacks
The final tool could not be modified without the support of the multimedia development team, however as new iterations of the tool platform are developed, it is intended that an academic staff interface should be developed to provide easier modifications for a wider variety of uses.
The time/cost spent in the development of the ground tool is important and must be earned back in a couple of years of usage.
The students report they would have more interaction with the game and a richer information source and game environment, that of course would have increased the ratio cost/hour of usage out of the budget.
Conditions of success
- The Business school has already a strong command in managing e-learning and blending learning project and development
- The project has been lead by the standard of good project management
- User and case studies developers and staff have been involved in the project from early stage
- Collaboration with specialist at every stage of the development
- Time and budget to develop a tailored application
- The tool (TileWorld) designed to be reusable in other c
