Gamification & VLE's:

Example of a medical Virtual Learning Environment

Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) have become a new favourite buzz word to describe the next  and most exciting innovation in learning,; and over the past year when discussing learning or training of any sort,  and the term “Gamification” has emerged as the best way of describing the nature of a VLE.  

VLE’s utilize simulations and Gamification to greatly increase a learner’s engagement, motivation and focus through a more immersive experience. The technology simulates real life situations customized for specific workplace environments and allows learners who are already familiar with the technology, i.e., student population, to easily navigate the learning experience. 

Gamification, while a new term in the learning vernacular, is really a tested and true approach that leverages new technologies. Using a VLE provides an opportunity for more interactive teaching. It is important to note that Gamification is not the same as games which are intended for fun and leisure but uses the best game elements and applies them to a learning situation. Typical customization say for a healthcare scenario might be to allow the learner to select their gender, ethnic makeup and persona as an avatar in the VLE. They can then navigate the simulation as a doctor or nurse, for example, and engage in the functions and activities consistent with that role. They can dialogue with patients, engage in interprofessional consultations, review medical records & test results and perform actual medical procedures. The student maintains constant feedback on their progress through the interaction. Teachers and administrators also have access to comprehensive interactive data. Such simulations can be embedded in the typical E-Learning environment or they can also work as a stand-alone teaching opportunity.  

VLE’s offer a cost-effective way to create a practice environment that can supplement expensive classroom or workplace training for developing complex skills. As with other more traditional E-Learning strategies, learners work through scenarios in a self-paced manner and are also able to complete additional learning assignments and testing.

Ycommunicate is now engaged in planning several pilot projects for health care that utilize a virtual learning environment  for self-paced and blended learning situations. Experiential learning using Virtual Learning Environments represents the future of online E-Learning. Let’s take a quick look at a short list of the Pros and Cons.

The Pros

•  From a production point of view, the simulation environment remains completely within your control – this reduces demands on people, locations and intellectual property rights
• The learner is afforded more familiar control over the interactive environment
• The leaner has a better feedback mechanism in the dashboard display- allowing better comprehension ad real-time corrective actions to affect outcomes
• Age, gender and ethnic minorities are much easier to include as interactive components
• Learners can share their experiences with others or even compete depending on the scenario
• VLE's will minimize the cost of in-classroom teaching and be more consistent in its learning outcomes

The Cons

• Gamification of learning comes with a cost. The additional production required for a more comprehensive experience will drive up development costs
• The initial level of involvement by professionals is more intense in curriculum development at the outset
• Skill sets required  by the production companies is significant 
• The time required for production increases significantly

Having said all that, the strengths of Gamification will increase learning capacity significantly as we seek to absorb more and more information in the delivery of increasingly complex roles.  Strong project management and a clear commitment to defining goals and expectation will be critical in the success of ANY Virtual Learning Environment and Gamification in learning. 

What I learned From Quentin Tarantino

I have only been to TIFF once; of course it was not called TIFF then, back in 1992. I was thinking about making a film and had just completed the Maruska Stankova, Directing, Acting and Writing for Cameraworkshop.

I decided to attend the event and in particular sit in the “Gorilla Film Workshop” which featured among others as its panelists Quentin Tarantino. It was the usual workshop setting with perhaps 100 attendees in theatre style seating, and a handful of panelists up at the front, behind a row of tables on an elevated platform.

Each talked about their personal experience in film making, but a largely unknown film maker then, Quentin Tarantino, was getting a bit of buzz before the workshop and his story was compelling. He talked about his experience in getting his film, Reservoir Dogs made, and the need to “just do it”, as he described it. This was the seminal message for the workshop and in particular for Quentin. He described some details about the making of the film including some production issues.

But I didn’t get the whole story until later in the lobby when I was standing around deciding what to do when Quentin came into the lobby and sat down in one of the large chairs …just hanging out and decompressing I guess. I worked up a bit of nerve and sat down in an adjacent chair and began chatting with him and asking a few questions about his film making experience. He was more than happy to offer his thoughts and tell me a little more detail about how Reservoir Dogs got made.

He explained that he had been writing scripts while he was working at the video store and had tried unsuccessfully to make a film on more than one occasion and had become disillusioned with the process. Every studio wanted bigger guns and more T&A. It seems he finally had a script that he was able to sell  - and he agreed to be paid $ 30,000 for the script. His plan was to simply make a film with $30,000 – he wanted and needed the experience of making a film and …he not only wanted to write the script,  he wanted to direct the film.

He told me how he started seeking a low budget producer for the Reservoir Dogs script and when he finally settled on one he was promptly told that this was a great script and it should be shopped to all the studios. He immediately said absolutely not – he was convinced it would meet with more calls for bigger action and more sex. He was gong going to make a low budget feature the way he wanted it made, no matter what!

The producer and Quentin, as the story goes, batted this around for a while; the producer steadfast in suggesting that it be shopped rather than produced as a low budget film and Quentin refusing to budge, until finally Quentin relented when the producer told him he would make the film if , after shopping it,  he could not set up a suitable arrangement …and, oh yea, one of the provisions was that Quentin had to be the director.  

As expected, each time they presented the script the production company asked for more guns and more woman (remember there are only guys in the Reservoir Dogs.) Incredibility, after walking out on many studio meetings, Newline finally agreed to make the picture on a budget of a million dollars with one proviso – Quentin would not be the director.  Quentin talked them into allowing him to shoot some scenes as the director and he agreed - if they were not happy with the results he would acquiesce to their demands for another director.

In the end he got what he wanted and he added this bit of detail. Sitting at home one night, after sending the script to Harvey Keitel through a friend of a friend, Harvey calls him up. Shocked and surprised in his small, sparse flat eating macaroni and cheese, the very man who he wrote the main part for was on the phone talking to him about the script!

Needless to say, Harvey agreed to play the part and even went on to support the movie’s promotion out of this own pocket and helped Quentin by introducing him to all the right people when he flew him to New York for a lunch at the he Russian Tea House.

Great thing’s from a very stubborn beginning, a passion for film and a belief in one’s self. I guess the moral of the tale is  that sometimes, regardless of what the right way of doing something is ….you simply have to ignore that and just do it!

Accountability: A Question of Leadership?

I work with many businesses and organizations on a regular basis. The marketing issues we discuss often extend into business management areas such as business processes, customer service, business management strategies and protocols, etc.  These areas affect how customers do business with your company every day so they have to be evaluated if a marketing strategy is going to be effective. The most common complaint or issue that organizational leaders seem to have is their frustration with the lack of accountability from their employees.

 Since the recent downturn on the economy in 2008, business seems to have gotten a little harder for every part of the supply management chain. Companies and organizations are more focused on core issues and have less time for strategic planning. This has had a significant impact on businesses and their ability to train staff, enhance organizational work flow or clearly define accountability and responsibility within the company. Also, businesses often don’t have access to a Human Resource specialist that can set parameters for accountability and responsibility within an organization.

 How does marketing responsibility venture into the rarified air of human resources one might ask?  It is a gray area for most small businesses that constantly undergoes change in an effort to respond to customer needs and marketplace demands. This coupled with staff turn overs and the need to “wear many hats” within a smaller organization means that the leader manages the company in a manner that  treats the employees with dignity and respect …in other words, he or she hope they do the job they are supposed to do.

Internal work processes reviews, client accounts, multi-level discussions, meetings, products reviews and more all teach employees what their responsibilities are from a task oriented point of view but they rarely help staff understand the larger picture that allows them to take responsibility for their action as it relates to clients. This is where accountability and responsibility can break down within an organization, causing serious customer service issues.

We have painted a picture of an over-worked organizational leader under siege who has relied on the accountability of his staff. Unfortunately the responsibility must rest with the leader in this breakdown. While he or she has provided task oriented information on internal work flow they have not provided clear role definition or parameters for external accountability. And in many circumstances they have not reinforced internal work flow accountability by defining consequences and reinforcing those positive outcomes with incentives.  

 A leader is responsible for setting common goals and objectives. This can be accomplished by first writing up job responsibilities and expectations clearly for each role. Then a leader must be prepared to set a clear vision for the company and its responsibility to its clients. Your staff must understand that they have an equal allegiance to both you and your clients. The next step is to constantly reinforce organizational goals, objectives and vision for the company along with their responsibility through meetings and recognition programs within the organization.

 The final step is creating the opportunity for feedback and the opportunities to create scenarios that allow employees to work outside their comfort zone and exercise that responsibility. Be prepared to reward success and use failure as a teaching moment.