Using Forio and Google apps, students in the Stanford GSB LEAD program are moving from head knowledge to active application. From sales to negotiations to leading effective teams (based on Google's "Project Aristotle"), these 2D simulations are transformative. But why stop there? VR simulations are soon to enter online contexts.
Basic Outline: Brief lecture on intro to simulation, participants will use one of our negotiation simulations, and then we'll end with another brief lecture on the potential for simulation in online contexts (including the emerging field of XR (AR/VR/MR) as components of online education.
Summary:
This project is ultimately about pushing the bounds of learning in online contexts. Simulations have traditionally been viewed as expensive and time-consuming. This is true, but in the advent of design thinking, researched-based design, and various frameworks, the era of inexpensive simulation is upon us. At the Stanford Graduate School of Business, we have several examples of online and classroom-based simulations (which can be run synchronously or asynchronously), including the following:
Negotiations Simulation App/Role Playing: we have 3, 2D, web-based simulations that live as Google apps that can be embedded in LMS's. The simulations distribute roles, allow the counterparts to record their data, give feedback to the admin team (and their counterpart if they choose), and to see their class comparison and growth over time.
Topics:
- Common challenges in distribution and scaling
- Challenges and opportunities in administrative features
- The temptation to miss metacognition within gamification/simulation
Sales Cycle App: we have a web-based app built in Forio that allows an individual to synchronously or asynchronously run a medical sales team. Students choose how much and where to put time money and effort, and they can move quarter by quarter to simulate an entire sales cycles. Algorithms based on real research run in the background with random noise that is added for a real-world feel.
Topics:
- Simulations based on real-world data
- The basic question of adding "noise" to underlying algorithms
- Monitoring the size of your "dashboard" and when is the sandbox too big
Leading Effective Teams (based on Google's "Project Aristotle"): we are currently developing a team-based, synchronous simulation that allows students to unveil the mystery of a recently failed project. Based on the finding of Google's "Project Aristotle", they will soon discover how their decisions, what they say, how they say it, and who they say it to, have a metric driven impact on team performance.
Topics:
- Addressing "Soft skills" in simulation
- Multi-user, synchronous activities
- Metric-driven simulations without binary answers: the power of conversation
The Future: After a review of the above (and an opportunity to use one of the simulations live as a group), I will dive into AR/VR for online learning. I will cover some examples from Zspace to internal projects to Harvard's "EcoMUVR" that are pushing the boundaries of XR and how it will integrate into general education and online contexts. I do have practical examples, but this section will be more a call to action based on some recent progress in these fields.