To support the learners in doing their task and to support learning while playing the game several features have been implemented in the environment:
A knowledge management model
Shared worksheets related to the steps in the knowledge management model Just-in-time information
Feedback Advice
Is it all in the game?
Visualisation tools Monitoring tools
These features will be described below.
4.6.1 Knowledge management model
The knowledge management model (see Figure 4-5) describes a systematic approach to solving knowledge management problems (a type of scaffolding by structuring). It resembles the guidance used by Stark, Graf, Renkl, Gruber, and Mandl (1995) that was described in Section 3.5.2. However, as stated before, the use of the model does not necessarily lead to the “right” solutions, it is not an algorithmic model but a process model that consists of four distinct phases (focus, organize, implement and monitor), which are subdivided into smaller steps. These steps indicate the activities and actions a knowledge manager should complete in order to come up with the best fitting knowledge management solution for problems in an organization. Although the model consists of a limited set of steps, there are choice points in the focus phase, each leading to different pathways in the model. These pathways are based on different types of knowledge management problems that one can encounter.
Figure 4-5. The KM Quest knowledge management model.
In the steps students search for information, perform analyses and make choices.
The model contains steps and choice points but does not contain cues that indicate what kind of information is the most relevant in a certain situation and also does not indicate which choices are “right” or which solutions are more preferable than others.
The model tries to prevent players from using a “trial and error” approach and tries to structure their way of problem solving.
4.6.2 Shared process worksheets
Although the knowledge management model indicates the steps that could be followed when solving a knowledge management problem, it does not give any clues/indications which specific activities should be performed (in the learning environment) in each step. To provide the learners with this information, process
A simulation game to learn knowledge management
worksheets are implemented. These process worksheets guide the learners through the steps in the knowledge management model. For this they contain several elements:
• Clues on what to do and how to do it (see next section).
• Tools to structure the process and make the results of the activities explicit.
This means that each worksheet contains:
• Links to relevant information. This means that each worksheet has a “What”
and a “How” button (see next section) and has hyperlinks to information in the handbooks. For instance when a name of an indicator is displayed, pressing the link will open the indicator handbook and will display a description of that indicator.
• A text field, and/or checkboxes and/or dropdown menus that can be edited by all team members (one member at a time). These fields and boxes can be used to articulate and discuss ideas with team members about a specific element in the problem solving process.
• A dedicated chat facility that can be used to discuss ideas with team members without having to open the general chat facility.
• The content of the worksheet and the related discussion are saved together and are always available for inspection. So team members that were not present at a certain point in time still can see what the others have done, and can even make changes to the content of the worksheet.
Every quarter the team gets a new set of worksheets. The content of the old ones is saved and is available by means of quarterly reports (see below). This means that players can always monitor their behaviour during the game, and have the opportunity to reflect on it.
The worksheets have the same kind of role in supporting learning as does the KM model (see end of the previous section).
4.6.3 Just-in-time information
Information and tools should be easily accessible at the time players need them. This principle is used to structure the information in several ways.
Information that is directly related to a step in the knowledge management model can be accessed by using links that are presented in the process worksheets. Two types of links are used:
• What (to do). This contains information about what the learner is expected to do in a certain step and why, or what the result of a step could be, and of the relationship (and dependencies) with other steps.
• How (to do it). This contains information about how to proceed to complete the activities related to this step (and worksheet). It gives hints what to think about when performing these activities, and in some cases tells how these activities are to be performed outside the KM Quest environment.
Information that is more general and can be of use at anytime during the process, is available by using resources that are placed in the virtual office (see Figure 4-1) like books on a bookshelf, the organigram (a link to static information about the company), and a help functionality in the task bar. The following books are available:
Interventions handbook containing additional information about the interventions that can be implemented. This information concerns the costs involved, the knowledge domains they are related to, and the knowledge processes that they can influence.
Indicator handbook with descriptions of the indicators in the business model that can be inspected.
Is it all in the game?
Knowledge management handbook containing general ideas about knowledge management, and the knowledge management model.
Visualisation handbook with information about all the visualisation packages that can be installed in the measurement system.
Knowledge management dictionary with information about the main concepts in the knowledge management domain.
Just-in-time information does not necessarily support one or the other information processing strategy (experiential or reflective). On the one hand it can promote reflection because the information that is necessary at a certain point in time is easily available and players do not have to put in a lot of effort to find it. On the other hand it can promote an experiential search and apply strategy because the information is easy accessible and players do not have to think critically about what they need and about whether the information that is presented is “correct”.
4.6.4 Feedback
Feedback is a critical event in instruction. It should give learners the opportunity to assess the appropriateness of their actions during practice. In the KM Quest environment, feedback is based on several sources:
1. The behaviour of the underlying business model
2. Pre-canned conceptual knowledge about knowledge management that is based on the experiences from KM experts and is coupled to certain events.
3. A human tutor.
4. An advisor functionality in the system (see next section).
1. Feedback based on the business model
In the learning environment it is possible to get intrinsic feedback from the business model at the end of each quarter. Players have the possibility to see/monitor the status of (a large set of) indicators (and their history) in the business model. The values (and trends) of the business and knowledge (process) indicators give them indirect feedback on the quality of their actions.
2. Feedback based on conceptual knowledge
Pre-canned event related feedback is available after a quarter in the game has been finished. This contains information about the type of event, the knowledge domains and the knowledge processes that it is related to. Furthermore, it contains a list of interventions that are considered to be relevant to react upon this specific event.
Players can compare their own interpretation of the event with the description given and can compare their actions with the suggested interventions. An example is given below:
The event
It seems that the communication and collaboration between the people in the marketing and production department is somewhat lacking. They do not have a very well established communication with the people from the other department and do not seem to receive the right information. This leads to misinterpretations of product specifications. This event reveals weaknesses of Coltec in transfer of knowledge between these two departments. The effectiveness of knowledge transfer from marketing to R&D and the other way around is not optimal.).
Relevant interventions
1. Organise monthly meetings between marketing and production employees to exchange information
A simulation game to learn knowledge management
2. Implement a company information system which supports Intranet and forums to conduct E-discussions an make available news about ongoing research project s and product developments
Additional information
Ad 1: This intervention will have an effect on the indicators related to transfer of knowledge in both the marketing and production department. There is no delay in the effect of this intervention and this intervention can only be chosen when it not already active in the game.
Ad 2: This intervention will influence the knowledge transfer and utilisation processes in all departments of Coltec. There is no delay in the effect of the intervention and you can only select the intervention when it is not already active.
3. Feedback given by a tutor
It is possible that a tutor or advisor logs on to the environment as a fourth (non-playing) team member. This person is a kind of non-playing group member that can observe the behaviour of the players, can inspect the worksheets they have filled, and can participate in chats. This tutor can give the players additional feedback about the steps they have taken and the interventions they have chosen.
The first type of feedback (based on the business model) does not necessarily support one or the other information processing strategy. It could evoke reflective thought especially when changes in the indicators are not in the expected direction. It could also lead to trial and error behaviour because the underlying business model is very complex and the rules in this model are not open for inspection. The second and third type of feedback should support a reflective strategy because it gives players the opportunity to compare their own thoughts and solutions by those given by the system or by a human tutor. This could lead to confirmation or rejection of hypotheses or rules that were developed by the players or could transform implicit rules into explicit ones.
4.6.5 Advice
Advice is available when certain values in the business model are below a fixed threshold value. The advisor icon in the status bar (a triangle with a ! in it, see Figure 4-1) normally is passive but starts blinking when advice is available.
When the player clicks on this icon pre-canned text will be displayed (see example below) that indicates there is a problem and that indicates what one can do by means of a list of suitable classes of interventions. An example is given below.
The value of "Efficiency of knowledge gaining in research" has dropped below a value of 4.5. This may be a reason for concern. It is possible that you overlooked this decrease of "Efficiency of knowledge gaining in research"
because you focused to much on the event or did not include "Efficiency of knowledge gaining in research" in your measurement system. If you want to improve the value of "Efficiency of knowledge gaining in research", you could consider interventions that influence this value. Most of the time several interventions are available. In the case of "Efficiency, of knowledge gaining in research" you could take a look at interventions of the type listed below (see Interventions handbook). Note that there maybe other interventions also.
• Interventions that aim at cooperation with partners, implementation of new projects or hiring services
• Interventions that aim at the implementation of Information Communication Technology
• Interventions that aim at recruiting and hiring people
Is it all in the game?
When a player clicks on a class of interventions the chapter of the interventions handbook will be opened in which additional information about these interventions is given.
As is the case with the support tools mentioned in the previous sections, this type of support does not necessarily support one or the other information processing strategy. On the one hand it can promote reflection because players’ attention is focused on certain problems that they might overlook and because information that is necessary at a certain point in time is easily available and players do not have to put in a lot of effort to find it. Furthermore, they get clues that could lead to possible solutions for the problems that they are facing. This last aspect and the fact that the information is easy accessible and players do not have search the entire environment and do not have to think critically about what they need and do not have to question whether the information that is presented is “correct”, could make that players keep using an experiential search and apply strategy.
4.6.6 Monitoring tools (history)
To be able to monitor their own behaviour and to reflect on it, 12 quarterly reports are available on the top two bookshelves (see Figure 4-1). These reports give information about the players’ actions and about data generated by the system in the quarters that are completed. This gives teams the opportunity to go back in time without having the opportunity to reverse activities and/or actions that they have chosen. They are able to inspect:
• Which event has occurred in a specific quarter
• The content of the worksheets they filled in that quarter
• The interventions they implemented,
• The feedback and advice that were provided by the system
Data are only available from resources that were actually used in the specific quarter.
So, when the players did not consult feedback in a certain quarter, no link to feedback will be available in the report about that quarter.
The monitoring tools mainly support a reflective strategy because they give players the opportunity to look back at their own behaviour and to compare data from previous quarters with the current data. This could lead to new insights or revision of already existing ideas.
4.6.7 Visualisations
The business model consists of a large set of indicators. To help the players with interpreting the values of the indicators and with seeing trends in the data, several types of visualisations are implemented like line or bar charts (an extensive description of these visualisations can be found in Purbojo, 2005). A special type of visualisation is the knowledge map. The Knowledge Map (see Figure 4-6) represents the three knowledge domains displayed in three squares. Each square is divided into 5 sections that refer to 5 knowledge processes: gaining, development, retention, utilisation, and transfer. The Knowledge Map contains two important elements: colour changing from red to green indicating the level of effectiveness of knowledge processes, and text information representing the speed of the knowledge processes by means of 5 categories. Next to the picture are two buttons that enable going back and forth to the knowledge maps of other quarters. By using these buttons players are able to see developments in the effectiveness and speed of the knowledge processes.
The visualisation tools could support a reflective strategy because they give players the opportunity to compare data from previous quarters with the current data.
This could lead to new insights or revision of already existing ideas.
A simulation game to learn knowledge management
Figure 4-6. Example of the knowledge map.