13. Troubleshooting
GoVenture CEO is a well-refined and tested simulation. It is rare for problems to arise, but if they do, instructors should direct students to click the HELP button to contact the MediaSpark-GoVenture team.
Below is a list of select issues and how to respond:
13.1 Student Subscription Key does not work
A Subscription KEY is used to create an account.
The KEY is 32 numbers formatted like this: 12345678-12345678-12345678-12345678
A Subscription KEY can only be used one time to create a new login account. Once a KEY has been used to create a login account, students should log in to GoVenture using their username and password. The KEY is no longer needed and it expires so it cannot be used again.
Students may forget that they have already used their Subscription KEY or they mistakenly believe they have to use it more than once and they will get a message that they KEY has expired. Students should be advised to check their email for their GoVenture login or click the Forgot Username or Password button on the GoVenture login page.
13.2 Student Forgets Username or Password
Advise student to click the Forgot Username or Password button on the GoVenture login page.
If the student does so and receives a message that their email is not recognized, this is likely because they used a different email address when they created their GoVenture account. Students should be advised to check their email for their GoVenture login. Another possibility is that the student is trying to log in to the wrong GoVenture product.
13.3 Refund or Purchased Wrong Product
- If a student purchases the wrong GoVenture product, direct them to click the HELP button to contact the MediaSpark-GoVenture team.
13.4 Student Joined the Wrong Team
- If a student joins the wrong team in a team-based simulation, the instructor should use their dashboard to select the simulation and in the ACTIONS tile click TROUBLESHOOTING > REMOVE PLAYER (not Remove Team).
13.5 Student Missed Saving
If a student does not save decisions for a period, there is no way for them to go back to a previous period.
In a head-to-head multiplayer simulation, all student decisions affect the results of the simulation, so allowing a student to go back to a previous period would completely change all of the results for all students.
Even though a student may have missed a period, they can continue to play the current and future periods.
A student is able to join a simulation late, but they cannot make decisions for periods that have already passed.
A student cannot join a simulation that has ended.
13.6 Simulation Did Not Advance
This will happen if no students joined the simulation by the first Decision Deadline. You can verify that this is the cause by viewing the Status Summary report to confirm that no students have joined.
No action is needed as the simulation will continue to advance based on the schedule already set, except that the missed period is now missed. If you want to add another period to account for the missed period, this can be done by editing the simulation settings to add one more period.
13.7 Change Simulation Time Advance or Schedule
You can change the schedule on which the simulation advances as follows:
Using your instructor dashboard, select the simulation in the white MANAGE tile.
In the ACTIONS tile, choose EDIT SETTINGS.
Click the green TIME ADVANCE module.
Change the setting to AUTOMATIC or MANUAL.
Click DONE.
13.8 Change Business Name
Use this feature if a player chooses an inappropriate business name or if two players use the same business name. Also useful if a business name contains an unreadable character that prevents the player from joining a simulation.
Access this feature on the ACTIONS tile > TROUBLESHOOTING
13.9 Repeat or Reprocess a Period
Two features are available in case something went wrong with your simulation during the previous period and you wish to rewind back to the previous period. The most common reason this may be needed is if many students do not save their decisions in time.
Using these features is only recommended as a last resort option. It is better to start a new simulation (Create Simulation > Copy) and then invite students to join and play the new Simulation Number.
There are two options available under the Actions tile TROUBLESHOOTING — Reprocess and Repeat:
REPROCESS PERIOD— Discard the current period results, rewind back to the previous period, and KEEP all decisions made by players during that period. Use this option when you want to reprocess the results of a period without requiring players to go and make their decisions again. This option is useful if a glitch has caused some bad results and you want to have the period processed again. Once you implement this option, you may want to immediately use the MANUAL ADVANCE option to move to the next period (otherwise, players could go in and change their decisions).
REPEAT PERIOD— Discard the current period results, rewind back to the previous period, and DELETE all decisions made by players during that period. You will have to notify players that the simulation has been rewound and that they must make their decisions again. This option is useful when a number of players may have missed saving in a period and you want to give everyone a chance to try again.
WARNING: If students have already completed a COMPETENCY QUIZ for this Simulation Competition, the answers may have changed and so you may need to repeat the quiz.
13.10 Problem: “Unable to Load Simulation Data”
About the Problem
The above error may occur on rare occasions when many students join a Simulation Number for the first time — and all attempt to do so at exactly the same moment in time.
This is most likely to happen in a live class when an instructor reveals a Simulation Number for the first time and students attempt to join it right away.
If two students join the Simulation Number at exactly the same fraction of a second, the two students may be joined to the same business, even though they are supposed to have their own businesses.
When this happens, one or both students will receive this error— Problem: “Unable to load simulation data.”
Avoiding the Problem
To avoid this problem from happening, consider providing students with the Simulation Number prior to the live session so that they will join at random times.
If you must provide the Simulation Number during the live session, try to coordinate students to join the Simulation Number at different times — a few seconds of spacing is all that is needed to avoid this problem from happening.
Solving the Problem
Summary
- The problem business will be removed and the students with the error will join the simulation again.
Details — Step by step:
- Simulation Managers (instructors) can fix this problem with a few clicks. Select the simulation and in the ACTIONS tile click TROUBLESHOOTING > FIX ERRORS and follow the directions.
NOTE: The removed business will impact the simulation in the period in which it is removed by increasing the market demand during that period (and only that period). If a business is removed after the simulation has advanced, the history of that business in previous periods will remain, but the business will no longer affect the simulation going forward.