📃Facilitator Guide
WARNING — This is a guide for advanced users, you do not have to review this document to set up and play GoVenture Leader. Some of the instructions here may not be correct for your use of the program.
Facilitation Process
Prepare the Paper-Based Gameplay Spreadsheet so that it is ready to use in case of technology issues. This is optional.
Print copies of the Activity List and Stakeholder Questions so that each Player has a paper copy for reference. This will help make discussions more efficient. Print a copy of Stakeholder Answers but do not give out this copy — keep it as a backup in case of Internet problems. Note that these documents can be printed from the Paper-Based Gameplay Spreadsheet.
Determine if participants will be playing individually or in Teams. If in Teams, determine how many participants per Team (2 to 5 is best for efficient collaboration, but any number is possible). It is best to have no more than 15 entities competing in the same Simulation (entities means Teams if team play, or individuals if individual play).
Prepare computers or tablets — one for each Team. If more than 2 participants per Team, it is best if each Team is equipped with a large screen to allow for easier collaboration.
Test the device and Internet connection to make sure the Simulation website is accessible and not blocked by the local network. Note that smartphones can access the Simulation but the interface is not designed for small screens. The Simulation runs entirely in a browser (in the cloud) and nothing needs to be installed.
Hold a plenary session with all participants to describe what the Simulation is about from a training perspective. Explain at a high level:
Players will be competing in Teams (or individually).
Describe Team roles and objectives, including scoring metrics.
Teams will be selecting ACTIVITIES to implement in a given PERIOD. Each ACTIVITY may have a positive or negative influence on the metrics. The degree of influence also varies. Points are awarded or subtracted.
The number of ACTIVITIES that can be chosen will be limited by the percentage of TIME each one takes.
Teams can review BRIEFINGS and interview STAKEHOLDERS to discover current challenges and opportunities.
Teams will have a specific time by which decisions must be made. Do not go past this time.
Results for each PERIOD will be revealed over time — share the schedule.
Teams do not affect each other, but SCORES will be compared. SCORES are cumulative.
Identify if other offline training activities could award points in the Simulation.
Identify prizes for winners.
To help with the above use, show the HELP WITH ACTIVITIES screens that are in the Simulation. Consider also creating a video where someone role-plays to explain the mission.
Determine Teams and assign logins and devices. Caution participants to only use one device when setting decisions. Explain that they may use other devices to view results after the decisions have been locked in. Go to breakout rooms/areas.
While Teams are making decisions for the current PERIOD, observe the discussions that are happening and look for coaching opportunities. Provide a warning when time is running out.
Once the current PERIOD has ended, use the Facilitator Interface to ADVANCE the Simulation to the next period. Prior to doing this, you may want to double check the DECISION, RESULTS, and BLACKOUT Schedules to make sure they are correct (just in case the live training schedule may have adjusted unexpectedly).
Hold a debrief session with all Players together. The Facilitator can ask participants specific questions that will help make the experience even more meaningful (hearing other articulate what you may be feeling helps with the reflection process).
Observe the conversations that happen as Players discover the results. Look for coaching opportunities. Display the results on a big screen in a high-traffic area (turn off the screen saver and display-off timer on the device).
Repeat the relevant steps above for each PERIOD of the Simulation.
Host a plenary session to discuss results between PERIODS and/or at the end of the Simulation. Award prizes.
When the Simulation ends, consider changing the Team passwords to disable access.
Advancing a Simulation
The Simulation stays in the current PERIOD until the Facilitator clicks the ADVANCE button on the Facilitator Interface, or the simulation advances automatically based on the schedule set by the Facilitator (using EDIT > ADVANCE PERIOD SCHEDULE).
This means that Players can take as much time to make decisions as provided by the Facilitator. The Facilitator should manually inform Players when their time is up.
The Facilitator should set the DECISION SCHEDULES to make sure that future PERIOD information is not revealed prematurely.
Facilitator & Player Accounts
There are two types of Facilitator accounts: Learner Managed and Instructor Managed.
Learner Managed
Facilitators and Players create their accounts and log in at PlayGoVenture.com
Players create and manage their own personal accounts using Subscription Keys.
Players can purchase their own Subscription Keys or organizations can purchase them for Players. Buy Subscription Keys at BuyGoVenture.com
Simulation Numbers work differently for Learner Managed vs Instructor Managed accounts— see next section for details.
Instructor Managed
To log in, Facilitators go to GoVentureLeader.com or IgniteSimulation.com and click the FACILITATOR LOGIN button then log in using the username and password provided by MediaSpark. Players go to the same website and log in using the username and password provided by the Facilitator (Players should not click the FACILITATOR LOGIN button).
The Facilitator creates Player logins.
Instructor Managed subscriptions do not require Players to create full accounts on GoVenture and so Players do not have to disclose personally-identifiable information— this assures 100% privacy. The Facilitator creates Player login accounts by using the EDIT function for a specific Simulation scenario.
A login (username and password) can be created for each individual Player or Team that the Facilitator would like to play in the given Simulation scenario. A Team means one login. A Team login can be used by one Player or a team of Players.
It is ok to have more Team logins created than will actually be used — unused Teams will not appear in the Simulation.
It is ok to play a Simulation with Teams having a different number of students. One Team may have 1 student, another 3, and another 10. The Simulation treats one Team login as one user.
Players on the same Team should all use the same login. But Players should only use one device when setting decisions for their Team. Players may use the same login on other devices to view results after the decisions have been locked in.
The Facilitator has to generate Team logins for each new Simulation scenario to be played.
Players should be directed to log in at GoVentureLeader.com
Simulation Numbers work differently for Instructor Managed vs Learner Managed accounts— see next section for details.
Simulation Number
Simulation Numbers work differently for Learner Managed vs Instructor Managed accounts— see next section for details.
Learner Managed
Each Simulation has a unique Simulation Number. When Players are playing individually, all Players should be directed to join the same Simulation Number. Give Players the Simulation Number you want them to join and your Player roster will build automatically as Players join your Simulation.
When playing in Teams, the Facilitator must generate a unique Simulation Number for each Team (click EDIT > TEAMS then click the + button). The Simulation Number is 6 digits followed by a dash and two digit team suffix:
- 123456-01 (team 1)
- 123456-02 (team 2)
- etc.
- Give one unique Simulation Number to each Team. It does not matter how many Players are on each Team.
- Note that it is possible for a Player to join a Simulation Number without including the Team suffix— for example, a Player is supposed to join 123456-01 but mistakenly enters 123456 without the -01 suffix. In this instance, the Player will appear as having joined the Simulation as an individual that is not part of a Team. The Simulation will function ok, but you should remove the student and direct them to join again with the correct Simulation Number so that they can collaborate with their Team. To remove a student go to EDIT > TEAMS.
Instructor Managed
Each Simulation has a unique Simulation Number.
All Players or Teams in the Simulation should be directed to join the same Simulation Number.
Facilitate Simulation Features
VIEW SIMULATION AND PERFORMANCE
Allows the Facilitator to view the Simulation as Players do. Use this feature to review Simulation content, settings, and Player PERFORMANCE.
You can view past, current, and future PERIODS (Players cannot view future PERIODS).
Facilitator can ask STAKEHOLDERS an unlimited number of questions.
In this mode, the Simulation does not log decisions made by the Facilitator — the Facilitator does not affect the live training.
Navigate to the PERFORMANCE screen to view results for the Simulation. Use this feature to view results yourself or to display them on a big screen. Note that the order in which points appear in the PERFORMANCE charts is randomized and not based on the order in which ACTIVITIES are selected by the Teams. Facilitator can view PERFORMANCE Feedback for all Teams, regardless if the Simulation is set to only show individual Team feedback. Facilitator can view charts for each individual metric, whereas Players can only view a chart for the SCORE.
VIEW TEAM DECISIONS
Allows the Facilitator to view current and past decisions made by each Team.
Decisions displayed for the current PERIOD are not updated in real time — click the REFRESH button to see live decisions. Note that the FEEDBACK content for the current PERIOD is not displayed until after the simulation has advanced to the next PERIOD.
An ACTIVITY REPORT displays the number of times each individual ACTIVITY was implemented. This can be useful to assess how well ACTIVITIES are designed and being interpreted by Players.
ADVANCE TO NEXT PERIOD
Click the button to advance to next PERIOD — results are calculated in just a few seconds (but only displayed based on the RESULTS SCHEDULE). Players that are logged into the Simulation when this button is clicked will be immediately logged out and the currently-advanced PERIOD will be locked to not allow changes. Players may log back in at any time (unless limited by set SCHEDULES).
Facilitator can preview the results using VIEW TEAM DECISIONS or VIEW SIMULATION AND PERFORMANCE (the latter option only works based on the RESULTS SCHEDULE).
UNDO LATEST PERIOD ADVANCE
- Use this option when you want to make a minor adjustment to Team decisions before the PERIOD was advanced. This action will undo the most recent PERIOD advance and roll back the Simulation to just before the ADVANCE SIMULATION button was clicked. All decisions made by Teams in the CURRENT PERIOD will be deleted. All decisions made by Teams in the PREVIOUS PERIOD will remain unchanged, including Stakeholder Questions asked, Activities selected for implementation, and any point adjustments made by the Facilitator (although any scheduled point changes will be repeated based on the period set). This option cannot be undone and cannot be used in PERIOD 1.
RESET AND REPEAT PREVIOUS PERIOD
- Use this option when you want to completely repeat a PERIOD from the start. This action will undo the most recent PERIOD advance and roll back the Simulation to the START of the previous PERIOD. All decisions made by Teams in the CURRENT PERIOD and the PREVIOUS PERIOD will be deleted, including Stakeholder Questions asked, Activities selected for implementation, and any point adjustments made by the Facilitator (although any scheduled point changes will be repeated based on the period set). This option cannot be undone and cannot be used in PERIOD 1.
EDIT TEAM POINTS
- Use this feature to give or take away points from a Team. This feature is useful for connecting other related training activities to the Simulation. You can set point changes to occur in any PERIOD — past, current, or future. Point changes will appear at the end of the period when viewing the PERFORMANCE charts.
Edit Simulation Features
SIMULATION NUMBER, NAME, DESCRIPTION
Simulation NUMBER is auto generated.
Set the Simulation NAME and DESCRIPTION. These fields are only visible to Facilitators, not Players.
TEAM LOGINS
See sections above:
Facilitator Account & Login
Simulation Number
DECISION SCHEDULESExample: Participants are allowed to view information and make decisions for Period 1 between Monday at 9:00am to Tuesday at 4:00pm.
Set the START and END DATES and TIMES for each PERIOD of the Simulation in which Players are allowed to view the information and make decisions for the given PERIOD. Players can log in to the Simulation at any time (except when a Blackout Schedule is set), but they can only see the information and make decisions for the current PERIOD during the dates set in the DECISION SCHEDULE.
When a simulation is ADVANCED to the next PERIOD, Players can view the RESEARCH and ACTIVITY data for the past PERIOD (and all past periods), regardless of what DECISION SCHEDULES are set. In other words, DECISION SCHEDULES are ignored for historical PERIODS. However, players cannot view PERFORMANCE data unless a RESULTS SCHEDULE has revealed the data.
Outside of this schedule, Players can log in and view historical data only. This is important because you do not want to advance the Simulation and then immediately have the next PERIOD information available to Players — instead, you will want the results for the current PERIOD to be revealed and then, when you are ready, have the next PERIOD information made available to Players (which may be hours later or the next day).
Schedules for any period can be set at any time before a Simulation starts or while it is being played. Multiple schedules can be set for each PERIOD. Note that if a Simulation is advanced to the next PERIOD, previous PERIOD decisions cannot be changed, regardless of whether or not the schedule allows it.
RESULTS SCHEDULES Example: The performance results for Period 1 will be revealed on Tuesday at 4:05pm.
You may choose a short window to reveal the results quickly, or a long window to reveal the results slowly over time. For example, you can reveal the results over 2 minutes or over 2 hours or 2 days.
You may choose the percentage of the RESULTS to reveal. For example, you can reveal 50% of the RESULTS right away in a 2-minute session and then reveal the remaining 50% of the RESULTS over many hours that follow. Your SCHEDULES should add up to 100% for each PERIOD (but you can choose to reveal less if you prefer; but note that anything above 100% will be treated as 100%).
The RESULTS schedule has no effect on anything else other than when the results for the given period are revealed.
Schedules for any period can be set at any time before a Simulation starts or while it is being played. Multiple schedules can be set for each PERIOD (and the reveal speed will be automatically adjusted based on the total duration of the combined RESULTS SCHEDULES).
RESULTS SCHEDULES can be deleted to completely hide results from the view of Players. Note that the actual results will not change — once results are calculated by clicking the ADVANCE button, the results are stored and do not change.
RESULTS SCHEDULES should be set to maximize Player emotion and engagement. This can be done by revealing some of the results immediately after Players complete a PERIOD and then revealing more of the results over several hours that follow, perhaps overnight, thereby encouraging Players to frequently check on their results and discuss them with each other. It is also highly effective to display results while playing dramatic music. For example:
Reveal the next 40% from that point forward to immediately before the next PERIOD is to be played. The final 10% stays hidden. (Note that setting 40% means 50%+40%=90% of the results will be revealed).
Immediately before the next PERIOD is played, reveal 100% of the results (the first 90% of which they may have already seen) on a big screen over a 2-minute period while playing dramatic music.
Note that only a limited number of results are available to be revealed, so keep that in mind when calculating how often new results will appear as this will affect engagement. For example, if you expect that Players will choose to implement 20 activities, then 20 is the number of data points that will appear — this means that over a 20-hour RESULTS SCHEDULE, only one new data point will appear each hour. Be sure to let Players know how infrequently new data will appear so that they are not frustrated by checking too frequently.
Samples of dramatic music you can play while results are revealed
O Fortuna: https://youtu.be/EJC-_j3SnX
The Good, Bad, Ugly: https://youtu.be/enuOArEfqGo
BLACKOUT SCHEDULES
Set the START and END DATES and TIMES for when you want to suppress Players from being able to log in to the Simulation.
Examples of when you may use this: overnight, if you want Players to rest from the Simulation; or during other training sessions so as not to cause a distraction.
Schedules for any period can be set at any time before a Simulation starts or while it is being played. Multiple schedules can be set. Players logged in to the Simulation when the BLACKOUT SCHEDULE is set to include the current time will be automatically logged out.
ADVANCE PERIOD SCHEDULES
- Set the DATES and TIMES for when you want to the Simulation to automatically advance to the next PERIOD. This is an optional feature for when you prefer not to use the MANUAL ADVANCE option. You can use both the manual and automatic advance options in the same Simulation.
Scheduling Example for a Live In-Person Training
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 10:00-11:00 AM | Open to Teams to view the current period and make decisions. This should match the time scheduled for the Teams to meet. The start time could be set earlier to allow additional time prior to the scheduled meeting time (if so, all Teams must be informed of this availability; and be careful that this additional time does not become a distraction to other scheduled activities). |
| 11:00 - 11:20 AM | Debrief session with all Players together. |
| 11:20 AM | Facilitator advances the Simulation (which only takes a few seconds) and the Facilitator can preview the results before anyone else (using VIEW TEAM DECISIONS). |
| 11:25 - 11:30 AM | On a big screen for all to see, using CHART view, 50% of the results are revealed over a 2-minute window with loud dramatic music playing. |
| 12:00 - 6:00 PM | The next 40% of the results (total of 90%) for the period are displayed to everyone over the designated time window. In this case, slowly over 6 hours. Players can log in to view PERFORMANCE and/or the chart can be displayed on a big screen. |
| 6:00 PM - 9:00 AM | Players cannot log in to the Simulation. This assures the Simulation will not be a distraction as players cannot view performance results or decision history. They are completely shut out of the Simulation. Note that outside of the BLACKOUT period, players can log in and view past history at any time. |
| 9:00 AM | On a big screen for all to see, using CHART view, the final 10% (total of 100%) of the results are revealed over a 2-minute window with loud dramatic music playing. |
Copy Simulation Feature
- Use the COPY option to duplicate a Simulation for a new training session. Then EDIT the copied Simulation to adjust the settings. Note that only a limited number of settings are available to the Facilitator — to change content or other settings, contact MediaSpark.
Changing Simulation Settings and Content
Settings that are needed to facilitate a training sessions are available through the Facilitator Interface.
Contact MediaSpark for assistance with changing Simulation content and other settings that are not available through the Facilitator Interface.
Creating a New Simulation for a New Training
A new Simulation must be created for each separate training session.
Log in to the FACILITATOR Interface.
It is best to COPY the most recent Simulation so that all the settings will remain the same.
Edit the copied Simulation to make any adjustments necessary.
In the Event of a Tied Score
If there is more than one TEAM with the same SCORE at the end of the Simulation, the tie can likely be broken by manually recalculating the SCORE to determine the decimal places that are not shown in the Simulation.
If the decimal places are tied as well, the tie will have to stand or some other method will have to be used to determine a winner.
In the Event of Device Problems
- If a TEAM computer or tablet is not functioning properly, it may be replaced by another. Simply log in to the new device and continue playing. Progress is automatically saved.
In the Event of Internet Problems
If the problem is with the local network, set up a temporary hotspot using a smartphone with access to the cellular network. Have all Simulation devices connect to this hotspot.
If the Internet is not accessible or the Simulation website is not functioning, have TEAMS make their decisions on paper by identifying which ACTIVITIES they have chosen to implement. Make sure the list of ACTIVITIES does not exceed the maximum limit allowed. Facilitator can then wait until Internet is functioning again and log in as each TEAM to make the decisions provided on paper. Adjust the RESULTS and other schedules accordingly and continue playing normally. If the Internet never recovers, Facilitator can score the Simulation manually and TEAMS can continue playing on paper — use the Paper-Based Gameplay Spreadsheet.
Language
- The Simulation is currently in English only. However, the underlying framework has been designed to support other languages if desired in the future. Contact MediaSpark for assistance.
Repurposing the Simulation for Another Training Topic
- The Simulation has been designed so that it can be repurposed and customized for other training experiences. Contact MediaSpark for assistance.