Knowledge Guru

JANUARY 17, 2017

Yes, I know. You’ve heard that games are very useful for learning. However, it’s less about creating a game than actually understanding what it is that people find “fun” about playing games. There is power in understanding what makes games engaging to us. Armed with that knowledge, you can use it to inform your learning designs. This table offers a quick summary. Use it to inform your decisions when designing learning games or learning activities that you want to actually keep people engaged.

Games 202

Games Benefits Summary Activities 202

Knowledge Guru

JANUARY 31, 2018

Organizations expend constant effort to deliver information employees need to know for their jobs. And oftentimes, there’s a lot at stake. You depend on training to help your employees make more sales, provide better customer service, avoid regulatory issues, and make fewer mistakes. But training has no value if we can’t retrieve the information we’re taught. Training reinforcement is essential to ensure that knowledge and skills learned in training are applied on the job.

Blended Learning 160

Blended Learning Augmented Reality ILT Games 160

Knowledge Guru

AUGUST 29, 2017

The education game market continues to grow rapidly, and mobile games are the dominant force within this market. Newzoo provides the insights for the generic games market; the Serious Play Conference released its annual report showcasing the huge growth specific to the education and corporate training sector. The compound annual growth rate in the U.S for corporate learning games will be over 20% between 2017 – 2022 and about 35% globally with the U.S.

Games 169

Games Design Player Portfolio 169

Knowledge Guru

FEBRUARY 14, 2017

I’m publishing this blog on Valentine’s Day, a day that is supposed to be all about love. This blog is about love, but not the romantic type. Instead, think about a hobby or activity that you love. Kids, for example, might love to play soccer or love to play video games like Minecraft. These types of games and activities keep children engaged, often for hours at a time. LearningWorks for Kids even created a new term for the combination of engagement and games: engamement.

Games 179

Games Lecture Cognitive Player 179

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Training

Knowledge Guru

SEPTEMBER 14, 2017

Designing a game is no easy task, but do you know what’s even more difficult? Designing a game that helps people actually learn something. The BLP team (creators of Knowledge Guru) is no stranger to the challenges that come with learning game creation. That’s why we read about it! We constantly study the research and stay up to date on the latest game-based learning and gamification trends.

Games 164

Games Design Gamification Exercise 164

Knowledge Guru

JUNE 23, 2015

Are you a do-it-yourselfer? When it comes to serious games, ATD says you probably are. In an ATD survey conducted for its 2014 research report, Playing to Win: Gamification and Serious Games in Organizational Learning ( link ), 71% of organizations reported that they prefer to develop serious games in-house. 83% said they planned to develop gamification in-house. I’d say that’s a confident group!

Gamification 213

Gamification Case Study Games Effectiveness 213

Knowledge Guru

MAY 23, 2017

You built a wonderful learning game. So why aren’t you reaping results from it? Before we dive in and diagnose why your learners didn’t learn, grab a piece of real or digital paper. I’m going to ask you to write down things and answer some questions. Before I do, take 30 seconds and write down everything you need to get done today. Then write down everything you need to do this week.

Games 163

Games eLearning Strategy Player Metrics 163

Knowledge Guru

SEPTEMBER 20, 2016

I interviewed Bottom-Line Performance President and industry thought leader, Sharon Boller to learn more about current game-based learning trends and where this learning strategy is headed in 2017. Sharon has been writing and speaking about game-based learning since at least 2008. She hits the road this fall with Karl Kapp to deliver a series of workshops on learning game design , and rumor has it a book is on the way in 2017.

Games 178

Games Liability Virtual World Brandon Hall 178

Knowledge Guru

OCTOBER 26, 2015

We love creating games at BLP and try to share that enthusiasm as much as we can. But we’ll also be the first to admit that designing a learning game is only the beginning. What if you design the best learning game ever, or work with a vendor who creates a great one for you, and no one plays it? Or what if the roll-out gets botched because no one can figure out how to log in?

Games 191

Games Case Study Free DevLearn 191

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Cost

Knowledge Guru

DECEMBER 1, 2014

I love games—but that does not mean I think a game is the appropriate option for every learning situation. I do not think it will always equal the most effective or efficient means of helping people learn. In fact, I wrote a post recently clarifying how games differ from learning games because a lot of people are thinking about commercial video games when they contemplate incorporating games into their learning strategies.

Games 214

Games Simulations Brandon Hall Player 214

Knowledge Guru

MARCH 24, 2015

Some people cringe when they hear the words “process” or “procedure.” ” Others appreciate and value them. Either way, processes and procedures are essential to a successful organization. That’s why so much of the training organizations deliver year after year is supposed to help align employees with a process or teach them a procedure they must follow.

Gamification 203

Gamification Games Help Player 203

Knowledge Guru

MARCH 11, 2015

At Bottom-Line Performance (owners of the Knowledge Guru platform), we have a “learning game design peer group” that meets a few times per year. I started the group three years ago to help build game design skills and to foster deeper knowledge of the power of games as learning tools.

Games 203

Games Design Player Comparison 203

Knowledge Guru

JUNE 27, 2017

Few topics get people less excited than insurance. Some cringe in frustration. Others yawn with boredom. Yet we all know in our heart of hearts that insurance is a necessity. This is especially true if you have experienced a major “hometrastrophe,” been rear-ended or needed an expensive medical treatment.

Policies 145

Policies Coaching SharePoint Training 145

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Distance Learning

Knowledge Guru

MARCH 21, 2017

Every year, the NCAA invites people from all over the world to participate in one of college sports greatest spectacles: March Madness. If you are reading this from the United States, chances are high that you have filled out a NCAA men’s basketball bracket before. You know how it works: participants are given an online tool that lets them create bracket groups so they can compete with friends, family and colleagues.

Gamification 144

Gamification Games Player Examples 144

Knowledge Guru

APRIL 12, 2017

Your manager decides to include games and gamification as part of this year’s training strategy. As the instructional designer, she expects you to create the learning game. You’re already on staff and it’s your job to create training content… so it seems natural that you would have the skills to design a serious game or gamification system as well. But do you know where to start?

Games 142

Games Instructional Instruction Design 142

Knowledge Guru

SEPTEMBER 23, 2015

I was speaking to a client the other day who said only 10% of her workforce completes the training they are supposed to take on the LMS. She thinks training completion is low because the content isn’t engaging and wanted to know if a learning game could fix it. I told her that there is no “easy button,” and games are not a cure-all for for boring content or bad learning design. Game-based learning can improve learner engagement, but only if you start with a strategy.

eLearning Strategy 174

eLearning Strategy Games Strategy Learning Strategy 174

Knowledge Guru

APRIL 28, 2014

You want to use games for learning, but you need the games to fit the unique requirements of your organization. You believe that serious games can increase engagement and retention, but you are not so convinced that a platform can allow you to create games with enough variety to please your learners. Most of all, you need to prove to key stakeholders that your learners, and your organization, are actually benefiting from the serious games your team creates.

Knowledge 206

Knowledge Player Games ASTD 206

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Develop

Knowledge Guru

APRIL 28, 2015

You need to deliver training to your employees and want it to be “engaging.” ” You’ve read articles and attended webinars that discuss making learning experiences engaging, yet most of the advice seems vague. What is an engaging learning solution? Why do some learners find a certain type of training engaging, while others do not? The challenge you face is even more difficult when your content does not exactly jump off the page.

Productivity 180

Productivity Product Knowledge Player 180

Knowledge Guru

NOVEMBER 10, 2015

The corporate training world has come a long way over the last several years. While unwieldy Powerpoint slides and lengthy webinars are still out there, most organizations know better. The important message that “one and done” is never a sound training strategy is getting through to people, which explains the uptick in interest in learning products designed to improve knowledge retention. When knowledge retention is the goal, the mobile phone is often the delivery method of choice.

Knowledge 167

Knowledge Games Mobile Analytics 167

Knowledge Guru

FEBRUARY 19, 2014

Organizations of all sizes are turning to game-based learning , serious games , and gamification to solve a range of learning and development challenges. For some, the challenge is one of engagement; learners are tired of traditional eLearning and programs are seeing diminishing returns. For others, it’s about retention ; learners do not remember what they learned after completing training, therefore wasting its value.

Enterprise 204

Enterprise Games Cognitive Bloom 204

Knowledge Guru

APRIL 2, 2014

In serious games, story is a narrative that either weaves through an entire game or sets up the reason you are playing the game and elaborates on the theme. The type of story and level of detail you need will depend on your learning goal. Some in the corporate learning field get nervous about using “too much” story for obvious reasons. Will the story be too “out there” for some learners?

Games 198

Games Player Embed Simulations 198

Speaker: Dr. Amy Titus, Managing Director in Human Capital at Deloitte Consulting

Join Dr. Amy Titus, Managing Director in Human Capital at Deloitte Consulting, for her exclusive session where she will be discussing the 3 guiding principles for the future of learning, and how these can affect the design of work in organizations.

Guide

Knowledge Guru

OCTOBER 4, 2016

Product managers are passionate people. They are passionate about the products they create and the problems they solve for their customers. Product managers spend thousands of hours researching, testing and developing their products before its time to commercialize. But then it’s time for the hand-off. The success (or failure) of the new product is in the hands of the sales reps, not the people who so carefully and thoughtfully created it.

Productivity 143

Productivity Product Sales Management 143

Knowledge Guru

OCTOBER 11, 2016

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Those who can, do; those who can’t do, teach”? If you’re a sales manager, you’re living proof that this is often far from the truth. Lots of companies take their top performing sales reps and turn them into sales managers at some point in their careers. These new sales managers have to then transition their role from the doer (selling products) to the teacher and coach (managing sales reps). It’s not always an easy transition.

Coaching 142

Coaching Sales Management Mentoring 142

Knowledge Guru

MAY 18, 2016

Over the last five to ten years, corporate learning professionals have scrambled to engage their learners in an increasingly digital world. Learning trends such as mobile, gamification, game-based learning, performance support, use of learning science and interactive video are all attempts to capture learner attention and engage them on a deeper level. With so many distractions to compete with, learner attention comes at a premium. Training has to be engaging for it to stick.

Resources 149

Resources microlearning Micro-Learning Wiki 149

Knowledge Guru

JUNE 19, 2013

Last week’s post gave an overview of the entire process for getting started in learning game design or creating game-based learning. This post focuses on Step 1, which is to play and evaluate games. If you don’t like playing games, don’t try to design a game because you’re going to hate this step. Game design is a bit like writing a book; you’d never attempt to write a book if you first hadn’t spent time reading and evaluating several books.

Games 213

Games Evalution Design Player 213

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Global

Knowledge Guru

FEBRUARY 5, 2014

Thinking about using games for learning? You might want to question your motivations, first. Using a serious game or gamification platform in corporate learning, can be a great option, but it’s not the the right solution for every situation. We often ask our customers and clients some simple questions to determine if a game fits their needs: Are your current learning solutions presenting challenges to people? Do your solutions provide strong feedback?

Games 195

Games Corporate Learning Behavior Solution 195

Knowledge Guru

APRIL 17, 2014

First impressions matter in almost every situation – including game play. Aesthetics are a huge part of the game play experience. If the game doesn’t LOOK appealing, then players won’t want to play even if the game has a great game goal and rules. Conversely, a game that may be “just okay” from a game play perspective can be elevated by strong aesthetics.

Games 186

Games Player Templates Budget 186

Knowledge Guru

OCTOBER 14, 2014

Last weekend, I was with friends and I introduced them to the game Forbidden Island. I figured they would enjoy it as much as me. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. The game is a cooperative one rather than a competitive one. Players have to work together to locate hidden treasure and fly off the island before it sinks. The focus is on problem solving, strategy, and cooperation as you work together to figure out the best moves for each player to make. To me, the game is a lot of fun to play.

Games 175

Games Player Score Strategy 175

Knowledge Guru

JANUARY 28, 2015

Sales people live in the moment. They need to hit this month’s numbers. They have a demo in 10 minutes. Their manager wants an update on their biggest account. They are paid on commission and they probably do not feel they have time to take your training! Salespeople probably have the most single-minded focus of any role in your organization: activities that are directly linked to making a sale are top priority and everything else is just details.

Sales 168

Sales Games Case Study Brandon Hall 168

Speaker: TJ Seabrooks, former CEO at Rustici Software

Have you ended up with a collection of content inputs and data outputs that might be hard to wrangle? If your organization uses multiple LMSs and has content coming from many different places, or you’re heading in this direction, this webinar is for you.

Content

Knowledge Guru

SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

Knowledge Guru’s Drive has two delivery methods for minigames: Daily 3 and Custom. Read this article to learn about how to choose a delivery method. Custom allows game authors to choose how players complete their Drive experience. To customize game order: Navigate to Customize > Minigame Delivery. Choose Custom on the toggle. Drag minigames into the desired order. Choose how and when games become available. Note that the minigame at the top of the list will always be available.

Custom 100

Custom Games Player Bloom 100