Blog Posts

WHAT IS GAMIFIED LEARNING?

3/20/2020

If you’ve taken even a moment to browse our website, you’ve likely come across the term “gamified learning”, alternatively known as “gamification”, gamified learning is actually a quite simple concept.

We provide a clear definition of what it is, how its implementation into both the personal and business worlds can help you achieve your goals, and show how our experts at E.I. Games can make that happen online. In opposition to chalkboards and didactic monologues, Gamified learning is the process of integrating game mechanics and rules into a business, community, classroom, or other collective entity as a means of increase motivation, engagement, and loyalty.
One common mistake that individuals make when they first learn about gamified learning is to equate its introduction into the business or classroom atmosphere with introducing a game.

Employee and Student engagement is firmly linked to key business and education outcomes.
Let the game-based Emotional Intelligence Training services at E.I. games can get you there. Call 305.938.0453 or email us at Staff@eigames.com for more info.

#onlinelearning, #gamifiedlearning, #onlinetraining, #emotionalintelligence,
#learninganddevelopment, #seriousgames, #emotionalintelligence, #elearning, #gamification, #college, #university, #businesscourse, #managementtraining, #training, #edtech, #educationtechnology, #onlineeducation, #educationaltechnology, #digitallearning

ONLINE STUDENT SUCCESS IS IN significant demand!

3/18/2020

According to a research published in the New York Times by Jeffrey Selingo, only less than 40 percent of students who make it to college graduate in four years. Here are a few of the reasons why students are dropping out of college.

High costs

Earning a college degree is the only way for many students to unlock their career opportunities, but the cost can be prohibitive. Education costs have risen at an alarming rate, with students at public four-year colleges paying over $36,000 in tuition, fees, accommodation, and board fees. Their counterparts in private schools are spending an average of $46,000. The rising cost of tuition is out of reach for many students, and this can have a direct impact on the college dropout rate. Many students have issues finding money to clear the exorbitant cost of a college degree and are forced to either delay their graduation or drop out of school.

Students are academically unprepared

From grasping complex topics to getting your first thesis correct, a college education can be overwhelming. Many students meet the minimum requirements to be accepted in a college, but they are not well prepared for university classes. A good number of these students are from low-income families and have low SAT scores, usually in the range of 1,000 to 1,600 points. Unfortunately, universities send these struggling students to remedial courses, and for many, this is a precursor to dropping out.

What can we do about it?
Universities are finding new ways to combat this problem, including incorporating new technology strategies to engage students while educating them about the resources they have at their disposal throughout their campus life.

Ball State University has partnered with E.I. Games to create the Student Success Game, a game-based learning simulation that helps students with issues ranging from getting prepared for the course load and homesickness, to course planning and dealing with the stress of balancing work and academics.

To Find Out More on Student Success Game: Click here

#seriousgames, #emotionalintelligence, #elearning, #gamification, #college,
#university, #businesscourse, #leadershiptraining, #managementtraining, #training, #diversity, #training, #edtech, #educationtechnology, #elearning #blendedlearning #onlinelearning #onlineeducation, #educationaltechnology, #digitallearning, #onlinetraining, #studentsuccess, #studentretention, #collegedegree

E.I. GAMES - MIAMI NEW TIMES ARTICLE

3/10/2020

We are delighted to share this piece from the Miami New Times, which summarizes the amazing journey our founders,
Kevin and Karl Allen, have undertaken and
how it led to the creation of the Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Game.
It is now available and we are ecstatic to share it with everyone!

Click on the picture To read the Miami new times article and thank you for your support!

#seriousgames, #emotionalintelligence, #elearning, #gamification, #college, #university, #businesscourse, #leadershiptraining, #managementtraining, #gender, #equality, #inclusiveness #training, #diversity, #training, #entrepreneurship, #diversity #diversityandinclusion, #diversitymatters, #edtech, #educationtechnology, #elearning #onlineeducation #blendedlearning #onlinelearning #learninganalytics #workplacelearning #onlineeducation #educationaltechnology, #Digitallearning, #learninganalytics #workplacelearning, #personaldevelopment #onlinelearning,
#blendedlearning #leadershipdevelopment #corporatelearning #elearning #onlinetraining

Diversity, inclusion and equity at its best!

3/5/2020

Change an organization’s values and culture! Participants face the challenges and dilemmas of building a culture of Diversity, Inclusion and Equity, in an organization with a poor track record. Participants will be moving through subjects of identity, bias, anti-oppression and will apply an emotional intelligent approach to building culture of Diversity and Inclusion. Real people across the diversity spectrum will offer their help in building safe spaces for all.

We offer this in E.I. Games.

Wells College celebrated the grand opening of its new center for multiculturalism with an uplifting event on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020 that was attended by dozens of students, staff and faculty. The Hallway for Cultural Humility will serve as a comfortable, flexible space for students to collaborate socially, academically and culturally—a home base for students to host workshops, lectures, discussions, meals and other activities. In other words, as André Lynch noted in his remarks, it will be a “space where students are encouraged to be their authentic selves, while navigating the sometimes-muddy waters of academe.”

We appauld this and provide this with our games at E.I. Games building self awareness, empathy and understanding for everyone!

For More Information: https://www.eigames.com/diversity-inclusion-and-equity.html

   #seriousgames,  #emotionalintelligence, #elearning, #gamification, #college, #university,
#businesscourse, #leadership #training, #managementtraining, #genderequality,  #inclusiveness #training, #diversitytraining, #diversity, #diversityandinclusion, #diversitymatters, #edtech, #educationtechnology, #elearning #onlineeducation #blendedlearning #onlinelearning
#workplacelearning, #onlineeducation, #educationaltechnology, #digitallearning,
#learninganalytics,  #personaldevelopment,  #blendedlearning, #leadershipdevelopment,
#corporatelearning,  #onlinetraining

entrepreneurial success has been proven!

3/4/2020

By applying proven, practical emotional intelligence skills it is how to achieve entrepreneurial success! “E.I. Games’ Fireworks gets you much closer to a real-world experience than you can ever capture from a textbook about entrepreneurship. Fireworks is emotionally engaging, appropriately demanding, and rewarding when you succeed—just like being an entrepreneur really is.”Dr. Dennis Trinkle, Director, Center for Information and Communication Sciences.

Our Education: Schools of engineering and business host entrepreneurship education program an article by The Telegraph - “3 Day Startup runs hands-on entrepreneurship programs to teach students the skills they need at the early stages of founding a company,” said 3DS CEO Alexis Taylor. “These skills matter, because an entrepreneurial mindset and approach to your future opens doors that students might not have known were there before. All they need to do is unlock their potential. 3DS provides that opportunity, and helps them develop lifelong connections along the way.”

E.I. Games - ENTREPRENEURSHIP GAME successfly brings out entrepreneurial success by applying proven, practical emotional intelligence techniques and leading a team through the introduction of a start-up. You will have a driver’s seat experience of the challenges, decisions and market forces that face an entrepreneur and develop a human centric approach to confronting them.

To Find Out More: https://www.eigames.com/entrepreneurship.html

#entrepreneurship, #entrepreneur, #business, #entrepreneurlife, #success, #entrepreneurs, #businessowner, #digitalmarketing, #entrepreneurmindset, #entrepreneurlifestyle #seriousgames, #emotionalintelligence, #elearning, #gamification,
#college, #university, #businesscourse, #leadershiptraining, #managementtraining, #training

THE DEMAND FOR ONLINE LEARNING PLATFORMS IS THRIVING!

3/3/2020

1. Leadership and management
2. Creative problem solving and design thinking
3. Communication

We implement these tools in our LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT WITH EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE GAME. This game focuses on leading teams using emotional intelligence by building self awareness, empathy and understanding.

According to CNBC, Those are the 3 most important skills workers need to learn in 2020, according to business leaders in a report from Jennifer Liu at CNBC and the demand for online learning platforms is growing and who takes the most advantage of the online learning games like ours is managers. According to the article, companies overall would do well to view employee learning as a recruiting tool by highlighting them in job descriptions, benefits offerings and during onboarding which is what we strive for in E.I. Games!

For more information on our Leadership and Management game -
Click here: https://www.eigames.com/games.html

#leadershipdevelopment, #leadership, #leadershiptraining, #leadershipskills,
#success, #leadershipcoach, #leadershipcoaching, #personaldevelopment, #coaching, #business #leaders #leader #executivecoaching #professionaldevelopment #mindset #onlinetraining #onlineeducation, #growthmindset, #leadershipgoals, #executivecoach, #successmindset, #employeeengagement #seriousgames, #emotionalintelligence, #elearning, #gamification

Interaction with students is paramount to student success!

3/2/2020

As a professor myself, I can relate to an article in Forbes magazine pertaining how a new report suggests college students are studying more.

I give my students "office hours" though I make myself available at odd times. First-year students whom the college experience can remain a mystery, I find it very encouraging to see the study that underscores the importance of engagement and coaching with the first-year students which is what I provide myself and being there for my students as they need it the most and works greatly with student success.

The article states as by Michael T. Nietzel "First-year students’ interactions with faculty that Three types of first-year students’ interactions with faculty have showed notable positive trends: talking about career plans, discussing course topics outside of class, and working with faculty on activities other than coursework. The portion of first-year students who interacted frequently (“very often” or “often”) in each of these areas increased by more than 10 percentage points between 2004 and 2019. It appears that faculty who teach first-year course are taking more time to have meaningful conversations with students outside of the classroom, and students are reciprocating. This form of engagement has been found to help socialize new students and promote their persistence in school."

To find out more information on student retention - Click here: StudentSuccessGame.com

KEVIN ALLEN
Founder & Chairman
E.I. Games LLC

#students #education #school #student #college #university #studentlife #teachers #study #learning #professor #motivation #studentsuccess #english #teaching #collegelife #schools #success #forbes #games

THE SPIRIT TO SERVE

2/25/2020

Today, I drove over hundred and fifty miles to meet one of our newest customers.
A Professor at the University of Alabama who had just arranged for not one but three of our emotional intelligent business simulations for his class of upwards to 250 students. With a previously arranged trip to Mississippi State I thought to take the formidable drive to see this Professor and thank him personally and put the name with the face.

I never could've expected that this trip would become one of the most inspired moments I can
recall. I met this engaging and jovial fellow in the Starbucks where we shared our backgrounds
and philosophies. I recognized quickly that we were of the same mind and heart, in particular
that what we are doing professionally is part of a personal mission to help as many young
people to realize that the person they are, as they are, is wonderful and they needn't be
anything other than themselves in order to succeed in life.

He mentioned in particular his interest in our newly released diversity, inclusion and equity
game, mentioning that his other personal mission to ensure that all young people have the
opportunity to safely express their identity as something to be celebrated. He mentioned that
over 10 years prior he was working in not-for-profits in the religious arena and in particular wasa pastor at a church for some time. It seemed to that the bishop of this church began to expose negative views of gay and lesbian people and after hearing enough of it challenged the bishop to cease and desist this kind of dialogue or he would be forced to resign. Sometime later he resigned from the church and an important position that he occupied for over 25 years.

One of my early mentors once told me that generosity is only generosity when it cost you
something and here I was, listening to a man tell me of a sacrifice not only of his position but an
entire life’s work and network friendships all in the name of something he believed in, for
people he didn’t even know. This can only be described as heroism in its highest order. It also
demonstrates that a person with deep faith is not necessarily one that harbors anything other
than a kindness in his heart and generosity of spirit that knows no bounds. I am so privileged to
say that today I met a real hero with the spirit to serve in his heart. It was worth every mile.

KEVIN ALLEN
Founder & Chairman
E.I. Games LLC

#personaldevelopment, #coaching, #business #leaders #leader #executivecoaching #professionaldevelopment #mindset #onlinetraining #onlineeducation, #growthmindset, #leadershipgoals, #executivecoach, #successmindset, #employeeengagement ,#seriousgames, #emotionalintelligence, #elearning, #gamification #seriousgames, #college, #university, #businesscourse, #leadershiptraining, #management #training, #instructional #equality, #inclusiveness, #training, #diversity, #diversitytraining, #diversityandinclusion, #diversitymatters, #edtech, #educationtechnology

Making Game-Based Learning Stick

2/7/2020

How Emotion and The Hero's Journey Connects, Engages and Motivates Players
As the phenomenon of game-based learning continues to find its place in the educational experience, the question is this: what makes for an engaging, rewarding game-based experience. Well, the answer is not to be found in whizzbang technology but in fact in a time-honored construction: The hero's journey.

A great game-based experience is one that is immersive. The player finds themselves as an integral part of an unfolding story with all of the twists and turns and discoveries. So what drove the Iliad, or Moby Dick or Star Wars for that matter all boils down to the very same construction the hero's journey, and it is this story-based construction that makes for an unforgettable, memorable and meaningful experience.

The Power of Human Emotion and Story
Above all, people engage with any content on a purely emotional level. While facts play their role in the end, people engage and make decisions with their hearts and not their heads; engagement comes from empathy and relating to the people and characters in a story. As Maya Angelou once said, I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

The Hero’s Journey
The hero’s journey is the vital underpinning of great storytelling. It’s the architecture of a great story. It has a number of vitally important elements which, combined together, makes for the glue that keeps the participant engaged. It begins with the hero, a person on a quest, a mission, objective or subject of desire. The storyline tracks the hero from the definition of the ambition through a series of actions both for good and for bad along their journey. Along the way the hero encounters a number of characters, not the least of which is a villain, a force that stands in the way of reaching the objective and not only stands in the way, but conspires, to see to it that the hero’s hopes and dreams are dashed. Additional characters appear that are called foils which help to illuminate and make the hero richer, who is defined not only on their own merits but against the backdrop and their relationships with these “foil” characters. Finally, there is the sage, the wise one. We see this character throughout the ages whether it's Yoda or the kindly Prof. Marvel in the Wizard of Oz. These characters help the hero to shape their belief system and help and coach them on their track toward their ambition.

In my Emotional Intelligent Leadership Game, the character field is rich, with the player being identified as the hero, the Chief Executive of a troubled company, called Planet Jockey, in need of a turnaround and to be made more emotionally intelligent. Wolf industries, the villain with its unethical business practices, sets out to foil the hero and Planet Jockey at every step while a series of foils help to present and shape each individual situation that the player encounters. Of course, the sage is introduced, in this instance as the Chairman of Planet Jockey, an approachable wise counsel who after each question and situation is confronted, provides a thoughtful viewpoint on what the optimal answer was in each particular instance. Note indeed that the sage is linked to what millennials value, namely, mentorship.

Using what’s called a story arc, the progression of the hero’s journey, the gameplay, and the lessons to be imparted are arrayed along the journey experience. This is how player immersion is achieved. For example, in the Emotional Intelligent Leadership Game, a promising acquisition of “Vroom Inc.” central to reaching the ambition surfaces. We see then that the acquisition in later stages of the game is assured and then alas Wolf industries steps in and steals the acquisition out from under Planet Jockey and the player! The setback is then dealt with in later stages of the game and soon Eureka! Wolf is discredited and the acquisition returns to Planet Jockey, delivering the moral of the story: Staying true to your value systems in spite of setback pays long-term dividends.

Successful Game based learning engagement is rooted in the fundamentals, players become engaged because they identify with a hero, become absorbed in the quest and are literal participants as opposed to passive recipients. A plot, a hero, a villain, setback and redemption: the hero’s journey has got to be there.

Game-based Learning Checklist
When you're examining a potential game it's useful to look at a few things from the perspective of engagement so be sure you can check off these items as you examine the game:

1.   Storyline: Is there a clear and distinct storyline? Are the characters well defined and is there an overarching storyline experience?
2. Emotion: Is the overarching story emotive and do the individual sequences the player encounters contain the human element that keeps the player engaged?
3.  Authenticity: Is the storyline relatable? Can the player suspend disbelief and place themselves in the shoes of the characters and become part of the storyline experience?
4.    Bravery Are situations depicted reflective of the spectrum of life's diversity of characters? Do they represent an honest picture people and most importantly do various groups have a place at the table?
5.    Relationship: Has the gameplay been able to establish an overarching relationship between the game itself and the player?

Kevin Allen is founder and CEO of E.I. Games, author of “Emotify! The power of the human element in game based learning, serious games and experiential education”

January 06th, 2020

1/6/2020