Teacher’s Handbook...Teacher’s Handbook The Basics Team-Based Multi-User Online Business...

Teacher’s Handbook

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As used in this document, “Deloitte” means Deloitte LLP. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries.


Introduction.................................. 3Welcome to the Virtual Team ChallengeThe Story Behind the Theme of Virtual Team Challenge - SPILL!Greening and Deloitte

The Basics....................................... 4Team-Based Multi-User Online Business Simulation An Optional In-Class Curriculum that Supports the SimulationNational Competition for Awards and PrizesPrizesDeloitte and the United WayAbout United Way

Requirements............................... 6Timing Class Time CommitmentComputer RequirementsProgram Content

Goals and Outcomes................... 7Provide Experience-Based Knowledge of Professional Skills Teach Important Business and Entrepreneurial Skills in a Unique Context Address Key Issues of Environmental ImportancePresent Reports on Students’ ActivitiesDesired Outcomes

Activities......................................... 8‘Tasks’ in the Online Business SimulationOptional ActivitiesThe Challenge In-Class CurriculumEnvironmental Awareness HandoutsProblem-Solving HandoutsPortable Skills Handouts

Table of Contents

Teacher’s Guide.................................. 9The Teacher’s Role During the ChallengeEnrolling Your ParticipantsAssigning Teams and Roles to Participants Signing up Students and Getting Their Passwords Getting the MaterialsAdvancing Your Class or Group to the Next TaskUsing the TutorialWhere to Get Help

How It Works...................................... 11Life in the 3D World of New CityAvatarsInventoryJournalChatUnderstanding the Simulation Business TasksSimulation ContentOther Activities in the SimulationSimulation ContentSimulation Task One and TwoSimulation Task ThreeSimulation Challenges

In-Class Curriculum........................... 14Task One: BusinessTask Two: EthicsTask Three: Decision-Making

Performance Assessment............... 18Team Score Individual PerformanceThe Scoring Rubric

Student Performance Assessment Scoring Rubric.................................... 19Assessing Student PerformanceGrade AssessmentsScoring Criteria

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Introduction

Welcome to the Virtual Team Challenge.The Virtual Team Challenge is a nationwide educational program, sponsored by Deloitte, which offers an opportunity for pre-college teens to learn about business and work/life skills and compete for awards and prizes.

The three main components of the program are:• A team-based multi-user online business simulation• An optional in-class curriculum that supports the simulation• A national competition for awards and prizes

Virtual Team Challenge: SPILL!The VTC: SPILL! is a component of Deloitte’s overall Pre-College Outreach program, an initiative developed to expand the talent pool and increase the interest level of young people in accounting and business consulting.

Leveraging VTC, Deloitte is working to fill the future talent pipeline by exposing students to real-world business situations through a targeted curriculum and an online gaming simulation. Through this effort, our organization is working to position accounting and business consulting as an interesting and viable career option for pre-college students.

The story behind the theme of Virtual Team Challenge - Spill!Greening and Deloitte.Focusing on “what is right” has been a cornerstone of our organization since the establishment of the Deloitte LLP predecessor firms more than 100 years ago. We believe that as an organization, and as individuals, we are defined by our responsibilities. Therefore, we take them seriously. They are evident in the commitments we make and the actions we take.

Our responsibilities spring from the four shared values we embrace:• Integrity• Commitment to each other • Strength from diversity • Outstanding value to markets and clients

In 2010, as part of our approach to Corporate Responsibility, we are driving aggressively toward environmental sustainability through the launch of our Office Greening Program.

With a national focus and a consistent, concerted plan, we have raised the bar on sustainability. We are pleased that the newest version of Virtual Team Challenge for High Schools (VTC): SPILL!, educates our future generation on the importance of environmental sustainability.

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The BasicsTeam-Based Multi-User Online Business Simulation.

The online business simulation takes place in the animated 3D world of New City. Spill!, Fall, 2010 simulation, has an environmental theme. New City’s ecosystem has been ravaged by a recent oil spill and it is up to the student teams to raise money – virtual money in the simulated world – to restore the environment. The team objective in the simulation is to stage the most efficient disaster recovery effort by selecting the most effective vendors, based on their research, and hiring them at the best possible price. Piloting their avatars through the streets, halls and offices of New City, participants are challenged by content focused on teamwork, professionalism, reliability, and responsibility – and take part in ‘challenges’ on subjects including business, the environment, ethics, math and decision-making.

An Optional In-Class Curriculum that Supports the Simulation.Teachers are supplied with materials for in-class or group delivery that reinforce and support the work/life skills content in the online business simulation. This material is not mandatory for completion of the simulation, but adds another dimension to the program and is the bridge between the online activities and the classroom. The material consists of short lectures, in-class exercises, and hand-outs that may be distributed to encourage further discussion.

National Competition for Awards and Prizes.The team objective in the simulation is to stage the most efficient disaster recovery effort by selecting the most effective vendors, based on their research, and hiring them at the best possible price. Depending upon how well your school’s or organization’s teams do, they may be eligible for any number of awards and prizes – including prizes for your school or organization and charitable donations of up to $500 to the United Way, which may help fund environmental conservancy and volunteerism efforts across North America!

PRIZES: On behalf of each of the three winning teams, Deloitte will donate a total of $3,000 to United Way.

Teacher Prizes • First Prize: $150 grant for classroom supplies and/or professional development • Second Prize: $100 grant for classroom supplies and/or professional development • Third Prize: $50 grant for classroom supplies and/or professional development

Student/Team Prizes • First Prize: $150 check card/per student for a maximum team total of = $600• Second Prize: $100 check card/per student for a maximum team total of = $400• Third Prize: $50 check card/per student for a maximum team total of = $200

School Prizes • First Prize: $150 prize for school technology advancements • Second Prize: $100 prize for school technology advancements • Third Prize: $50 prize for school technology advancements

What follows is a high-level program overview for faculty – teachers, program leaders, and school administrators. It describes the program, along with its goals and objectives; and also gives a high-altitude introduction to the simulation and the in-class curriculum and its adherence to national curriculum standards guidelines.

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The Basics

Deloitte and the United Way.Deloitte has a long history of charitable giving, employee volunteerism, pro bono work, and board leadership. Our vision of achieving meaningful, positive impact in our local communities is realized in part by participation in our annual United Way campaign. Last year, some of our offices ran outcome-focused campaigns on issues, such as assisting citizens in their quest to go from welfare to work and raising high school graduation rates, with great results. And this year we’re expanding the program to include more cities. As a result of our tremendous efforts, we are distinguished as a leader nationally and in local business communities across the country. Deloitte strongly believes in the importance of community involvement and is very excited to feature the United Way in the VTC: SPILL! simulation to further educate our future generations on the importance of giving, advocating, and volunteering.

About United Way.United Way is a national network of nearly 1,300 local organizations that advance the common good, creating opportunities for a better life for all by focusing on the three key building blocks of education, income, and health. United Way of America is the national organization dedicated to leading the United Way movement to create long-lasting community change by addressing the underlying causes of the most significant issues. Living United means being a part of the change Give Advocate Volunteer. For more information about United Way, please visit: www.unitedway.org.

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RequirementsTiming.This all-new Spill! episode runs in select schools this upcoming Fall from October 12 to November 24, 2010. Teachers and program leaders have the freedom to decide when, and at what pace, their students participate in Virtual Team Challenge: Spill! during this six week period. This means teachers can choose to have their students complete the program in a few days, a few weeks, the entire six weeks, or any amount of time in between. After November 24, 2010, the Challenge will be over and the servers will ‘close’, or shut down. At that point, team scores will be tallied and shortly thereafter winners of the national competition will be announced.

Class Time Commitment. The Virtual Team Challenge consists of three sequential ‘Tasks’ that your students must complete. Each Task has an ‘online’ simulation component that takes roughly 3 hours to complete and an associated elective ‘in-class’ curriculum unit that has been designed to take about 45 minutes of class time to complete.

Computer Requirements.The simulation may be played in-class directly after the in-class exercises, after school, or even at home. The Challenge requires that participants have access to a PC-compatible computer with broadband Internet access that meets the Virtual Team Challenge minimum technical specifications. Use the ‘Team

Challenge Hardware Tester’ available on the Virtual Team Challenge official website (www.virtualteamchallenge.com) to test computers for compatibility. Participants who plan to work on the simulation assignment at home should run the Hardware Tester on their computer to check for compatibility. You may want to contact your school or organization’s IT department for help in determining whether or not the Challenge can be run on your computers.

Program Content.The program content may be downloaded from the VTC site (http://www.virtualteamchallenge.com).

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Goals and OutcomesThe purpose of the Virtual Team Challenge is to give participants an introduction to the world of business and work-life skills to achieve the following:

• Provide Experience-Based Knowledge of Professional Skills. Throughout the competition, team work, reliability, and effectiveness are stressed. Students compete in teams of up to four players and are able to share knowledge and pool resources to succeed in the simulation. The competition stresses the importance of attention to details as they relate to personal and professional goals. The in-class curriculum supports this goal by reinforcing an understanding of basic business concepts and professional responsibility.

• Teach Important Business and Entrepreneurial Skills in a Unique Context. Business concepts and entrepreneurialism are taught throughout the simulation through the presentation of a one-of-a-kind curriculum that stresses professional skills in business, ethics, and decision-making.

• Address Key Issues of Environmental Importance. Key issues about the way we use water, as well as the Earth’s water systems themselves, are taught throughout the simulated professional activity. The incorporation of environmental awareness handouts and the use of concepts and terminology within the simulation stimulate participants and encourage further investigation and discovery.

• Present Reports on Students’ Activities. Students’ knowledge of the in-class curriculum is ‘challenged’ within the simulation, as is their ability to apply mathematics to business situations. Participants are evaluated on their understanding and retention of these topics, with a scored ‘grading rubric’ presented to instructors or program leaders at the conclusion of the simulation.

Desired Outcomes.Through the simulated activity and in-class curriculum, participants will gain invaluable lessons in professional skills such as reliability, team-work, presentation, research, negotiation, and others.

Through the in-class activities and simulated reinforcement, participants will gain understanding of:

• Business: Learning about the goals of business, and optionally, about its ethical responsibilities.

• Ethics: Learning valuable guidelines for ethical decision-making – as well as the ability to identify when ethical principles are or should be employed.

• Decision-making: Learning important principles of how decision alternatives may be evaluated and understanding how to apply a cost-benefit analysis to a variety of situations.

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Activities

‘Tasks’ in the Online Business Simulation. The simulation component takes place in the three-dimensional online world of “New City” The team’s objective in the simulation is to stage the most efficient disaster recovery effort by selecting the most effective vendors, based on their research, and hiring them at the best possible price. Participants are exposed to important professional values and gain life skills by working on simulated business ‘Tasks’ related to this objective. In order to complete the challenge and be eligible for the national competition, students are required to complete all of their business Tasks. Students should allocate between two and three hours to complete each Task. There are three tasks to complete over the six weeks that the program is available. Teachers can determine how long their students will spend on each task. Teachers may also choose whether their students play the simulation in-class, after-school, or at home.

Optional ActivitiesThe Challenge In-Class Curriculum. Teachers or program leaders can download three curriculum units, one for each Task, from the VTC website. These materials may be used to enhance the Virtual Team Challenge experience, but use of these materials is optional. Note however that to achieve a winning score in the national competition, participants should be familiar with the terms, definitions, and concepts from these units. Student performance answering the curriculum-based questions in the simulation is reported to teachers at the conclusion of the Challenge.

Teachers or program leaders may also download the following optional segments of the in-class curriculum if they choose to include them in their class activities:

Environmental Awareness Handouts.Optional Environmental Awareness handouts may be distributed to students in class or assigned as reading. These handouts are meant to add to participants’ body of knowledge about the environment and about environmental issues – particularly concerning those related to the Earth’s water systems. Each Task in the simulation contains challenges related to environmental awareness.

Problem-Solving Handouts.An optional Problem Solving hand-out accompanies each unit, which presents different ways that students can apply what they may be learning in high school mathematics to solve everyday consumer and business problems. Problem solving challenges appear in each Simulation Task.

Portable Skills Handouts.Optional Portable Skills hand-outs give students more ‘in-depth’ knowledge about topics introduced within the classroom curriculum component of the program. These handouts all emphasize portable skills that students may apply to their day-to-day lives, as well as their future careers. Optional exercises or homework questions may be assigned in conjunction with these at the teacher’s discretion.

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Teacher’s Guide

Getting StartedThe Teacher’s Role During the Challenge. The role of the teacher or program leader is to enroll their participants in the program, support them as they navigate and complete their Tasks, deliver the supplemental in-class curriculum, if desired, and advance their teams to the next Task. The teacher-leader does not have a physical presence in the online 3D world during the simulation. Teachers and leaders can, however, monitor their students’ activities and progress by reviewing incremental reports on student progress at the conclusion of each Task. Most questions frequently asked by students are addressed in this curriculum guide, but answers can also be found online in the ‘FAQ’ section or through the message board of the official Virtual Team Challenge website.

Enrolling Your Participants.Enrolling participants and getting started with the Challenge program is easy. The first step is to log onto the official Virtual Team Challenge website any time between now and October 1st, 2010 and navigate to the “Teacher Signup” page. There, prospective teacher-leaders are asked to fill out required details: Contact information for both the teacher and the school, information about where the program will be run, including the class or group size, and course subject or group activity information.

Assigning Teams and Roles to Participants.Once accepted into the Challenge, participating schools and/or classrooms must divide their students into teams of up to four players. These teams may be assigned or formed by participants on their own. Teams are then given a name by the teacher or by the team members. While the Challenge performs score-averaging adjustments so that teams with fewer than four players are not at a disadvantage, every effort should be made to have as many teams as possible with the full four players within each student group or class.

In the simulation, each team is made up of four different roles, one for each player. Each player will be assigned business Tasks that correspond to that role in New City. Teachers may elect to assign a role for each participant within his or her teams – or, let students decide for themselves. The teams then work together as representatives of their virtual employer, Professional Services, Inc. to help the Mayor and City Hall spearhead the relief and recovery effort from the catastrophic oil spill in the New City River.

On the Teacher section of the Challenge website, teachers can fill out information on their students’ teams and roles – regardless of whether they are formed voluntarily or assigned by the teacher. Once assigned, students may not change teams or roles for the duration of the Challenge.

Signing Up Students and Getting Their Passwords. Once accepted into the program, teacher-leaders fill in information about their students’ teams and roles - and assign them passwords. Be sure and tell students to safely guard their passwords and not to share them. This is grounds for disqualification from the Challenge. The Challenge website contains information about changing user credentials. For more help, visit the “Frequently Asked Questions” section of the Challenge website, or call the customer service hotline that is listed there.

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Beginning on September 1, 2010, participants can visit the Challenge website and download the Virtual Team Challenge simulation tutorial. To take part in the Challenge program and be eligible for the national competition, students must download and complete the simulation within the period between October 12 and November 24. Participants need only log onto the simulation with the credentials provided by their teacher or program leader during this window – and they are off and in the running for awards and prizes.

A complete set of instructions for enrolling in the Challenge can be found on the official Virtual Team Challenge website. Teachers are encouraged to register as early as possible, and students are encouraged to download and complete the program tutorial before the official starting date of the Challenge.

Getting the Materials. All that is needed to play the Virtual Team Challenge is available for download from the official Virtual Team Challenge website. The simulation software, the curriculum materials, and other documentation are available on the official Challenge site for the convenience of participants. Simply enroll, and when you receive credentials, you may start downloading Challenge materials immediately.

Where to Get Help. Several options are available to participants and teacher-leaders that need support using the Challenge program. Those seeking help are encouraged to first visit the official Virtual Team Challenge website and the “Frequently Asked Questions” section to see if the information they need is there. Also, for your convenience, both participants and teacher-leaders may call the VTC customer service help line toll-free at (877)-535-6699 between the hours of 12PM and 10PM Eastern Time. E-mail for support is available at [email protected].

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How It Works

Life in the 3D World of New CityAvatarsParticipants in the Challenge simulation interact with the simulation world through their ‘avatars’ – or 3D virtual likenesses that can be individually customized. Participants may choose from various body types, hair colors, and hair styles so that they can have their own unique ‘look’ within the simulation. Simply left-click on the selection arrows until you arrive at the look you want for your avatar – and then jump right in to New City!

InventoryParticipants may encounter all sorts of items in New City -- trash, clothing, research and other items -- that they may want to ‘pick up’ and hold on to. The ‘Inventory Window’ keeps track of the avatar’s simulation-world possessions, and is also the place where players may read or inspect -- ‘examine’ -- what they have. The inventory may be accessed by clicking on the ‘inventory’ icon or by pressing the letter ‘I’. To ‘drop’ an item from your inventory, left click on it and drag it away from the inventory window, releasing the left mouse button as the item hovers over the game world. To ‘examine’ items in your inventory, such as the newspapers you encounter around town, drag the inventory item onto to the eyeball “examine” icon, or press the “examine” icon and then click on the inventory item you would like to read or inspect.

JournalAnother helpful interface that participants in the Challenge are encouraged to use as they complete their tasks is the Journal. The Journal ‘automatically’ keeps track of both participants’ upcoming objectives and their completed objectives within the simulation world. Additionally, it has a space for ‘notes’ which participants should use to keep track of any details they find in their research -- as well as a glossary of terms, should players encounter an unfamiliar word or term in town.

ChatTeamwork is encouraged in the Challenge, and the ‘chat console’ is the place where team communication takes place within the virtual world. While participants on the same team navigate through the simulation world at the same time, they are able to ‘chat’ with one another. To access the chat function, participants can click in the field by the ‘Chat’ icon and type their message - then hit ‘Enter’ to broadcast it to their team!

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Understanding the Simulation Business Tasks.The team objective in the simulation is to stage the most efficient disaster recovery effort by selecting the most effective vendors, based on their research, and hiring them at the best possible price. The process of finding, negotiating with, and hiring vendors is broken down into “tasks”. The typical Task in New City starts in the team’s office. There, team members are greeted by their team’s assistant, Evelyn Hu, who gives opening instructions to each participant on their business Task.

Each team member then goes to City Hall to meet with their client representative, Will Standon, for instructions on how to accomplish the Task. Will directs team members to ‘experts’ who recommend four available vendors who can help complete that team member’s Task and gives them guidelines for choosing the best one. These guidelines are a key component of successfully completing each Task. Team members must then locate, ‘interview’ and research at least three of the possible vendors to determine which is most appropriate for their Task.

Vendor research is conducted exclusively in the simulation world: participants may go to the New City Public Library to borrow research materials, to computers at the Internet Café to “surf” a virtual database, or to the Newsstand in town to read any of the virtual tabloids available for sale. After deciding on the best choice, team members report to City Hall to Tell Will Standon about their choice - and to get the Mayor’s approval of their choice!

Once the Mayor has given approval, participants must ‘negotiate’ a contract with their chosen vendor. The negotiation is based on information available within the world. The better the player recalls correct information and negotiates, the less the vendor will charge for their services – and the more money will be able to go to the relief effort.

Following the negotiation, participants get a contract drawn up by Will Standon at City Hall. With a contract in their inventory, players go back to their vendors one last time and have them sign the contract. Players conclude their Task by bringing the contract back to the Mayor to be countersigned -- and finally, back to Will Standon, who files it away and pats them on the back for a job well done!

Other Activities in the Simulation. Throughout their simulated Task, and elsewhere in the simulation, players are asked for all sorts of things by the inhabitants of New City. Their client, for example, wants them to buy some appropriate attire for meetings. While in the world, they are able to earn money to go to Pauline’s, the local clothing shop, to purchase outfits. The vendor at the newsstand requires money in order to give the player necessary research materials. Other characters simply want participants to do favors for them or help them with their various enterprises.

Players get a weekly salary for completing their Task, but to make additional money in the simulation, and achieve high scores in the graded portion of the Challenge

program, users must successfully meet the ‘challenges’ posed by various characters in the simulated world. Vanessa Hu, for example, asks participants questions about the curriculum topic associated with each Task. Other characters ask ‘challenge’ questions about information from the environmental awareness handouts, based on concepts from the problem solving handouts -- and even about ‘trivia’ based on details in New City that participants may have noticed. Successfully answering these challenge questions – and doing honest favors for people around town – will award participants with ‘personal money’ that they can use in New City to buy research, clothing, and the like.

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Simulation Content.There are three Tasks in Spill! Once all the teams in a class or organization have finished a Task, the teacher or leader goes to the website and advances the entire group to the next Task (see Getting Started).

Simulation Task One and Two. In the first two Tasks, participants are directed by their client at City Hall to choose the best vendor among four to aid in the disaster.

Simulation Task Three. In the third Task, players are asked to help ‘investigate’ a sinister scheme which threatens to unravel all the work they have done in the first two Tasks. Unlike the first two Tasks, research is not necessary to ‘solve’ the problem and complete the third Task. Instead, each team member must find valuable clues at various locations to reveal which suspects may be involved in the illegal plot. Once each participant finds all of their suspects, they must ‘interrogate’ each one to find out which one knows the least about the curriculum topics - business, ethics, and decision-making. When they think they have found the person they have been investigating, they ‘call in’ the authorities to have that person arrested. This completes their investigation – and the final Task in New City.

Simulation Challenges.During each Task, participants are asked ‘challenge’ questions by New City inhabitants on subjects such as Math, the Environment, or the curriculum topics: Business, Ethics, and Decision-making. Participants also get opportunities to engage in ‘quests’ – separate from the central simulated professional ‘Task’ -- that reinforce curriculum-based information. Of course, in addition to quests and challenges, participants may encounter people in town who just want an opinion...or some who need a ‘favor’ from time to time.

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In-Class CurriculumFor each of the three Tasks, there is an accompanying curriculum unit, as follows:

Virtual Team Challenge TasksTask Course Subject

Task One Business

Task Two Ethics

Task Three Decision-Making

Each curriculum unit follows the same format: a short lecture, several terms for definition, and some in-class discussions and exercises. Each unit also has ‘optional’ content on environmental awareness and mathematics, as well as optional handouts that provide more in-depth investigations of the various curriculum topics.

Virtual Team Challenge: Participant Assessment

Classroom Component Assessed Within Simulation?

‘Main’ Curriculum Topic Download Yes

Problem Solving Handouts Yes

Environmental Awareness Handouts Yes

Portable Skills Handouts No

Task One: BusinessThe first Task is focused on the topic of ‘business.’ This Task also introduces participants to the simulated world of the Virtual Team Challenge and to ‘working’ in New City. Focused around national standards based on MCREL (Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning), and NAAEE (The North American Association for Environmental Education) for courses such as ‘Life Skills’ and ‘Business Education’, this Task introduces students to real-world concepts central to the understanding of business, professional responsibility, and entrepreneurship. While proceeding with this Task, participants will find that there are people in town who have challenges, or questions, that are based on this Task’s curriculum components.

The following table summarizes the simulation activity for Task One:

Task One

Simulation Component Player Task

Main Task Hire a vendor to handle a specific ‘crisis response’ element for the oil spill.

‘Green’ Environmental Awareness Challenge Players are asked questions about the Earth’s water systems, and in particular, about water as an earth system.

‘Problem-Solving’ Challenge Players are asked questions that challenge their ability to translate natural language problems into simple algebra equations – and also choose which natural language best describes given equations.

‘Curriculum’ Challenge Players are asked questions about the supplied ’business’ curriculum.

‘Hidden’ Quest There is someone in town who needs participants to help collect and test water samples so that remediation efforts can be planned. Can your students find this person?

Other Activities What else can your students find in the simulation? Tell them to think about the simulation, life, and the supplied curriculum, and then ask - what do they make of it?

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The ‘Business’ Curriculum Unit. Students are given a brief introduction to the world of ‘business’ and a definition of various introductory terms – including the word ‘business’ – and are introduced to concepts such as business goals, strategy, and business planning. Supplementary handouts teach more about the different kinds of goals that various businesses have, and another gives tips about how students can communicate their ability to help businesses reach their organizational goals when they interview for jobs.

Optional materials for the classroom for all Tasks include curriculum materials about environmental awareness and earth systems, and another about the application of high school mathematics to the world of business. The environmental awareness component reinforces concepts of water as an earth system. The math curriculum asks that students translate natural language problems into algebraic equations with one and two variables.

The in-class curriculum for Task one is meant to adhere to national standards for curriculum strands presented in the courses described by the following table:

Target Course National Standards

Business Skills Life Skills: Basic Life Skills

Business Education Management

Environmental Education Introduction to Water as an Earth System

Mathematics Education Basic Algebra: Natural Language Problems

Task Two: EthicsThe next Virtual Team Challenge module focuses on ‘ethics’. This unit is centered around national standards for courses such as ‘Life Skills’ and ‘Business Education’ and introduces students to real-world concepts central to the understanding of ethical responsibility – which may help them view their own personal ethical responsibilities in a new way. In class, students learn about ethics in the same style of learning, activities, and in-class discussion as in the first week.

The following table summarizes the simulation activity for Task Two:

Task Two


Main Task Hire a vendor to handle a specific ‘relief effort’ element to help the City to start on the road to recovery from the disaster.

‘Green’ Environmental Awareness Challenge

Players are asked questions about the Earth’s water systems, and in particular, the impact that personal decisions and habits have on fresh water supply.

‘Problem-Solving’ Challenge

Players are asked questions that challenge their ability to translate natural language problems into more complex algebra equations – and also choose which natural language best describes given equations.

‘Curriculum’ Challenge Players are asked questions about the supplied ‘ethics’ curriculum.

‘Hidden’ Quest There is someone in town that needs help wrangling volunteers to help with the recovery effort... can your students find them? What is keeping the volunteers from showing up for their assignments?

Other Stuff What do your students make of what they found in the simulation during this Task?

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The ‘Ethics’ curriculum unit. In this unit students are told about ‘ethics’ and given tools to recognize and understand the role of ethical principles. In the ‘Spill’ Challenge, this module gives a definition of the word ‘ethical principle’, as well as an understanding of values, norms, mores, and various ‘rules’ for ethical decision-making that are based on classical philosophical constructs. Supplementary handouts teach about the ethical dimensions of businesses and environment, and another introduces a framework for understanding the role of ethics in business called ‘stakeholder theory.’ Optional classroom materials for this module include information on environmental awareness and high-school mathematics that will help students answer in-game ‘challenges’. The environmental awareness handouts examine the impact that our personal and consumer decisions have in water as an earth system. The problem solving handouts asks students to translate natural language problems into more complex algebraic equations: inequalities, and multivariate equations. The in-class curriculum for Task Two is meant to adhere to national standards for curriculum strands presented in the courses described by the following table:


Business Skills Life Work Skills: Responsibility

Business Education Legal and Ethical Responsibility

Environmental Education Personal and Civic Responsibility

Mathematics Basic Algebra: Inequalities, Multivariate Equations

Task Three: Decision-MakingThe last of the Virtual Team Challenge Tasks is focused on the topic of ‘decision-making.’ This unit examines the process of decision-making and introduces students to tools used to approach decisions. Just as in the previous two ‘Tasks,’ this module focuses on national standards for courses such as ‘Life Skills’ and ‘Business Education,’ and also presents material about environmental awareness and the application of mathematics to business and consumer problems.

The following table summarizes the activity in the simulation in Task Three:

Task Three


Main Task As it turns out, something sinister is transpiring in New City – and it is up to your students to find and apprehend those responsible! Participants must search New City for clues as to what’s wrong.

‘Green’ Environmental Awareness Challenge

Players are asked questions about the Earth’s water systems, and in particular, the impact that personal decisions and habits have on fresh water supply.

‘Problem-Solving’ Challenge

Players are asked questions that challenge their ability to translate natural language problems into more complex algebra equations – and also choose which natural language best describes given equations.

‘Curriculum’ Challenge Players are asked questions about the supplied ‘decision-making’ curriculum.

‘Hidden’ Quest There is accountant in town who is overworked – and has clients who need help making decisions that he is simply too busy to get to. Can your students find him? What do his clients need help with?

Other Stuff What do your students make of what they found in the simulation during this Task? Is it different from the other Tasks? Why, or why not?

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The ‘Decision Making’ curriculum unit. In the curriculum unit for this module, students take an in-depth look at decision-making. In particular, they study cost-benefit-analysis, a heuristic tool for analyzing alternatives in the decision making process. The classroom portion helps students understand this tool – and helps them apply it to day-to-day situations in their own lives. Optional materials for the classroom for this module include environmental awareness and mathematics materials to help prepare the students for the in-game ‘challenges.’ The environmental awareness component examines the role of business in the environment – and examines the benefits of recycling programs. The math curriculum asks students about the application of inequalities and line-slope equations to business; these are the most complex math questions of the Challenge program. The in-class curriculum for Task Three is meant to adhere to national standards for curriculum strands presented in the courses described by the following table:


Business Skills Life Work Skills: Managing Money

Business Education Entrepreneurship

Environmental Education The Role of Business and the Environment

Mathematics Intermediate Algebra: Inequalities, Multivariate Equations, Line-Slope Problems

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Performance AssessmentStudent’s performance in the simulation has two components: The first is their overall performance on each of their Tasks and the other details their performance on the quests, challenges and other curriculum-based activities.

Team Score. The Task performance is assessed on a team level. Each team members’ contribution to the overall team effort throughout the three Tasks is combined, with the team total for the entire program placed on a national ‘leaderboard.’ Winning teams are announced after the conclusion of the Challenge, with many eligible for awards and prizes.

Individual Performance.A participant’s score is based on his/her performance completing Tasks and on answers given to challenge questions. Participants’ individual performances are reported to teachers and program leaders at the conclusion of the Challenge in the form of a ‘grading rubric.’ The rubric reports which right answers were given on challenge question topics, which quests were successfully completed, and how they did answering other questions. The ‘grading rubric’ suggests an overall program score or ‘grade’ for each participant. Teachers may feel free to grade students’ performances in the Challenge based on these reports, or in any manner they wish – but any individual performance grades have no bearing on team performance, and do not factor into the nationwide competition.

The Scoring Rubric.At the conclusion of the program, individual participants’ scores are reported to teacher-leaders in the form of a scoring rubric. This rubric takes an ‘analytic’ approach to the Virtual Team Challenge and suggests a grade for participants based on various categories related to their effectiveness within the simulation, their team work, their enthusiasm, as well as their ability to perform well answering the various ‘challenge’ questions throughout the three Tasks. Given grades ranging from ‘A’, exemplary, to ‘INC’, nonparticipating, these reports are distributed to teacher-leaders, who may choose to share them with participants.

The following page details the scoring ‘rubric’ meant to aid teacher-leaders’ evaluations of students’ performances for the Virtual Team Challenge program. A separate page with a ‘worksheet’ follows, along with instructions on calculating the classroom grade for the simulation component of the VTC program grades in a variety of classroom settings.

As mentioned before, the course grade that teacher-leaders give to students is completely up to individual teacher-leaders. This rubric is meant to serve as a guideline for determining a participant grade for the VTC program, with the goal of providing feedback for individual participants’ performances within the simulation itself.

19


Teacher’s HandbookSt

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20



Student Performance Assessment Scoring Rubric

Grade Assessments.• Exemplary (‘A’) Grade Assessment: Demonstrates complete understanding of the problem/Task group. All requirements

satisfied at a high level.

• Accomplished (‘B’) Grade Assessment: Demonstrates considerable understanding of the problem/Task group. All requirements accomplished satisfactorily.

• Developing (‘C’) Grade Assessment: Demonstrates partial understanding of the problem. Most requirements completed.

• Beginning (‘D’) Grade Assessment: Demonstrates little understanding of the problem. Many requirements missing or incomplete.

• Nonparticipating (‘Inc’) Grade Assessment: Program participant has not provided enough performance data for assessment. Problem/Task not attempted; few or no requirements fulfilled.

Scoring Criteria.• Team Score measures the degree to which the participant’s team effectively completed his/her professional assignments. It

considers the team’s impact as a percentage of fullest possible recovery.

• Student Effectiveness Grade measures student effectiveness in his/her professional assignments. It considers whether he/she successfully completed each week’s assignment.

• Student Participation Grade measures the degree to which the student satisfied the target simulation usage time.

• Student Teamwork Grade measures the degree to which the student exhibited teamwork skills within the simulation, communicating with team mates within the simulation.

• Student Preparedness Grade measures the degree to which participants execute care in preparing for and executing their Task, finding relevant research materials in the game world.

• Coursework Grade considers the proportion of curriculum related challenges and quests they were able to successfully complete.

• Environmental Awareness Grade measures the student’s performance answering ‘challenges’ based on the environmental awareness curriculum component.

• Problem Solving Grade measures the student’s ability to answer “challenges” based on the high school mathematics portion of the curriculum

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