Game for Learning

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Far East Educational Group And Eastern Active Learner Learning Game Software Series: Business Strategy Proposal and Technology Recommendation Course: Netw 583 Strategic Management of Information Technology Professor Jude Lamour Student Ting Yin Muntazir Ahmed Date April 19, 2015 1

Transcript of Game for Learning

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Far East Educational Group

And Eastern Active Learner Learning Game Software Series:

Business Strategy Proposal and Technology Recommendation

Course: Netw 583 Strategic Management of Information Technology

Professor Jude Lamour

Student

Ting Yin

Muntazir Ahmed

Date April 19, 2015

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Abstract

Eastern Active Learner (EAL) is a brand of learning game software, devices and of a

performance management platform for primary and secondary schools, educators, parents, and

students in China. It is formed through collaboration between Far East Educational Group

(FEEG), Apple, Blackberry and Gamin. Eastern Active Learner included major features found

products created by Apple, Blackberry, and Gamin. In experimental trial plan, Active Learner has

been found to be effective on the school children. It has been found that it can improve the

student academic achievement significantly over a course of year (Hu, 2015).

The purpose of this paper is develop business strageties that can help FEEG to

upscale the production EA. In addition to the proposed business plans, the paper also

provides several technological recommendation to be used in helping to implement EAL

business plan and in providing technological supports to maintain FEEG business, product

design and development. All the stragety proposal and technological recommendations

are ultimtely intended to improve student academic achievement at primary and

secondary eudcation level.

Institution Background

Shanghai Department of Education (DOE) has employed almost 89,066 full-time

teachers, the system serve 1.1 million students in 2,000 different schools located in various parts

of the providence. The Chinese Educational System is consisted 6 years of primary school

education, 3 years of lower secondary school education, 3 years of upper secondary school

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education. At every grade level of a student’s education in China, the students are expected to

take language, mathematics, science, histories, and physical education courses. The traditional

educational system still uses mainly paper-based form of assessments to evaluate student

academic progress and achievement. The correspondence sent between student families and the

schools are mainly conducted in form of traditional mail (Yin, 2015).

Problem

Shanghai DOE and the Chinese Families have found it to be difficult for the families to

pay ever-increasing costs of education for their students and children. The institution and the

families want to find most cost effective way of tutoring the students. Apple and other major

brand educational technology products charge average Chinese families at premium price. The

government and the families want to design and develop educational technologies that help the

students to learn more on their own and to become more active and effective independent

learners. Far East Educational Group’s (EEFG) East Active Learner Series (EAL)) has been

considered as most cost effective technological solution that can help the Chinese students to

succeed at school with lowered overall costs (Chan, 2015)

FEEG and its collaborators has consulted with a Educational Technology Consulting

group on how to design, innovate, develop, protect, deploy, and market its product to the Chinese

population in Shanghai.

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Figure 1 Eastern Active Learner Device and Software (Peterson, 2011)

1- Strategy

Far East Educational Group (FEEG) can incorporate, Massively Multiplayer Online Role

Playing Games (MMORPGs), an effective user experience gaming strategies to engage the user-

learner. MMORPGS user experience has helped Blizzard Entertainment to reach high of 12

million subscribers. To raise the sales of FEEG learning software and devices, it should to

expand upon ever-expanding MMORPG educational technology and software market as it is

important for the continuous success of Far East Educational Group’s educational software

product and service. FEEG group can generate multiple versions of educational games that can

help the user-learner to improve their academic achievement and build their core competencies

to create more effective learning software with a more cost effective technological engine and

system that are more afford within the price ranger the buyer can afford

Figure 2 (Peterson , 2011)

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Far East Educational Group (FEEG) must protect their software products and devices as

intellectual property (IP) through copyrights, patents, and trademark. The legal protection can

have a positive influence on stakeholders, customers, and the end users. The most important

strategy for FEEG is to make FEEG know for its a quality learning software and devices so the

user leaner will engaged with the products and services in order to improve the FEEG brand

image and increase the FEEG products to a higher level of sale level that can help it to secure its

successful future (Chan, 2015).

FEEG should recommended to collobrate with a diverse range of supplier chain for

providing FEEG Eastern Active Learner Software with its variety of suitable devices to its

customers and the end users. FEEG should offering discounts and incentive for FEEG suppliers

for meeting standards of ethnic set by FEEG. The company should work closely with the

suppliers to make sure that certain standards are included to the EAL and other FEEG will sell

and to make sure the best customer experience (Lee, 2015).

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FEEG solicit various retail stores to help it to do the in-person marketing and selling of

FEEG device and software. This will create competitive nature in selling FEEG devices and

software in order to create the best practices of the educational technology business, and the store

can positively engage customer and end users. FEEG should train and develop the employees in

the retail store in order to be able to provide the best customer experience as well as to create

competitive environment with other retail stores that may be in the area also sell FEEG services

and products (Yin, 2015)

2- Core Competencies

FEEG’s primary competencies can be regarded its importance within its development

learning games engines and devices and software quality control. FEEG should develop strategic

marketing and branding. The concept of FEEG educational game should be based on all the

learning games are all related to each other and build upon them in episodes as built in a story.

As in the case for Blizzard, FEEG should incorporate 3 D environmental for the user learner to

learn the materials. FEEG should continue to build on FEEG engine and made iterative

improvement for the next few years. Like blizzard, FEEG should introduce dynamic images to

give more of a vibrant, engaging, living feel to the learning environment developed in the device

for the learner user to be more engaged (Peterson, 2011)

FEEG must be aware of can be represented in Porter Five-forces Model:

1. Degree of Existing Rivalry: There is numerous MMORPGs educational software on the

market in China among them are subscribing and free-to-play educational learning

games. The strongest rivalries can be in educational technology are the following

educational technology leaders: Vetch China, Leapfrog China, Educational Insights

China, Fisher Price China (Peterson, 2011)

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2. Threat of potential entrants: There are many entrants that serve the similar educational

purpose and have similar functions. These entrants are released every single year that can

potentially become competitors for the FEEG software and device sales (Peterson, 2011)

3. Bargaining power of suppliers: Supplier of FEEG devices can affect FEEG ability to gain

profit from educational game related item (Peterson, 2011)

4. Bargaining power of buyers: Pricing of the competitive products could affect FEEG.

5. Threat of substitute: Facebook version of educational games, other educational MMO

that are not RPGs can affect FEEG (Peterson , 2011).

Strategic Intent for Far East Educational Group is to speed up and streamline the production of

its products and to grow and expand its quality assurance competency. One of the more

important strategy to be considered is improve current Eastern Active Learner Series and other

Far Easter Educational Group (FEEG) products and to integrate existing competitor ideas and

into the FEEG game engine in order to deliver the services that can better interest and meet

customers (Yin, 2015)

3 – Industry Dynamics

FEEG must carefully in analyzing the competition and the market trends. FEEG should

never be complacent in its position in the market. Whatever the user learner change, FEEG

products and services and FEEG must address their customer need. FEEG need to further

elaborate the form of gameplay that engage learner. The production of Active Learner will focus

on the a revamp of the entire system for active learning and to streamline and enlighten its

learning activities (Hu, 2015)

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Far Eastern Educational Group must address their customer and end user need, in respond

to ever changing learning environment. FEEG should include of the following feature such as

Player Housing (an ability of players to create modifiable environment), extensive crafting (fun

on -the -side learning activities) and perpetual side-story content (mini-learning game activities

and minor events). FEEG must incorporate more innovation into the learning game and devices

to positively engage the customers and the end users. FEEG can incorporate the design concept

of “frequency software patch “ a design strategy that can constantly or continually update the

FEEG Active Learner Product Series with new gaming ideas in smaller parts every short period

of time (Peterson, 2011).

Customer services needs to be one of the important strategies for Far East Educational

Group FEEG to create more sustainable business. Software and hardware companies’ success can

be developed from a combination of its customer service and products. The blend has to be

balanced well in order to create more sustainable business with all the competition. While

working on its core competencies, FEEG should strive to become the best provider in the market

(Lee, 2015).

The current competition puts Leapfrog and VTech in the top spots. The learning game

subscribes and mobile device buyer determine FEEG revenue stream, and FEEG currently cannot

hope to compete with Lead Frog China or VTech China in term of size, profit. In order to raise to

a level that can sustain FEEG business, FEEG should have attract their business by offering best

customer services and technological features on its tablets, other products and services, and move

more slowly toward establishing the network capable of competing with the rivals(Hu, 2015).

FEEG can offer a competitive pricing plan for its software and devices. By offering a

variety of pricing plan can draw customers from the competition over to FEEG. FEEG is able to

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focus in on customer issues and get solutions out a much more rapid pace that would be possible.

Application device can be created (Owen, 2015)

4 – Technology Sourcing and Internal Innovation

When Far East Educational Group was first form through collaboration between Apple and other

partners in educational technology and mobile devices marked as the beginning of FEEG ability to

focus on its own innovative strategies. The company becomes more interested in how it can

manage its new future for the electronic educational technology company. The company need to

focuses on what the learner players need in term of learning through innovation. New learning

strategies need to be introduced into the learning software and devices. FEEG should introduce

even more new concepts to create more sustainable business. The creativity in environment and

creature models will encourage the potential growth of the company to the right direction (Hu,

2015).

Edge Wireless should plan and license the now universal QWERTY console to FEEG.

QWERTY can empower snappy writing with the thumbs on the Active Learner Device and

Learning Software. By supplementing IT administration, Edge Wireless Services can

complement with the FEEG Active Learner Software and Devices. The supplemental

administrator includes the servers, a handheld, programming, and administration that work well

with the Eastern Active Learner (Lee, 2015)

Edge Wireless should target at the educational professionals, parents, students and other

end user. The Blackberry’s versatility allows access to school systems, such as school intranet,

internet, email, and administration frameworks, from outside the school place. These features

have moved the entire organization toward greater engagement in educational activity. The data

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transmission provided by FEEG subsequently lowered mailing expenses for schools (Chan,

2015)

Far East Educational Group should have 5 promises to its customers in order to meet

their commitment to the customers. FEEG should accurate provide information on customers and

users should expect from FEEG, to help the customer choose and learn about FEEG service and

produce. FEEG can provide the customers and the end users easy access to knowledgeable and

consistent support that can quickly provide services whenever it is necessary. (Lee, 2015)

FEEG should engage educational professional, parents, students to become interested in

FEEG. FEEG should develop and create company website and social media sites such as

Facebook and Twitter to engage the public. FEEG also have and should encourage customer

dialog on the forums in order to find individuals with similar interest can help them to become

more interested with FEEG products and services (Chan, 2015).

5 –Product Development Strategy

Far East Educational Group (FEEG) develops Active Learner Software and Devices to be

viewed personal and group technology as an ever-evolving technology. It is developed based an

understanding of both the internal capabilities of the business organization and the opportunities

that made possible technological resources external to FEEG (Hu, 2015).

The purpose of FEEG product strategy is to create innovative products and services

aligned with a “digital hub” strategy. Integrating and cross selling the company’s products has

been the goal of FEEG, as it generates the Active Learner line of learning devices and applicable

software, learning software application distribution through its iTunes Music Store, and digital

services through the iPhone (Yin, 2015).

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Through marketing and the sale of products, FEEG can become not only a successful

educational technology company, but it can be a successful marketing company as well. The

company can use marketing and branding strategies to promote its brand and to compete across

several intensively competitive digital and high educational technology markets (Owen, 2015)

Far East Educational Group branding strategy can the company to design, innovate, and

develop products that fit into student lifestyles. The preference for FEEG products, such as the

“FEEG Learning community” on its website, and it can help to keep its products at competitive

levels. The companies can create big step in becoming more efficient with respect to business

logistics and operations. The innovation of the business and its operations can advance FEEG to

the forefront of educational technology (Hu, 2015).

FEEG can fully integrate all aspects of customer needs or wants into personal technology

devices and services. Another reason for FEEG success can be the opening of its own retail stores.

The stores have helped the company to distribute its products more effectively or efficiently. The

company has increased the accessibility to the iPad through various resellers that do not currently

carry Apple Macintosh products. It has created an online store to distribute its own products and

services (Yin, 2015)

The acceleration of gaming content while maintaining gaming and learning quality will be

the primary factor for success for Far East Educational Group (FEEG). As the market more

competitive, it is very important for FEEG to introduce learning content that will make user learner

more engaged in the FEEG develop gaming environment and learning environment. FEEG should

introduce new design, content, every 3 to 4 months, in form of patch; FEEG can help the students

to become more engaged in giving with more diverse of interesting activities to do with the

software. The learning contents and activates on the educational device and software need to be

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less extensive, and more iterative. FEEG should fit t to produce more effective content release

(Yin, 2015).

Far East Education should have developed various teams involved in different gaming

design and learning activities. These teams need to communicate with each and produce content in

smaller in scale that be released every 3 to 4 months. The model should shift to have all content

patches to be smaller in size that allow more rapid development, production and testing. This

rapid deployment of new game can be done through Heavyweight teams (Lee, 2015)

As heavyweight team are devoted to their assigned task. And they also provide cross-

functional approach that can allow IT project members to communicate and collaborate among

different departments under a project manager. A cross-functional team can better suite for game

development and it can help to develop more suitable design principles by considering the

feedback for each type of design ideas from learning standard, students test score, teacher

comment in instead of considering one factor isolated form one another (Chan, 2015)

6- Strategy to Protect Innovations

The FEEG can provide protection of its first designed iconic character through copyright

laws as well as game itself (the software). FEEG name can be protected by trademarks and

protection method can be protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). FEEG

should develop strong foundation for protecting its property through applying for copyrights and

trademarks in China and USA. FEEG should maintain information control on names it is

intended to use (Owen, 2015)

Further protection methods related to platform design principles need to be further

evaluated. FEEG learning software is designed to function on Apple Macintosh OS and MS

Windows, Android, and FEEG mobile device. Strong enforcement of the DMCA and end-user

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license agreement (EULA) can lower the chance of introduction of third party program. The 3 rd

party program can bypass protection afforded by the game system. FEEG can attempt to prevent

illegal access to FEEG devices and software internal information through the above legal

protection (Hu, 2015)

No external compliances beside the ones mentioned above are required to protect the IP

from other entities. Far East Educational Group FEEG should focus on software development

internal innovation. FEEG must protect is IP. When FEEG introduces new ideas to the public, it

delivers the information in form of advertisement that the concept is new and innovative. FEEG

gaming characters or designs are protected by copyright from being used illegally. FEEG

character and design are representative of FEEG. The upcoming new designs by FEEG are

modeled after its current design and may have little additional innovation. These designed are

artwork themselves and they are protected by copyright, and they are also representative of the

company and they should be in unique format not available in rivals (Chan, 2015)

Technological Bucket Summary

1) Mobile Wireless Tablet for Eastern Active Learner (EAL) Software by Far East

Educational Group

2) EAL Database integration with the Chinese Department of Education Enterprise

Database

3) Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing (MMORPG) game interface

4) Wireless support and service to transfer information over air

5) Online store to advertise, manage sale, deliver service and product to the customer

6) Marketing and Sales of FEEEG products and services on iTune store interface

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7) Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

8) Gaming Patch Update

9) Eastern Active Learner Software compatibility with Mac products, MS Office,

Android

10) QWETRY

11) Helpdesk support technology

12) IT Project Management Software

13) School SaaS Cloud

14) Database Server (Oracle DB Server)

15) Business Intelligence Suite (Oracle BI Foundation Suite)

16) BI Dashboard (Oracle Enterprise Dashboard

Recommendation

Eastern Active Learner (EAL) Software and their Device

The educational tablet should be made of light- weight and durable materials that allow

its software and their respective accessory devices to work effectively with each other. The

screen on the Far Eastern Educational Group FEEG EAL itself should be available in diverse

range of sizes that are suitable for wide range of software and users preference. The information

input into the Eastern Active Learner software and database should be integrated with the

Chinese school IT systems and databases (Yin, 2015).

Far Eastern Educational Group’s (FEEG) Active Learner Learning can assess the

student’s subject matter understanding through informal assessment with problem sets similar to

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those appear on the standardized exams. The students can become engaged with the assessment

in very stimulating game environment on East Active Learner Educational Games. It has been

found the students work out every problem the best they can toward the completion the exercises

derived from the standardized assessment. The stimulating characters serve more as teachers that

deliver lesson in fun and interesting ways that really help the student become more likely to

engage the learning activity appear on the game and continue on the lesson to competition (Chan,

2015).

The learning activities stored in the EAL can help the student to achieve the standard set

by the Chinese Department of Education. The activity content and design provide test related

questions in engaging environment that can engage learners. The dynamic learning environment

introduce EAL should help the students become more interested in continuing playing the game

while all the skills and the knowledge to succeed in school (Radak, 2013)

East Active Learner (EAL) Game Software can evaluate the student user

historical and current testing results to identify the unique strengths and weakness in any subject

matter area. EAL has an evaluation and feedback platform that has been created to engage

educators, parents, and students in back-and-forth dialogue about improving student academic

performance. The student performances on EAL software are then sent to the school system

SaaS platforms (Radak, 2013).

The schools themselves have a holistic student engagement platform. The school cloud-

based SaaS platform can help to improve student outcomes by informing educators and parents

with a 360 degree view of their students learning outcome and process that include the test result

derived from EAL. At the same time, the school platform simplifies and streamlines workflow

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and communications for educators. The school integrated system can help the educators to

invest more of their valuable time from administrative tasks to the parts of their jobs that need

more of their attentions. Based on the academic analytical results, EAL can help the students,

educators, parents, and the communities to work together to help the students to improve their

academic performance and to improve teacher classroom performance (Radak, 2013).

Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP) for Far East Educational Group

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) for Far East Educational Group FEEG can allow it to

use a system of integrated software applications to manage FEEG and automate many office

related functions related to HR, IT, and service technology, and other company related services

in FEEG. ERP software can integrate all aspects of the FEEG operation such as business

operation, business related or product related business planning, business development,

production and manufacture, sales and advertising, and customer relationship activity.

Figure 3 Enterprise Resource Planning (Smith, 2011)

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Web 2.0 Collaboration Tools (on Eastern Active Learner Product Website and Far East

Educational Group Webstie) have the capability for educational collaboration and company

information cohesiveness and company data integration. Web 2.0 technology can provide the

opportunity for the business of creating, collaborating, editing, and sharing business-generated

and customer-generated content online. The presentation tools can upload, create, edit and share

company presentation to the public. The Video tools can provide videos that can market the

company’s products, service, and other related information. The mobile tools are good for

podcasting. The blogging media can into the effective teaching and learning ways for instructing

the public on how to use Far Eastern Educational Group. These technologies can further engage

the public to become more interested in their products and services (Sampson, 2011).

IT Help Desk Technology and Operation Management Technology at Far East Educational Group

IT Help Desk Technology at Far East Educational Group can track, manage and

customize all items in IT projects. With IT project management integrated with the help desk

software, allow incident/problem/change and configuration management database integration. IT

Operation Manager technology is a process-based suite that is designed to align the IT service

delivery with the FEEG mission and objective. IT Help Desk can monitor entire FEEG IT

network. The alert from the Operator can inform the appropriate Help Desk technicians to take

corrective action to remediate the problems (Johnson , 2009).

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Figure 4 Help Desk Technology (Johnson, 2019)

IT Project Management Software System

Project Management (PM) software can lay out “roadmap” that can be easily understood

and lead project team members toward successful project completion. Project team-members are

more likely to work more effectively and efficiently under the proper roadmap layout by the

project management software. PM software can monitor and control the growth and development

of software product development. PM software help project team-member to develop better

strategies that can improve the quality of the software products. With better product

management, better software products can be generated with better efficiency. Project

Management can better the team reach their described goals and achieve within preset time and

cost boundaries (Johnson, 2009).

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Figure 5 Project Management Software (Johnson, 2009)

Far East Educational Group Business Intelligence

Choosing Oracle Data Mining (ODM) over other tools is a more cost effective decision

for both software and labor. ODM offers data mining functionality as a native SQL function

within the Oracle database. This tool of choice for data mining and reporting offers many

algorithms that can be used to address any business problem. FEEG and the school systems uses

Oracle and ODM database

ODM offers a graphical user interface (GUI) to show users various data patterns and

relationships resulting from data mining. The GUI enables Oracle data analysts to work with the

data already stored in the university’s database, and it can assist with the university’s community

initiatives by offering predictions and recommendations. Data mining GUI offers user-friendly

tools that can help people explore the data graphically and create and evaluate multiple data

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mining models. The GUI applies ODM models to new data and reveals insights and predictions

throughout the enterprise.

Oracle’s database SQL Application Program Interface mines Oracle data and releases

results in real-time .ODM comes with many other applications to handle the high technology

demands of ABC University. ODM’s GUI is free of charge and comes fully equipped with

Oracle SQL Developer. The tool has visibility that stores data, provides visualization of

graphical data, and accesses multiple data models.

Conclusion

Far East Educational Group’s Software Game Active Learner series has proven to

improve the student academic performance in Shanghai School System. The purpose of this

paper is to propose business strategies and to recommend technological solutions that can

upscale the production of FEEG ‘s service and products. Through the business strategy, it is hope

to further engage the customers, the students, the business partner to become more interested in

FEEG products and services. In strategy section, it is recommended that FEEG to incorporate

the best proven selling ideas into further development of FEEG products and improvement of its

service.

In respect to the FEEG business operation, IT Project Management Software, ERP, Help

Desk Technology and Operation Manager IT are recommended for FEEG to better monitor,

control, and manage its business operations in respond ever changing environment. FEEG

Active Learners is also a plate form that can calculate the student performance on the learning

device and the software is able to transmit to the school system for further analysis. Oracle

Business Intelligence can help FEEG and the school system to analyze the data from all sources

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and these data can provide insight on how should FEEG should manage and operate its business.

Web 2.0 , iTune store can help FEEG to market and sell FEEG brand, products, and services.

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Reference

Chan, C. (2012). Social Media Marketing, Asian Journal of Marketing, 11, (3), 21

Chan, M. (2010). Shanghai Educational System. The Asia-Pacific Research, 11, (2), 3

Jackson, M. (2009). Technology Customer Service, Asian Journal of Information Technology, 8,

(4), 15

Johnson, A. (2009). Project Management Software. Asian Journal of Information Technology,

11, (2), 20

Peterson, S. (2011). Game Technology. Asian Journal of Information Technology, 9, (3), 30

Radak, L. (2013). Educational Technology, Asian Journal of Information Technology, 15, (4), 30

Sampson, J. (2011). Web 2.0. Asian Journal of Information Technology, 10, (1), 2

Smith, J. (2011). Enterprise Resources Planning. Asian Journal of Information Technology, 10,

(1), 2

Yang, M. (2011). Mobile Device Technology, Asian Journal of Information Technology, 9, (3),

30

Interview

Christ Chan (Technologist at China Bank), interview by Ting Yin, April 2015

Jason Hu (Technologist at J.P Morgan), interviewed by Ting Yin, April, 2015, interview transcript email

Mike Yin (VP of Technology at Bank of America), interviewed by Ting Yin, April, 2015, interview transcript email

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Rita Lee (Technologist at Bank of America), Interviewed by Ting Yin, April, 2015, interview transcript email.

Sam Hu (Technologist at China Bank), interviewed by Ting Yin, April, 2015

Wes Owen (Technologist at Bank of America), interviewed by Ting Yin, June, 2015, interview transcript email

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