SBIR Phase II: A Game-Based Leadership Program

这个小企业创新研究第二阶段项目是一个在线的，基于游戏的计划，以提高个人在科学，教育，军事，政府和工业的领导技能。领导技能是所有组织创新、效率和效力的关键。正在开发的程序是建立在一个行之有效的领导模式，并将传统模式转换为角色扮演游戏。经过实证检验的模型包括三个基本策略和六个实践，这些策略和实践拓展了领导者的视角，提高了他们解决问题的能力。该计划使用未来主义叙事，3D动画多媒体和具有挑战性的领导困境来吸引学习者，他们扮演新手世界领导者的角色。该计划提供领导力方面的指导，然后学习者运用他们新的领导技能，在交战派别之间建立联盟，共同解决全球问题。一系列的游戏任务测试学习者的理解力，他们会立即收到所有决定和行动的反馈。学习者通过社交媒体工具与其他参与者进行交流，最后，与同龄人和训练有素的主持人一起参加虚拟同步汇报练习，以确保充分理解。管理仪表板提供实时性能数据。该游戏是可扩展的，可访问的，并为重复播放而设计。该项目最深刻的创新是，它概念化，设计和开发了一个游戏机制和算法系统，模仿基于研究的，面对面的领导力培训模型的促进者领导的人类方面。这种设计需要构建一个后端系统作为人工智能工具，旨在指导用户使用教学材料、预测玩家动作、对动作和预期动作提出建议，并提供类似于现场主持人提供的指导的反馈。此外，游戏逻辑支持多种成功路径，其中一些路径更有效，最佳，优雅或其他更合适的选择。游戏的逻辑和技术设计是为了反映真实的世界中的问题解决和领导能力而建立的，这在很大程度上是基于开放式的决策。游戏机制和相关的后端技术旨在支持开放式决策，从而使游戏对玩家来说更具吸引力和真实性。最后一项创新是将异步在线视频游戏学习体验与虚拟辅导员领导的同步汇报联系起来，这可以在全球范围内进行。 该计划将作为一个全球合作演习与高中学生和企业领导人进行测试。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project is an online, game-based program to improve the leadership skills of individuals in science, education, the military, government, and industry. Leadership skills are key to innovation, efficiency, and effectiveness in all organizations. The program being developed is built on a proven leadership model and converts that traditional model into a role-playing game. The empirically tested model consists of three basic strategies and six practices that expand leaders' perspectives and enhance their problem-solving skills. The program uses a futuristic narrative, 3D-animated multimedia, and challenging leadership dilemmas to engage learners, who play the role of a novice world leader. The program provides instruction in leadership, and then learners apply their new leadership skills to build an alliance among warring factions and collectively solve a global problem. A series of game quests test learners' understanding, and they receive immediate feedback on all decisions and actions. Learners communicate through social media tools with other players and, at the end, participate in a virtual synchronous debriefing exercise with peers and trained facilitators to ensure full comprehension. An administrative dashboard provides real-time performance data. The game is scalable, accessible, and designed for repeat playability.The most profound innovation of this project is that it conceptualizes, designs, and develops a system of game mechanics and algorithms that mimic the facilitator-led human aspect of a research-based, face-to-face model of leadership training. This design entails building out a backend system as an artificial intelligence tool designed to guide users engaging with instructional materials, anticipate player actions, make recommendations on actions and anticipated actions, and provide feedback similar to guidance an on-site facilitator would provide. Furthermore, the game logic supports multiple paths to success, with some paths being more efficient, optimal, elegant, or otherwise more appropriate choices. The game logic and technical design are built to reflect problem solving and leadership in the real world, which is largely based on open-ended decision making. The game mechanics and related backend technology are designed to support open-ended decision-making, thus making game play both more engaging and authentic for players. A final innovation is the linking of an asynchronous online video game learning experience with virtual facilitator-led synchronous debriefing, which can be done on a worldwide scale. The program will be tested as a global collaboration exercise with both high school students and corporate leaders.