Olds College students will need to add “video-game skills” to the list of things they need to graduate, thanks to the recent launch of the college’s Spirit of Entrepreneurship iPad app.
“Everything at Olds College is hands on, so we knew we wanted entrepreneurship to be hands on,” said Toby Williams, the college’s director of entrepreneurship and international development. “And (mobile technology) is like the new hands-on. It’s a really different way of learning.”
Different is right: This app is the first of its kind in North America.
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“It takes a certain innovative, risk-taking college to do this, because it’s so cutting edge,” Williams said. “Because it’s so new, there’s not a ton of research on the results.”
Over the course of its five-year licence for the app, the college hopes to learn whether gamified curriculums engage and teach students more than other online options. And so far, students seem to be on board with this type of coursework.
“We launched it to 700 students, and 511 students have already downloaded the game and started to play. That at least demonstrates interest in it.”
Developed by the GoForth Institute and Robots and Pencils, the free app has a curriculum of 12 units, complete with quizzes, that focus on the things a successful entrepreneur needs to know, including assessing business ideas, choosing a location, finding financing, working with employees, and building a business plan. But the real learning comes in the form of the app’s game, where students apply their newfound knowledge to build a virtual business — in this case, a lemonade stand.
“You actually take what you learn in the content and apply it to the game,” she said. “You get to be very strategic about where you put your lemonade stands in the community, how you market, how many people you want to hire. And it keeps driving you back into the content.” The game is “kind of addictive,” she said.
“What we’ve found is that students tend to do this between 10 o’clock at night and 1 o’clock in the morning.”
The course is not just intended for would-be entrepreneurs.
“These kinds of skills in entrepreneurship — where you can spot an opportunity and then pull together the people and money and resources you need to make it happen — are helpful, whether you’re running your own business or you’re working for someone else,” she said. “It’s really just the ability to spot an opportunity and make it happen.” The app is part of a bigger mobile strategy and entrepreneurial focus at the school.
“It’s not just this app, although the app is a big cornerstone,” said Williams. “All of the instructors have iPads, and they’ve been asked to think about how they would integrate iPad use into all of their courses here.”
To accommodate the new devices and heavy use, the college has upgraded its bandwidth.
“We’re what’s called a one-gig college. We have the highest bandwidth of any college in Canada.”
The school is also placing a greater emphasis on building entrepreneurial skills through its learning enterprises, including its new microbrewery, butcher shop, and greenhouse.
“Students not only learn how to make the stuff and how to produce it, they’re also involved in the sales and distribution,” said Williams. “It’s an opportunity once again to practise entrepreneurship skills while you’re at school.” The hope is that approach doesn’t end with graduation.
“That’s why we called it the Spirit of Entrepreneurship. It’s kind of an attitude — a mindset — and young people get it.”
