Enspire Learning Blog

Enspire Learning has been named on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies! The contest looks at revenue growth for the past four years and "celebrates the most dynamic private companies in the United States."

We are incredibly proud of the company that Enspire has become in six years since our founding and it is wonderful to be recognized by Inc. for our growth. The official list will be released in late August on Inc.com.

It's the exciting tale of a young man, a former fellow-turned content writer who dared to dream of something bigger. Ben Katz, our story's hero, is spreading his wings and making his speaking debut this week at Rapid Intake's DevCon conference in savory Salt Lake City. Ben is leading two interactive sessions on game design. The early risers on Tuesday, June 17th, can join Ben at 8:30 am for "A Playful Approach to Learning Client Communications." Attendees will work with Ben to design a game that reinforces good client communication skills.

Later the same day at 2:30 pm, Ben will tackle "Emergence in E-Learning: A Double-Edged Sword." This session will focus on multi-player games where simple rule sets combine to create complex interactions. Participants in this session will experiment with the guidelines that govern play as they design their own games.

If you're in the area be it for the conference or on a quest for the lost relics of Brigham Young and want to see this exciting story unfold, stop by and see Ben. Or, if the topic interests you, but you're unable to make it to the saliferous region, d

There's a recent article in Slate by some fella named Justin Peters (editor of Polite Magazine) titled World of Borecraft: Never Play a Video Game That's Trying to Teach You Something.

It's not a scholarly or scientific piece, just an essay expressing Peters's own skepticism about "fun" educational software. Couple of interesting points to chew on:

1) Peters is clearly a gamer himself--he unfavorably compares learning games to "Civilization" and "Grand Theft Auto." I think sometimes we assume that as time goes by, we are going to deal more with clients and users who have grown up with video games and are thus more receptive to the kind of learning games we want to create. But what if the opposite is true? What if someone who spends a few hours every day blasting zombies and stealing cars on the XBOX 360 will actually be less receptive to the idea of playing a mandatory process improvement game at the office?

I don't think that's the case, but it's something to consider.

2) Peters's conclusion: "The basic issue here is that it's easier to make a fun game educational than it is to inject fun into an educational game." Is this a valid distinction to make? Is it just a case of chicken v. egg?

Looking to teach kids a little bit more about their nation's history, Canadian company Bitcasters has produced a mod for Civilization III. They are distributing the mod, along with 100,000 copies of the game, to schools around Canada.

I haven't had a whole lot of luck reading up on the details of the project, or how the whole thing came together. But, I have read the plan is to have a total of three mods that will give students an interactive history lesson, complete with related articles and evaluations. The first mod, called 'The New World', can be downloaded for free. A copy of Civilization II is required to play (which I do not have).

I'd be interested in seeing this thing in action, or at least hearing from someone who has. The game's message boards aren't really hopping, but there is a handful of positive feedback.

The idea of using the customizable nature of modern computer games to craft an e-learning experience isn't ground-breaking. But, this is the most promising example I've heard about. The advantages of using a stable, established engine (Civ III), can help a company avoid some of the problems associated with tech development, and focus more on the quality of the content.

This week, several members of the Enspire team are in Atlanta, GA for the annual ASTD International Conference and Exposition.

Enspire representatives will be on hand in the Exposition Hall at Booth 1003 throughout the conference, so please stop by to say hi, talk shop, or just grab a piece of chocolate!

On Tuesday at 10:00 AM, Mindy Jackson will be discussing, "Using E-Learning to Improve Your Instructors’ Teaching Skills". Mindy will also be part of an author session on "Lies about Learning" on Wednesday at 8:00 AM. Both sessions are definitely worth attending.

Enspire Learning is proud to announce that we are the proud recipients of FOUR Horizon Interactive Awards in 2007. The Horizon Interactive Awards is a prestigious international competition recognizing outstanding achievement among interactive media producers.

Our clients are winners, too! We are so grateful for the opportunity to work with such wonderful teams. Congratulations to:

I2I Communications: Gold in Consumer Information for "The Patient’s Guided Tour"
Pitney Bowes: Gold in Education/Training for "Get Ready to Connect!"
PNC Bank: Silver in Education/Training for "Solving Problems with Ease and Confidence"
Intacct Software: Bronze in Consumer Information for "A Day in the Life" Trailers

With over 1000 entries, this year’s competition was fierce. Our production team at Enspire strives for innovation and excellence in all of our projects. I am so proud that we were recognized by the judges who were looking for "the best blend of creativity and functionality." Congrats!!!

Pitney Bowes and Enspire Learning are gold medal winners in this year's Horizon Interactive Awards! The "Get Ready to Connect!" course is honored as an example of outstanding interactive media.

"Get Ready to Connect!" module is a part of Pitney Bowes’s onboarding initiative for new hires to acquaint them with the company's identity, culture, and employee task objectives. New hires at Pitney Bowes move through the course and collect stamps as they connect with their virtual peers and discover their place at the company.

A big round of applause to Enspire and Pitney Bowes for creating such a well-designed and visually-appealing course!

Enspire Learning, Unit 7, and Pfizer were recognized for their excellence in interactive media production with a Gold Horizon Interactive Award in Consumer Information for "The Patient's Guided Tour."

The course is designed for patients to instill a greater sense of ownership in their treatment process so they could better understand and adhere to effective treatment regimens. This visually stunning course takes patients through video-based scenarios as they learn how to improve their healthcare experiences.

Congratulations to Pfizer, Unit 7, and Enspire for coming together to create this award-winning course!

Enspire Learning and PNC Bank were awarded with a Silver Horizon Interactive Award for their excellence in interactive media production for education and training. Their "Solving Problems with Ease and Confidence" simulation is an innovative approach to honing customer service and conflict resolution skills in a safe environment,

The branching simulation challenges users with four dissatisfied customers. The users navigate through conversations with the customers to understand their problems and present a solution, all while minding the mood-meter which gauges customer satisfaction.

The "Solving Customer Problems with Ease and Confidence" is a great simulation and teaching-tool that deserves this recognition from Horizon. Congratulations PNC and Enspire!

Intacct Software and Enspire Learning are Bronze Horizon Interactive Award winners for the interactive media production of their "Day in the Life" trailers. Winners in the Consumer Information category, the trailers are designed for interested buyers in the financial software market.

An immersive demo center for Intacct's website provides visitors with an entertaining and informative look at how Intacct software might streamline their business processes. Two product trailers each provide an immersive experience that educates the visitors about how Intacct software increases efficiency, makes life easier, and benefits the bottom line.

These trailers are fun and engaging, a great way for Intacct to appeal to interested customers. Congratulations on your award!