A reality of today’s job market is that most people learn the technical aspects once employed but the universal skills that make us productive in those roles are not readily taught in schools. Project based learning is a missing part to most modern education that compels students to learn while doing and practicing the skills they’ll need for the future.
The Traditional way of learning isn’t enough for the future
More students than ever are graduating with high school and college degrees but surveys show that neither students nor their future employers feel like achieving those degrees have prepared them for next steps in the workforce or in life. Project based learning aims to course correct this trend by taking the fundamentals required in the workforce: critical thinking, collaboration and communication and apply them to challenges that require learning domain expertise.
As adults we see that success requires the ability to consume lots of information, discern what of that information is important, share it with our team, and communicate it more broadly in context. Memorizing functions and definitions even in highly technical fields tends to come with on the job experience but the core competencies learning, thinking and sharing are too often not practiced enough in the classroom.
In project pods, learners apply existing skills with curated conversations to complete objectives. The advantages of this style of learning are documented in countless studies including a study from the George Lucas Educational Foundation.
How ExoDexa solves the problem
ExoDexa is democratizing access to this style of learning, merging our unique approach to gaming with pioneering education veterans from Two Bit Circus to design engaging sessions that marry hands on learning and problem solving in an interactive virtual environment.
In our debut project, learners will cultivate their storytelling skills while learning the production process as they create their own short animated movie. An experienced facilitator will guide learners through a virtual world in Gather.Town where they will develop characters, story lines and use problem solving skills to create a short animated film.
Making an animated film might seem only relevant for the future directors of the world but in fact, the production process mirrors real life projects in many ways. The first object is to create a story and develop characters. Since learners are creating short films the mode forces them to be concise in their thoughts and practice effective communication.
This ability to translate an idea into a short digestible format is a key to corporate communication and presenting most ideas in the workforce today.
Interactive and fun virtual environment
Exploring a custom built world in Gather.Town groups discuss and collaborate to advance production of their movies. These small group formats encourage collaboration among individuals and groups, a practical life skill in achieving different goals.
Project based learning isn’t new to education but it isn’t pervasive enough for most students to have consistently had these experiences in their education until now. More students than ever have learned and adapted to online education, we can leverage that experience to make time spent online more valuable than ever.
Give it a try
If you’re interested in learning more about Project Pods, get in touch with us!