Current job is as a Skills Training Specialist for San Diego Gas & Electric.
Instructional Objective Given a description of any design location the learner will be able to select all buttons from the New Business window that are required to correctly place the location in a workspace -- where it can be digitized.
The game will be used after initial instruction on the functionality of the New Business window. It's intended to reinforce new knowledge, to cause the participants to think through a design location and select appropriate buttons, and to be a break from conventional training
A card game is appropriate for this content for several reasons:
* It's a way to visually associate the buttons with a variety of design locations.
* The competition will help keep participants focused.
* It will quickly demonstrate several applications of the New Business window.
* It can provide practice when a computer is not available.
* It provides a break from traditional training.
* It requires that participants think through new information and apply it.
The button cards must be placed in order whenever there is a correct sequence for using the buttons in the 'real' world. For example, the place location button de-activates the window and displays the workspace. In the 'real' world you need to make all other button selections before selecting place location. The same is true in the 'game' world.
Duration of the game: The Button Game may be played for one hand, or for multiple hands depending on time constraints. The length of play should be established before the start of the game.
Play: Select a dealer and a score keeper. The dealer will shuffle the cards and deal the entire deck one at a time face down starting with the player to the dealers left. There are 80 cards in the deck; 18 scenario cards and 62 button cards.
The dealer will also distribute 20 tokens (candy may be used instead of tokens) to each player.
The score keeper will record the score at the end of each hand.
The player to the dealers left is the first to play. They open the game by placing a scenario card face up in the middle of the table. If they don't have a scenario card they must pay two tokens to the `kitty'.
The next, and subsequent, players (play moves to the left) have three options. They may:
* Play a button card on an open scenario, if there is one.
* Open a new scenario. There can be a maximum of four scenarios open at one time.
* Play no cards, but pay two tokens to the `kitty' and pass the play to the next player.
The player that places the last button card on a scenario closes it and wins the points listed on the face of the scenario card. They remove the string of cards and keep them on the table in front of them until the hand is over.
A player may also close a scenario by playing a `quit' button card. This keeps the opponent from scoring and opens a slot for a new scenario, however NO POINTS are awarded. Remove the string of cards.
The hand ends as soon as one player is out of cards.
Challenges: A player may challenge another player when they feel an incorrect button card was played. The challenge must occur before another card is played. If the challenger is correct (refer to HyperHelp, the Guide to Using GFMS, or the Button Card Point Table to settle disagreements) the offending player must take back the button card and pay the challenger two tokens. The offending player may NOT play a different card. If the challenger is incorrect they must pay two tokens to the scorned player.
Scoring points: Each player tallies the points from the scenarios they completed (Scenario cards left in your hand have NO POINT value.) and reports their score to the score keeper. Scenario cards have their point value listed on them.
The player who went out (used all of their cards) wins the tokens in the `kitty'. Tokens are worth 20 points and are counted only at the end of the game.
If time runs out and the game ends before a player goes out, no one wins the tokens in the `kitty'.
For a multiple hand game, deal moves to the left and the game continues until the prescribed time or number of hands has been played.
Winning: The player with the highest score at the close of play is declared the WINNER!
Card Design There are two types of cards in the Button Game; scenario cards and button cards. A sample of each is shown below.
Deck Design There are 80 standard size cards in the deck; 18 scenario cards and 62 button cards.
The deck contains all buttons needed to complete the 19 scenarios. There are also two quit buttons that close a scenario and keep an opponent from scoring.
Scenario cards represent a cross-section of overhead and underground design locations that a participant is likely to encounter in the real world.
The face of the card shows it point value and briefly describes a design location. The more difficult a scenario is to complete the higher its point value (the range is 50 - 200).
Button cards represent the options on the New Business window that a participant will need to select in order to correctly place and digitize the design location (scenario card).
The face of the card has a picture of the button, and briefly describes its function.
Once I settled on the content I began testing formats. I started with Rummy and Poker because I thought they'd be easy to model, and because each has a number of variations. Neither turned out to be a good fit with the content so the search continued. I needed a format that would hold the interest of adults and that would require more than simple matching skills. Eventually I found a card game called Sevens, and modified it to fit the content.
I created and tested a prototype, made revisions and tested it a second time. The changes I made based on the tests were:
* Establishing different point values for the scenarios based on their difficulty.
* Decreasing the number of scenarios that could be open at one time.
* Listing the button's functionality on the card face.
* Challenging an opponent.
* Keeping an opponent from scoring.
I resisted the last change because I didn't want the educational aspects of the game to be consumed by the strategy. But requests for a wild-card surfaced in both tests. Then it came to me -- the quit button. In the real world it closes the window without executing any action. The same is true in the game world.
Points Design Location Scenario First Button Button Button Last
Button Button
50 Add a pole with a with a Structure Place
piece of equipment that s/ Spans Location
has an ID (transformer, -OR-
switch, etc.) Current
Location
50 Remove a pole Structure Place
s/ Spans Location
-OR-
Current
Location
75 Add a pole where an open Structure Place Place
situation exists s/ Spans Open Location
-OR-
Current
Location
75 Add a n underground Structure Place Place
location where an open s/ Spans Open Location
situation is occuring -OR-
Current
Location
75 Add an underground Structure Combine Place
secondary or secondary s/ Spans Location
service that needs to be -OR-
combined Current
Location
75 Add an underground span Structure Split Place
that needs to be split by s/ Spans Location
length -OR-
Current
Location
75 Add a location that has Structure Split Place
connectors that need to s/ Spans Location
be split -OR-
Current
Location
100 Add a location where more Structure Box Place
than one box needs to be s/ Spans Symbol Location
created on the FAC level -OR- Quantity
for a primary handhole or Current
manhole Location
100 Add a location where Structure Ductbank Place
conduit is being added s/ Spans Type Location
-OR-
Current
Location
100 Add a location where a Structure Place Place
passthru is being added s/ Spans Passthru Location
-OR-
Current
Location
Points Design Location Scenario First Button Button Button Last
Button Button
100 Add a single phase Structures Phase Place
transformer where the / Spans Location
feeding phase is specified -OR-
on the workorder Current
Location
100 Add a group switch Structures Order Place
/ Spans Swipos Location
-OR-
Current
Location
125 Add an overhead primary Structures Place Quantity Place
and secondaryspan at one / Spans Poleline Location
location -OR-
Current
Location
125 Add an overhead primary or Structures Place Quantity Place
secondary span / Spans Poleline Location
-OR-
Current
Location
150 Add a location where an Structures Place Swap to Place
overhead secondary is / Spans Poleline Service Location
being added that should -OR-
have been designed as an Current
overhead service Location
150 Add overhead wires where Structures Neutral Quantity Place
one of the wires is being / Spans Location
installed as a neutral -OR-
Current
Location
175 Add overhead wires Structures Place Combine Quantity Place
(primary or / Spans Poleline Location
secondary)where types need -OR-
to be combined Current
Location
200 Add a location where an Structures Place Quantity Swap to Place
overhead primary is being / Spans Poleline Secondary Location
added that should have -OR-
been designed as a Current
secondary Location