Simpl Philly JUG July 2017

Overview of Simpl simulation platform. Includes architecture, data model and plans to open source.

Transcript

1. Simpl Joseph Lee and Jane Eisenstein Alfred West Jr. Learning Lab simulations.wharton.upenn.edu
2. Copyright 2017 The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania All Rights Reserved Creating meaningful educational experiences Wharton’s Learning Lab https://simulations.wharton.upenn.edu
3. About the Learning Lab Simpl – Philly PUG July 2017 • Founded in 2001 to develop innovative learning tools that challenge students to think strategically across business functions and organizations and enable Wharton to take a lead role in rethinking the learning paradigm • 33 active simulations – ColdFusion, VB.Net, Java, Forio Simulate, Python/Django, etc • Ranges from 10 minute “simulettes” to intense multi-week experiences. • Subjects range from negotiations to entrepreneurship, leadership. business acumen, marketing, teamwork, and so on • Over 10,000 Wharton student plays per year • Over 20,000 non-Wharton student plays per year (via HBP, etc)
4. Copyright 2017 The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania All Rights Reserved Award Winning Team in EdTech Field
5. Challenges with Existing Sim Authoring Platforms Simpl – Philly PUG July 2017 • Expensive to purchase and maintain • Requires highly specialized technical expertise: – No one in the market place possesses these skills – Learning Lab has to invest in training – Staff feel their marketable skills are narrowed, leading to turnover • Creates “Haves” and “Have Nots” in Education – Only the wealthier schools can afford to develop multiple simulation offerings • No LMS Integration – For classes or Authentication (Single Signon)
6. Why Simpl? Control - The ability to customize the platform to our exact needs, the flexibility to implement an increasingly varied amount of simulations. - Attract and retain talent Open Source - Democratize education. Disseminate knowledge. - Desire to build a community, we think this is an underserved area. Allow other institutions to contribute and improve the framework. Ownership - No “black boxes.” We built the platform from the ground up. Simpl – Philly PUG July 2017
7. The Simpl Answer • Simpl is a simulation framework built from the ground up by Wharton’s Learning Lab • Open Source offerings have evolved to provide base requirements: – Persisting data – Keeping data in-sync between players • Technology Stack: – React/Redux – Python/Django/Django REST framework – Webhooks (Thorn) – WAMP (Crossbar.io/Autobahn) Simpl – Philly PUG July 2017
8. Simpl Games Services Simpl – Philly PUG July 2017
9. Simpl Games • Built around a mathematical model that steps through one or more Periods given user Decisions and produces Results. • Users who participate in a game together comprise a Run. • Players are assigned a Role that determines what they see and the Decisions they may make. • Run interactions occur in Phases (e.g. Setup, Play, Debrief). Simpl – Philly PUG July 2017
10. Single-Player vs Multi-Player • Single-Player Games – All players in a Run are assigned the same Role. – Players enter Decisions for their game Role. – Each player sees a separate Scenario. • Multi-Player Games – Players are grouped into Worlds. – Players enter one set of Decisions per Role. – Players share the World’s Scenario and see the Results of their combined Decisions. Simpl – Philly PUG July 2017
11. Game Scoping • Leaders have access to all data within a Run. • Once play has ended, leaders debrief players using Decisions and Results from all players. • Players only see the data associated with their World or Scenario • Users may have private Scenarios used to test out strategies. Simpl – Philly PUG July 2017
12. Simpl Scopes Simpl – Philly PUG July 2017
13. Simpl Demo Simpl – Philly PUG July 2017
14. Simpl Roadmap • Open sourcing Simpl repositories on github.com/simplworld • Developing Simpl game management console • Wrapping up first full-fledged classroom simulation built on Simpl Simpl – Philly PUG July 2017
15. Interested in learning more? Simpl – Philly PUG July 2017 Email: learninglab@wharton.upenn.edu URL: http://github.com/simplworld