KnowledgeKwest

Executive Summary for the Project

The U.S. education system is failing in that U.S. students are being outperformed by students in over forty other countries. The KnowledgeKwest^TM project merges concepts from evidence-based research in the fields of education and video games to confront this major dilemma faced by educators in the U.S. To increase educational performance, students need to be more engaged in the subject matter and they need to spend more time studying, answering questions, and solving problems. KnowledgeKwest^TM provides a real solution. KnowledgeKwest^TM combines 3D virtual world technologies with educational content to produce a 3D educational video game that will engage students more actively in their own education.

Studies show that video games have a considerable potential to capture the attention of children and hold their attention for long periods of time. Education research indicates that games, in general, and video games, in particular, have significant potential as educational enhancement tools. KnowledgeKwest^TM will be designed to leverage evidence-based research to capture the attention of K–12 students and increase the time they spend on their studies. Repetition and practice are the keys to retaining knowledge and concepts learned through classroom lessons, but students often spend minimal time on studying and homework. KnowledgeKwest^TM literally changes the game by making education fun for students.

The realm of KnowledgeKwest^TM will be a 3D virtual world with integrated educational content that is customizable to meet specific state standards. The game will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to enable students to integrate their studies into their personal schedules. Students will engage in quests that require the use of knowledge and concepts from their classroom studies in order to solve puzzles, unlock doors, discover hidden treasures, and banish monsters from the realm of knowledge as they pursue their quest goals. Students will play the game online and will be able to chat and virtually interact safely and securely with their peers as they traverse a vast realm of knowledge in a virtual setting. Some quests will require more than one student to achieve the quest objective and will enable students to learn the value of teamwork. The content will cover grades K–12 and include the subjects of math, reading, writing, social studies, and science.

The management team will market the KnowledgeKwest^TM product by connecting with Chief Learning Officers of companies that represent potential channel partners, as well as representatives from the primary customer market at the state departments of education. The principal venue for establishing these connections will be at major educational conferences occurring across the country during the 18-month KnowledgeKwest^TM pilot development cycle—scheduled to begin this year and conclude at the end of 2010. The management team will hire a well-known and extensively published Education Specialist to lead the conference selection strategy.

KnowledgeKwest^TM will develop the first version of the game centering on math for the third grade. Additional grades and subjects will be rolled out each year that will eventually cover all subject areas in K–12 education. Initial funding will finance development to a stage where the product can be discussed with channel partners and future customers. 

KnowledgeKwest^TM is currently under development. Stay tuned.

NOTES: Knowledgekwest.com will support a variety of online community tools. Some possibilities under investigation can be found at the following links:

Wiki: http://www.knowledgekwest.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

Project Management interface: http://www.knowledgekwest.com/pm/

Forum: http://knowledgekwest.com/forum/

Online Course Management System: http://knowledgekwest.com/CMS

Online Social Networking portal: http://knowledgekwest.com/social/ 

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