Approach

Here’s a curious thing: Why does Ben and Jerry’s not have a liver flavored ice cream? We don’t need to taste it to know why, because our powerful imagination allows us to experience it in our mind first. Just the idea of liver flavored ice cream conjures in us the experience of it, and we cringe. Past experiences with cold, sweet and liver taste quickly confirms this is an appalling combination, without actually tasting it. Similarly, hearing a vivid story can feel like it is our own.

We are hardwired to try to make sense of our world through direct experience and stories. Our pre-frontal cortex is an experience simulator it allows us to “put ourselves in another’s shoes” and perceive someone else’s experience as our own. This is a source of true “stickiness” – educators, psychologists, neuroscientist know this. So why do we put so much credibility on massive information dumps?

By combining the power of making decisions and facing consequences (game theory) related to those we know and respect (peer to peer storytelling) in the form of short engaging learning spurts (micro-learning) we generate the curiosity needed for true engagement. OntheJob is designed to help you tell your best stories well, and generate true engagement.

We are fueling a revolution.

I use OntheJob to get students to apply their learning to real problems they’ll encounter in the field, but won’t necessarily see in the labs. OntheJob Solo is a great engaging homework challenge for apprenticeship training…and I can create the scenarios myself! Can’t beat it.

Michael Fournier

Pipe Fitting Instructor, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)

OntheJob proved to be a useful tool used in secondary schools for demonstrating avalanche and backcountry safety through other people’s real experiences. Students enjoyed playing the game in teams and were fully engaged.

Shannon Werner

Education Outreach Coordinator, Avalanche Canada