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ETEC 522 – Ventures in Learning Technologies
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Workday Reality

By Sydney Hamilton on July 28, 2019

Revised Post: August 4th

Thank you everyone for your insightful comments! I appreciate your feedback and the questions that were raised as this helped me both in my reflection, but also in envisioning how I could take this idea further. Here is a copy of my self-reflection: Sydney’s A3 Reflection

Thank you!

 

Original Post:

Hello, and welcome to Workday Reality!

My venture stems from the challenges that students face upon graduation and entering the workforce. While most teachers benefit from real-world experience through teaching placements, the majority of graduates don’t share the same hands-on practical learning opportunities. There is also a misalignment between employer expectations and graduate abilities, particularly in the area of soft skills.

This platform has been designed to bridge this gap, and better prepare students as they launch their careers. I look forward to your feedback, as well as hearing about your own experiences entering the workplace upon graduation. Did you benefit from experiential learning or co-operative education?

Thank you,

Sydney

(Elevator Pitch / Primer)

YouTube Preview Image

 

(Venture Pitch)

YouTube Preview Image
Rating
Average: 4.1/5 Stars
 
 
 
 
 
3 Thumbs Up!

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7 Aug Posted on Workday Reality

Hi Sydney, I really enjoyed your presentation and agree with you that there are real customer needs and you find a good niche market. I don't know if you have ever evaluated the competitive environment that this product may face. I mean, current mainstream recruitment or training websites are able to easily launch their own products to cover this segment. To compete against them, what are our competitive advantages? Cheers!

7 Aug
0 Thumbs Up!
Vincent Dong @ydong09

Hi Sydney, I really enjoyed your presentation and agree with you that there are real customer needs and you find a good niche market. I don't know if you have ever evaluated the competitive environment that this product may face. I mean, current mainstream recruitment or training websites are able to easily launch their own products to cover this segment. To compete against them, what are our competitive advantages? Cheers!

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3 Aug Posted on Workday Reality

Review: Hi Sydney. Thanks for that. As others have mentioned, great execution - your presentations were very well put together. I get the gap you are trying to fill, and it certainly affects a lot of frustrated students hoping their education will prepare them for a job. As a potential investor, there were a couple of things that I would hope you could work on in the presentation. It took quite a long time for you to get to what you wanted from an investor, and in fact I'm not sure I got that even at the end. Personally, I would want to know what I'm being asked for early on, and unless this is looking for a donation, which I didn't think you were, I would want to know what's in it for me. What kind of return will I get and when will I get it? I assume your project would involve some kind of roll out in phases as you've got a lot of different areas to work on. Some description of your thinking on how you will make it work and the timing would help me decide as well. A good start on this though; you have developed a clear idea of what you'd like to accomplish.

3 Aug
0 Thumbs Up!
tod @tmckendr

Review: Hi Sydney. Thanks for that. As others have mentioned, great execution - your presentations were very well put together. I get the gap you are trying to fill, and it certainly affects a lot of frustrated students hoping their education will prepare them for a job. As a potential investor, there were a couple of things that I would hope you could work on in the presentation. It took quite a long time for you to get to what you wanted from an investor, and in fact I'm not sure I got that even at the end. Personally, I would want to know what I'm being asked for early on, and unless this is looking for a donation, which I didn't think you were, I would want to know what's in it for me. What kind of return will I get and when will I get it? I assume your project would involve some kind of roll out in phases as you've got a lot of different areas to work on. Some description of your thinking on how you will make it work and the timing would help me decide as well. A good start on this though; you have developed a clear idea of what you'd like to accomplish.

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3 Aug Posted on Workday Reality

Great elevator pitch! I was engaged and wanted to hear more about how “Workday Reality” works. Your venture pitch was informative and clear. The research was interesting and disturbing (although misalignment between the academic world and the demands of the actual work force is nothing new) - the pain point came across loud and clear. The solution of VR simulations is not new – we learned about it in the OER. Connecting it with the other facets of your project and to potential employers is the novelty here. I think you should play that up more. The real world projects is added on tasks for students so I am not sure how much buy-in there will be there. With the course work and load students have in university, why would they want to take on more? Student work in their academic institution should reflect the real world so if somehow students could get a credit towards their academic learning program for taking on the program at Workday Reality, that could work! That would create a true alliance between academia and preparing them for the real workforce, and would be a significant step for everyone involved in bridging the gap between academia and the workforce reality. Good luck!

3 Aug
0 Thumbs Up!
chava kassierer @chavik

Great elevator pitch! I was engaged and wanted to hear more about how “Workday Reality” works. Your venture pitch was informative and clear. The research was interesting and disturbing (although misalignment between the academic world and the demands of the actual work force is nothing new) - the pain point came across loud and clear. The solution of VR simulations is not new – we learned about it in the OER. Connecting it with the other facets of your project and to potential employers is the novelty here. I think you should play that up more. The real world projects is added on tasks for students so I am not sure how much buy-in there will be there. With the course work and load students have in university, why would they want to take on more? Student work in their academic institution should reflect the real world so if somehow students could get a credit towards their academic learning program for taking on the program at Workday Reality, that could work! That would create a true alliance between academia and preparing them for the real workforce, and would be a significant step for everyone involved in bridging the gap between academia and the workforce reality. Good luck!

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3 Aug Posted on Workday Reality

REVIEW: Hi Syndey, well done on your venture pitch, I found both the primer and presentation easy to follow. The disconnect between the experience students graduate with and what employers want is a real one and you have captured that struggle well. The overall concept and theme seem like they will fill a gap and it does have potential. The partnerships you also mentioned were a big selling point for me. As an investor there are two areas I would want you to address. While employers value the co-op experience, does the virtual co-op experience mean the same. Your partnerships with businesses in developing the scenarios is critical and with that partnership I would want more clear detail on whether or not employers will hire student whom have virtual experience versus real in-person experiences. Do employers value the experience the same? The second area is your presence, I am investing in you and the company, I would like to have seen more of you in the presentation as you are the champion of this. Overall well done.

3 Aug
0 Thumbs Up!
daniel thomas @dthomas0

REVIEW: Hi Syndey, well done on your venture pitch, I found both the primer and presentation easy to follow. The disconnect between the experience students graduate with and what employers want is a real one and you have captured that struggle well. The overall concept and theme seem like they will fill a gap and it does have potential. The partnerships you also mentioned were a big selling point for me. As an investor there are two areas I would want you to address. While employers value the co-op experience, does the virtual co-op experience mean the same. Your partnerships with businesses in developing the scenarios is critical and with that partnership I would want more clear detail on whether or not employers will hire student whom have virtual experience versus real in-person experiences. Do employers value the experience the same? The second area is your presence, I am investing in you and the company, I would like to have seen more of you in the presentation as you are the champion of this. Overall well done.

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2 Aug Posted on Workday Reality

Hello Sydney, well done on your venture pitch! I am impressed with your logical progression of your presentation, as it was incredibly convincing and well structured. This may be a finer question of detail, as I would have really liked to hear what special tailoring you could have prepared with your team regarding a particular program for student applicants. As different workplaces have a separate set of work expectations such as teaching versus nursing, it would have been great to listen to an example. In addition, I have come to understand that although a workplace may be somewhat generalized in regards to expectations, universities may not always agree - as an example, university A may prioritize more hands-on experience for their program whereas university B may regard classroom learning as the priority for the same program. What would be your approach if the universities as misaligned in their approach?

2 Aug
0 Thumbs Up!
Ian @leeian1

Hello Sydney, well done on your venture pitch! I am impressed with your logical progression of your presentation, as it was incredibly convincing and well structured. This may be a finer question of detail, as I would have really liked to hear what special tailoring you could have prepared with your team regarding a particular program for student applicants. As different workplaces have a separate set of work expectations such as teaching versus nursing, it would have been great to listen to an example. In addition, I have come to understand that although a workplace may be somewhat generalized in regards to expectations, universities may not always agree - as an example, university A may prioritize more hands-on experience for their program whereas university B may regard classroom learning as the priority for the same program. What would be your approach if the universities as misaligned in their approach?

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2 Aug Posted on Workday Reality

Hi Sydney! I LOVED your pitch! You backed up your pain point really well with data, identified a clear target market, and covered nearly all of the necessary bases that students may need going into the workplace. One thing I would have liked to have seen (though this may not be as important to investors) is a clearer connection between soft skills and experience, since this is what your product is hoping to build in students. I also liked that you had a credible team with you, and an idea of who the stakeholders in your product are / where some funding is coming from. In regards to the platform; will all those components (the VR, the telecommuting, etc.) be kept on the same platform like an LMS, or are these linked but separate systems? It is clear the product is in its infancy, but if you were to pursue it, I think there is a strong chance potential investors would consider your idea. Thank you!

2 Aug
0 Thumbs Up!
Basia @karpinb

Hi Sydney! I LOVED your pitch! You backed up your pain point really well with data, identified a clear target market, and covered nearly all of the necessary bases that students may need going into the workplace. One thing I would have liked to have seen (though this may not be as important to investors) is a clearer connection between soft skills and experience, since this is what your product is hoping to build in students. I also liked that you had a credible team with you, and an idea of who the stakeholders in your product are / where some funding is coming from. In regards to the platform; will all those components (the VR, the telecommuting, etc.) be kept on the same platform like an LMS, or are these linked but separate systems? It is clear the product is in its infancy, but if you were to pursue it, I think there is a strong chance potential investors would consider your idea. Thank you!

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2 Aug Posted on Workday Reality

Hi Sydney, as others have pointed out this was a very professional and well researched pitch. Your credibility and delivery made it a very convincing narrative. The idea you have come up with is also pretty unique and seems like a very logical application of ed-tech. It’s a good sign that I am curious about this venture and want to see more of its product in action! I think it would also end up being a great tool for high school students as well. I think one of the biggest challenges that this type of venture has, is in the quality of partnerships and co-op opportunities it can provide. For example, Waterloo has been able to develop this high quality co-op program through many years of hard work and its extensive alumni connections. How will your company be able to deliver a similar quality network through your venture? I think convincing the right companies on board will be the biggest hurdle and will definitely need the right champions in the industry to support your venture!

2 Aug
0 Thumbs Up!
Jason @jmhong90

Hi Sydney, as others have pointed out this was a very professional and well researched pitch. Your credibility and delivery made it a very convincing narrative. The idea you have come up with is also pretty unique and seems like a very logical application of ed-tech. It’s a good sign that I am curious about this venture and want to see more of its product in action! I think it would also end up being a great tool for high school students as well. I think one of the biggest challenges that this type of venture has, is in the quality of partnerships and co-op opportunities it can provide. For example, Waterloo has been able to develop this high quality co-op program through many years of hard work and its extensive alumni connections. How will your company be able to deliver a similar quality network through your venture? I think convincing the right companies on board will be the biggest hurdle and will definitely need the right champions in the industry to support your venture!

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1 Aug Posted on Workday Reality

REVIEW: Hi Sydney, your venture pitch is so well-researched and thorough; I really enjoyed going through it! A definite strength in this pitch is how credible it is, with multiple trusted sources to back up all your claims about the market and demand. You speak with confidence and bring your expertise in as well, which really builds trust from potential investors. I agree with Sarah that this all could be further locked in if you had just shown your face while pitching for a few seconds. Your idea is really great, and I often have thought about such co-operative programs for high school students. There is such a disconnect between what students expect the real world is like, and what it's actually like. I think it is never too early for some real world exposure. Would your venture consider expanding into the secondary school sector? It is very cool that you used what you learned from our A2 on VR to fuel your ideas here. I also like the partnership with the Government of Canada to support students financially. Overall, great pitch and I would invest!

1 Aug
0 Thumbs Up!
Ying Gu @gying

REVIEW: Hi Sydney, your venture pitch is so well-researched and thorough; I really enjoyed going through it! A definite strength in this pitch is how credible it is, with multiple trusted sources to back up all your claims about the market and demand. You speak with confidence and bring your expertise in as well, which really builds trust from potential investors. I agree with Sarah that this all could be further locked in if you had just shown your face while pitching for a few seconds. Your idea is really great, and I often have thought about such co-operative programs for high school students. There is such a disconnect between what students expect the real world is like, and what it's actually like. I think it is never too early for some real world exposure. Would your venture consider expanding into the secondary school sector? It is very cool that you used what you learned from our A2 on VR to fuel your ideas here. I also like the partnership with the Government of Canada to support students financially. Overall, great pitch and I would invest!

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30 Jul Posted on Workday Reality

Hi Sydney, I really enjoyed your slideshow primer and thought it was the most professional looking one I saw here. It is compelling and effectively conveys your venture. Your venture pitch may have passed the time limit but it was comprehensive as a venture pitch should be and I did not feel overwhelmed by information. You created the perfect balance of text, visuals and graphics which was timed effectively with your audio. From an EVA/investor perspective, I think I would have liked to see you in the presentation at least at the beginning. While your expertise in this area is clear in your presentation seeing you would have reflected even more authenticity, confidence and championship. As for the idea behind your venture, I think it is brilliant because it does fill an important gap in the market. I can speak from personal experience. I went to college pursuing a double major in psychology and secondary education, but dropped out of the education program right before completion, at the start of my internship semester, when I realized teaching just wasn't a good fit. If I had a tool like this, I could have prevented this from happening. Enabling High School and post-secondary students to immerse themselves into life-like situations would help them find a path that really fits. I also see great value in immersive interview simulations to give students a good feel for what kind of skill employers are looking for in different professions and which skills they need to work on. From a profit perspective, I think it is a smart investment. However, as an EVA that looks at social impact first, I would have the same concerns that Tyler expressed regarding accessibility of VR and equal opportunities. Great work!

30 Jul
0 Thumbs Up!
sarah jones @sj158676

Hi Sydney, I really enjoyed your slideshow primer and thought it was the most professional looking one I saw here. It is compelling and effectively conveys your venture. Your venture pitch may have passed the time limit but it was comprehensive as a venture pitch should be and I did not feel overwhelmed by information. You created the perfect balance of text, visuals and graphics which was timed effectively with your audio. From an EVA/investor perspective, I think I would have liked to see you in the presentation at least at the beginning. While your expertise in this area is clear in your presentation seeing you would have reflected even more authenticity, confidence and championship. As for the idea behind your venture, I think it is brilliant because it does fill an important gap in the market. I can speak from personal experience. I went to college pursuing a double major in psychology and secondary education, but dropped out of the education program right before completion, at the start of my internship semester, when I realized teaching just wasn't a good fit. If I had a tool like this, I could have prevented this from happening. Enabling High School and post-secondary students to immerse themselves into life-like situations would help them find a path that really fits. I also see great value in immersive interview simulations to give students a good feel for what kind of skill employers are looking for in different professions and which skills they need to work on. From a profit perspective, I think it is a smart investment. However, as an EVA that looks at social impact first, I would have the same concerns that Tyler expressed regarding accessibility of VR and equal opportunities. Great work!

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29 Jul Posted on Workday Reality

Hi Sydney, I believe this is an area that is not discussed enough and would definitely help students decide on the right career path for themselves! I thought your elevator pitch was well put together as it showcased some clear research on the topic. The idea of Workday Reality is extremely important for both high school and post secondary students. Many people are unsure of their career path and many students might go through years of schooling to realize the job is not what they imagined. A program such as this would allow people to experience their chosen field, gain valuable experience, and understand the differences between job training and academic training. I enjoyed watching your venture pitch. You raised some important research and you seem to be able to back your standpoint with confidence. I would be an interested investor. I did feel as though your venture pitch was lengthy (may have exceeded time limit) however, there was a lot of important information to convey. Overall, I was quite impressed with your idea and your presentation. Good work!

29 Jul
0 Thumbs Up!
Abraham Kang @akang67

Hi Sydney, I believe this is an area that is not discussed enough and would definitely help students decide on the right career path for themselves! I thought your elevator pitch was well put together as it showcased some clear research on the topic. The idea of Workday Reality is extremely important for both high school and post secondary students. Many people are unsure of their career path and many students might go through years of schooling to realize the job is not what they imagined. A program such as this would allow people to experience their chosen field, gain valuable experience, and understand the differences between job training and academic training. I enjoyed watching your venture pitch. You raised some important research and you seem to be able to back your standpoint with confidence. I would be an interested investor. I did feel as though your venture pitch was lengthy (may have exceeded time limit) however, there was a lot of important information to convey. Overall, I was quite impressed with your idea and your presentation. Good work!

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