eEemeli 2011 contest results are announced

The winner of the eEemeli 2011 quality contest, organised by the Association of Finnish eLearning Centre, was announced at the eEemeli gala in Hämeenlinna, on Thursday 7.4.2011, during the ITK’11 conference. The theme of this tenth contest was “Best Solution”. The best e-learning solution of the year was WordDive by Voctrainer Ltd. The winner was awarded with a prize cheque and the eEemeli trophy. An honourable mention was given to Virtual environment for work machine training by Creanex Ltd.

As in previous years, the jury had a difficult task, with eight high quality contest entries in the final round. The criteria for the choice were business potential, scalability for different target groups, and clear, user-friendly implementation. The overall effect of the product or service was also a factor in the jury’s decision.

To celebrate the tenth anniversary, the press and the audience also got to choose their favourites. The choice of the press was Pelitehdas by Flow Factory Ltd. The audience, voting by text messages, chose Viope Python by Viope Solutions Ltd with approximately one third of total votes.

WordDive, Voctrainer Ltd

With WordDive, developing practical language skills is convenient and easy. A mental image of the study item is formed in the learner’s mind by the use of pictures and hints in the language being studied. This way language learning proceeds rapidly towards thinking in the new language, unlike in the traditional route through the learner’s first language. Repetition is automatically optimised for the learning situation. Well-known things are not repeated needlessly, while things that need extra attention are repeated often.

Comments from the jury:

WordDive is a user-friendly and motivating platform for independent language study. The graphic display of learning progress is encouraging, and the program adapts to the learner’s development. WordDive is a well thought-out pedagogical whole that utilises multimodal association, i.e. many senses. A large variety of subject categories makes it suitable for the needs of a wide target group. The wow effect and clear, fresh look of the website are captivating.

The chosen languages increase marketing potential, and the service already has users in over 50 countries at the moment. Affordable pricing guarantees a wide user base. The strategic choices of the company on which the business is based seem to be successful. The jury expressed a wish to see the company investing in the production of a mobile language learning solution in the future.

Honourable mention

Virtual environment for work machine training, Creanex Ltd

Virtual environment for work machine training is a product and service entity by Creanex Ltd that enables simulations of various kinds of moving work machines. In addition to accurate simulation and visualisation, real machine control devices and systems can be incorporated. The planning and management of training is facilitated by a separate SimTrainer program, which makes it possible to divide even large curriculums into manageable lessons and guide the teaching through different exercise themes.

Comments from the jury:

An experiential learning environment that combines skilful simulation and real control devices for excellent learning results. Graphic display of individual learning progress motivates the learners to keep honing their skills. The company has succeeded in joining with machine producers and has achieved real international business potential as a result. The effect of the Creanex virtual environment to learning results is remarkable.

Press favourite

Flow Factory Ltd

Pelitehdas is a service in which students can design and develop games without programming skills. Pelitehdas consists of a game editor, game library (for games produced with the editor), a prize system and an idea bank community aimed for teachers. With the Pelitehdas game editor, it is easy for almost anyone to create a game. Students can publish games created alone or in groups for other students and teachers to play. In other words, Pelitehdas offers a framework for learning things while developing games and also by playing and analysing the games other students have created.

Rationale from the press:

The application removes the unnecessary mystique game development may have for young people. It reminds us that the most important things in creating something new are an idea and a story. Pelitehdas eases the way into an industry that, in the light of recent market developments, offers great opportunities for Finnish know-how.

The idea brings new social and creativity-enhancing dimensions into gaming. Playing and developing games are great ways to learn the rules of the game, perception of the big picture, anticipation of other people’s behaviour and working together. By designing a game, the students learn about the subject of the game without even noticing. Pelitehdas does not place limits on subjects; a good idea works as well for the English language and biology.

Audience favourite

Viope Solutions Ltd

Introduction:

Viope Python has been developed in cooperation with Viope Solutions Ltd, WSOYPro/ Docendo and Lappeenranta University of Technology. The teaching and learning tool combines concrete and electronic content with intelligent automatic feedback and a support service. The product formed from these has been commercialised for schools, businesses and consumers. For the latter, there is a commercialised book+course+tutoring service. (The electronic course and book are also available and usable as separate products.) The combined product is sold to businesses. For schools, Viope Python has been productised as a blended learning tool. Many schools use the product for guiding classroom teaching and as an integrated part of the curriculum. For some schools, Viope Python also functions as a selfstudy course.

Honourable mention:

Viope Python is an e-learning platform with excellent technical quality and logical structure that also enables interaction between users.

Jury

The jury of the contest consisted of e-learning, pedagogy and training experts from businesses and the public sector. The chairman of the jury was Eppie Eloranta. The jury evaluated the products on the basis of usability, international and business potential, ethicality, effectivity, scalability, interactivity, the wow factor, innovativeness, freshness, societal impact and appropriateness for the theme.

Jury members

Chairman of the jury: Eppie Eloranta, executive director, Association of Finnish eLearning Centre
Ville Availa, Ambientia Group Oyj
Kirsi Kannisto, Nordea Oyj
Sami M. Leppänen, Nokia Oyj
Riku Moisio, City of Hämeenlinna
Marianna Nieminen, Microsoft Oy
Hanna Nordlund, Technology Centre Innopark Oy
Mervi Palander, FinPro
Pekka Ollikainen, Tekes
Lasse Seppänen, HAMK University of Applied Sciences
Robert Seren, Finnish Information Processing Association
Tarmo Toikkanen, Aalto University, School of Art and Design / Media Lab
Leena Vainio, chairman, Association of Finnish eLearning Centre, HAMK University of Applied Sciences
Jarmo Viteli, University of Tampere, Hypermedia Lab / Häme Summer University

Partners for the Association of Finnish eLearning Centre in creating the contest:

The Federation of Finnish Technology Industries , FinPro, Tekes, Nordea, HAMK, Microsoft, Finnish Information Processing Association, Nokia Oyj, City of Hämeenlinna, Technology Centre Innopark Oy and the Häme DIGIBUSINESS cluster programme.

More information on the eEemeli contest:

Association of Finnish eLearning Centre
http://www.eoppimiskeskus.fi

Titi Tamminen
titi.tamminen(a)eoppimiskeskus.fi

Image material and video clips of the products in the final round:

The Association of Finnish eLearning Centre web service (www.eoppimiskeskus.fi) has image material from the eEemeli contest and gala available for downloading and use next week. In addition, the web service offers a chance to see the introductions of the products in the final round.

The Association of Finnish eLearning Centre joins Finnish e-learning agents together. The association promotes e-learning development and implementation in businesses, schools and other organisations. It also publishes information e.g. on studies, publications, events and news in the field. The association functions as a meeting place, information service and support organisation for e-learning. Its community members are businesses, schools and organisations working in the field or interested in e-learning, and its individual members include e-learning experts, developers, researchers and users.