The video call is the opening scene of a new virtual course designed by Wharton Interactive to teach business skills through a games-based course called an ARC, or alternate reality course. BlueSky Ventures is a 60-minute, on-demand ARC that leads players through a series of decisions and interactions designed to teach strategies for entrepreneurial success. Actors, business data, graphics, and digital documents help the lesson come alive and really stick. The game is designed to have all these a-ha moments where pieces fit into place and you’re like, ‘I got it!’” said Ethan Mollick, a Wharton management professor who is academic director of Wharton Interactive. The ARC platform tracks the players’ decision-making and allows them to keep practicing until they get it right.
