New online simulation lets learners hone their management skills
BOSTON, MA – November 17, 2022:
MindEdge Learning, the cutting-edge online learning firm, today announced the launch of Frontline Manager™ Simulation: Leading a Team at Dragonfly, an online simulation course designed to assess and sharpen the skills of experienced and aspiring frontline managers.
Like MindEdge’s other innovative simulation courses, Frontline Manager™ Simulation focuses on the application of previously learned skills and concepts. It presents learners with real-world situations and asks them to draw on their knowledge, experience, and judgment to make a series of decisions. Each decision triggers a different set of potential outcomes, and learners are graded on the results of every decision they make.
In the course, the learner has just been promoted to the position of Sales Manager at the fictional Dragonfly Corporation. As a newly minted frontline manager with no previous managerial experience, the learner must quickly rise to the challenges of the job: implementing the decisions of upper management while motivating sales team members to improve their performance.
Over the course of the 10-hour simulation, learners are presented with a range of management problems—establishing their leadership style, dealing with an underperforming team member, and implementing a major change in sales-team compensation—and are asked to resolve each one in a way that maximizes the benefit for Dragonfly.
“There’s no perfect pathway through the course,” said Katie Sica, a MindEdge senior editor who oversaw development of the simulation course. “Some mistakes are inevitable—they’re built into the course narrative. Some decisions will move you forward in some areas, but others may take you back a step or two. Still others involve clear trade-offs. Figuring out how to balance all these factors provides learners with valuable real-world training.”
The course features a Decision Dashboard that tracks learners’ overall performance, and a Simulation Stats page that reflects the impact of each decision on Dragonfly’s overall success. It also provides “Ask the Expert” interactive support, which allows learners to reach out to subject matter experts for guidance.
MindEdge’s decision to develop the Frontline Manager™ simulation course is a response to the growing demand for highly skilled frontline managers. According to the Harvard Business Review, frontline managers make up 50% to 60% of the average organization’s management ranks, and directly supervise up to 80% of its workforce. But many of these managers have received little if any formal training in management skills and techniques.
“The Frontline Manager™ Simulation course is a crucial element of our Frontline Manager™ certificate program,” said Jennifer Adams, managing director of MindEdge’s skills brands. “For learners who have completed our skills-training courses, this simulation gives them an opportunity to apply those skills to real-world situations, and see how they measure up.”
The simulation is tailored to the individual learner who is already familiar with the basics of frontline management. But it is also well-suited for use by companies as a tool for assessing and improving the skills of their frontline management corps.
“Skills training is rapidly becoming a must-have for businesses looking to compete in today’s job market,” said Jefferson Flanders, president and CEO of MindEdge Learning. “Employers need to offer the most innovative and sophisticated training tools they can find. Courses like Frontline Manager™ Simulation meet that need, giving companies a real competitive edge in attracting top-level talent.”
Learners who complete the Frontline Manager™ simulation course earn one IACET Continuing Education Unit. The course is available on two of MindEdge Learning’s brand platforms: MindEdge Online and Frontline Manager™.
About MindEdge Learning
MindEdge’s mission is to improve the way the world learns. Since its founding in 1998 by Harvard and MIT educators, the company has served some 4 million learners. With a focus on digital-first learning resources—from academic courseware to professional development courses—MindEdge’s approach to best practices in online education focuses on learners’ needs across the spectrum of higher education, professional development, skills training, and continuing education. MindEdge is based in Waltham, Mass. Find out more at https://mindedge.com.
About Frontline Manager™
Frontline Manager™ and the Frontline Manager™ certificate provide new and aspiring managers with the fundamental skills needed to succeed in a frontline position—including time management, communication, leadership, and supervision. Backed by MindEdge Learning’s extensive experience in providing high-quality skills training in management, leadership, and business operations, Frontline Manager™ is designed to help those with little or no managerial experience make the leap into a first-level management role.