Students start the experience in a classroom session where they are taken through ITS helpdesk procedures and introduced to email and newsgroups. This is the only traditional style session, made necessary as the tasks included can be problematic from both a technical and conceptual standpoint. From here they are split into workable team sizes and given instructions for the next step, due to the large number of students we split the teams across two initial tasks. The first of these, the 'Library Task', involves the students visiting the library, searching for and checking out a particular item. The library task leads into the 'Staff Task' which directs the students around Building 1 where they will be predominately working to familiarise themselves with the building layout and teaching staff they will encounter in first semester.

The 'Journey Task' sends the students to areas of interest around the campus using a set of pictures to guide them. At the end of the tasks students have borrowed a library item, identified staff and where to find them, navigated around key places on campus and handed in information to the program office, all of which become everyday tasks in their student life. Communication with the teams is through SMS and interaction with tutors in the labs, senior students who also cover extra details such as where to save files, space allocation and download quotas. At the completion of their initial tasks they swap over, so teams doing the first task then do the second task and vice versa.

The teams' progress is tracked throughout the game and once all key tasks are completed, they are sent an SMS instructing them to meet for the grand finale. 'The Egg Challenge', conducted in the initial teams, forms an introduction to first semester classes and the style of visual thinking, rapid prototyping and problem solving they will encounter throughout the degree and in particular in studios.

To reinforce the learning experience, students are presented with a CD case of cards which detail the key information they will need to operate successfully within the degree. This covers general information such as library access, codes of practice, lab access and rules and details technical information for accessing ITS helpdesk, file storage and associated quotas. All in all the students leave with an experiential understanding of the program, the locale and a means of engagement with administrative, conceptual and practical tasks.

Game Components

'Library Task'

Students pool the keywords given to them when they are assigned their teams and using Cybrary have find the item corresponding to these. Once they locate the item, in this case a DVD, they have to check the item out from the library and follow the instructions within.

'Staff Task'

The DVD cases contain instructions for the 'staff task', a set of blank staff cards, and a set of staff photo stickers. They wander Building 1 to find staff offices, matching the images on the stickers to those on the office doors and get another sticker at the office door which has staff contact details and the first semester subject they are teaching. Once they finish this, they have to hand in a completed staff card to the Program Office and are sent on the 'journey task' .

'Journey Task'

Students are sent to the Program Office, where they are taken through the equipment borrowing procedure. They are given a journey card which documents a path, through a series of photographs, to an area of interest on campus. Starting from the office, they must follow the pictures to the destination and once there, find and SMS the 'magic word' to the game system. Once this has been received and if they have not yet completed the 'Library Task', an SMS is sent to them with instructions for the 'Library Task'.

'The Egg Challenge'

Students are required to, in a limited time frame (0.5 Ð 1hr) and with limited materials, design and build a structure that will protect an egg falling from a 1.8 metre ladder. Prizes were given for Most Creative structure, Best Engineering and Most Catastrophic failure, and a Cybrary prize awarded for the Librarians favourite.