Red Flag Mania simulates investigation in an e-learning platform
Associate Professor Kelly Richmond Pope was awarded a DePaul University Academic Innovation Grant for her innovative game-based platform to advance student learning in forensic and investigative accounting. Red Flag Mania™ (RFM) is an immersive investigative e-learning platform that combines film, business theory and “whodunit” fun to engage learners to use data to solve complex problems. “It is challenging to create an immersive experience using a textbook, so Red Flag Mania uses aspects of game design and documentary filmmaking blended with accounting and business theory to offer an innovative learning experience,” says Pope. Past Red Flag Maniacs typically describe the experience as a cross between the game Clue, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and an Escape Room. Season one of Red Flag Mania, entitled “When We Prey“, explores the financial struggles of Montague Fellowship Church.
Red Flag Mania contains four episodes (“Ethics Dash,” “Audit Challenge,” “Money Hunt” and “Fraud Capstone”) ranging from two to eight hours of immersive learning. Each episode allows participants to gain hands-on experience undergoing processes that are undertaken by real-world financial investigators. Using ripped-from-the-headlines stories, learners begin their investigative journey by watching a short documentary before engaging in activities like sorting through case evidence, reviewing suspect cards and websites and listening to voicemails all in an effort to solve the case. Incorporating game mechanics with storytelling allows learners to assess professional skepticism, analyze the fraud triangle, test internal controls, interpret judgement biases in decision-making and more.
A screenshot of the Red Flag Mania Season 1: When We Prey gaming platform.
“From a learning perspective, I thought it was extremely neat and unlike anything that I’ve ever seen. I’ve participated in several e-learning/trainings, but none were of the same quality/flow,” says one DePaul MBA student participant. “A lot of the trainings/e-learnings that I’ve participated in tend to feel a bit ‘choppy’ and not once in the Red Flag Mania exercise did I feel like there was a disconnect between sections/exercises.”
Associate Professor Kelly Richmond Pope, Jacqueline Frole and Roni Jackson at the Red Flag Mania official launch.
Red Flag Mania creates a unique e-learning experience for learners, prompting them to go deeper and challenge their critical thinking. “My primary motivation for creating Red Flag Mania was to develop a disruptive edtech product that could cover the traditional topics discussed in most U.S. classrooms and enhance student engagement,” says Pope. There are multiple universities that are incorporating Red Flag Mania into their curriculum and the reviews are overwhelmingly positive. ”Research has shown that 70% of today’s workforce is not engaged with their jobs, so one can only assume that this statistic can also apply to the classroom. I wanted to create a scalable solution to combat the lack of truly innovative products in higher education.” More information about Red Flag Mania can be found at www.redflagmania.com.