Workshops

We offer different kinds of workshops for different groups - each tailored to your interests.

Megawatts & Marbles was developed for IdeaFest, an outreach event at the University of Victoria. The game was intended as an alternative to a conventional lecture, designed for all ages of the general public. This initial offering of the game was a great success and led to further development of the game. By now we have run workshops with diverse groups from elementary and high school students to community and cooperate audiences.

Megawatt and Marbles for Planners and Decision Makers

As a scenario tool Megawatts and Marbles helps decision makers (utilities, governments, and NGOs) to experience future electricity systems hands on.

Megawatts and Marbles is not only a game for kids, but also a fun, interactive workshop for adults. It can be used to foster better understanding of the complex processes and interconnections in energy systems:

To experiment with different (future) system configurations:
Can the participants set up and run a zero emission system?
As a catalyst for new ideas, a tool to experience different future scenarios, and a seed for discussion about our path to a “greener” energy system.
For team building:
For success all players need to work together to have an open discussion about their options and to successfully manage the power system. In a Megawatts and Marbles workshop we offer the possibility to play four competing games (up to 40 people total) in parallel.

As such, it is a great tool for planners and decision makers to experiment and discuss paths to a “greener” energy system – driven only by the underlying physics of the electricity system.

We offer Megawatts and Marbles workshops where we facilitate up to four games (up to 40 people total) in parallel, and introduce a competitive element between the teams.

Community Outreach

We use Megawatts and Marbles as a community workshop to discuss questions about electricity and renewable energy.

We offer Megawatts and Marbles as an interactive workshop for young and old, as an outreach and knowledge mobilization tool for our research institute, IESVic, and as a means to catalyze an informed discussion about reasonable paths forward to a more sustainable, greener energy future. A German version of the game is offered by the Max-Planck-Institute for Plasmaphysik.

Schools & Teachers

In cooperation with ScienceVenture we use Megawatts and Marbles as a teaching tool for grades 4 to 11.

We also offer professional development workshops for teachers based on the Megawatts & Marbles concept. Lessons of electricity generation, supply and consumption are experienced hands on, and paths for a transition to a “greener” electricity system are discussed.

In cooperation with ScienceVenture we offer Megawatts and Marbles workshops in BC schools as well as in camps at the University of Victoria (for grades 4-11, and grades 1, 2, 3 in a simplified version). WISE Kid-Netic Energy brings Megawatts and Marbles to Manitoba.

Key Learning Outcomes

Megawatts and Marbles addresses the following learning outcomes:

Electricity generation must always match demand – every second!
Different kinds of electricity generators have different operational characteristics.
Power [kW] is the rate at which energy [kWh] generated, transmitted or used.
Demand varies during the day, based on peoples’ schedules.

Megawatts and Marbles is well aligned with the new BC Provincial Learning Outcomes for grades 4 to 11. An overview can be found here.