CarsonMedia, Inc., a Silicon Valley, California-based developer of eLearning software solutions contracted us to provide design and development for a suite of software products geared to the eLearning industry.

The project goal was to create an online version of eGames Generator software allowing subscribers to produce their own custom learning games derived from templates. Development was focused on building a scalable and reliable solution to replace an obsolete and ineffective off-line authoring application.

The primary functionality of the software is to allow subscribers to choose from 9 different types of games, set properties, input questions, and publish individual games to their local hard drive, or online in their own game Arcade. The game templates were built using Macromedia Flash technology. We designed a solution to instantly generate the downloadable Flash games (with accompanying HTML code) which can be integrated into existing eLearning courses or used as stand-alone activities. The games can also be integrated into learning management systems (LMS) in accordance with the SCORM and AICC standards. To accomplish this goal a custom ActiveX library was designed to "inject" the questions (supplied in XML format) into the game templates.

Working with information architects at CarsonMedia, the software was designed to provide easy and intuitive authoring interfaces allowing for a non-technical audience to create games. We also integrated real-time credit card processing through Paypal.com and Authorize.net.

A back-end administration console provides complete control over the entire administration process:

• eGames management (including skin management)
• Arcade management
• Customer management
• Subscription plan management
• Order management
• Content management, etc

Scheduled events such as subscription expiration notification and automatic email notifications are controlled by the Windows .NET Services.

Implementation steps were completed in close collaboration with the CarsonMedia team to ensure that the solution meets customer expectations. The beta version was deployed and fully tested on a pre-production server and moved to the production server after the customer's approval.

Further development plans include new authoring tools and enhancements to provide a complete eLearning software solution suite for CarsonMedia customers.