Enrolment details | Activity overview | Rules and awards | Game zones | General questions | Learning areas | Other Learning Experiences | Survey

Enrolment details

	Who can enrol?
	The activity is an online learning platform about life planning, which ties in with “Other Learning Experiences” (experiences related to work) in the Senior Secondary Curriculum, and involves knowledge related to Liberal Studies (LS), and Business, Accounting and Financial Studies (BAFS). The activity is suitable for Form 4 to Form 6 students.
	How to enrol?
	School teachers are responsible for enrolment in this activity. Students interested in joining should contact their LS or BAFS teachers.
	How do teachers enrol in the activity?
	Invitation letters were sent by the organisers to all secondary schools in Hong Kong in early September 2013. Teachers can log in to the School Platform with the School ID and School Password provided in the letter for teacher and student registration.
	How many teachers from each school can join the activity?
	As many as 10 teachers from each school can join. One will be the “teacher-in-charge” (TIC), who will be the contact person for this activity. The TIC will be responsible for the coordination of the participating teachers and students in the school. The organisers may contact the TIC by email and phone about any activity updates.
	Is there any limit to the number of students from each school who can participate in the activity?
	No. All Form 4 to Form 6 students can participate in the activity.

Activity overview

	How to log in to the activity website?
	After the teachers have completed the registration process, the students will receive an email from the organisers by 20 October 2013. Students can log in to the online learning platform with the ID and password provided in the email to start the activity.
	When does the activity start and end?
	This is a seven-week life planning online learning platform held from 21 October to 8 December 2013. Each stage of life in the activity will last for one week (Monday to Sunday). In this activity, students will experience every detail in life, and make big and small decisions at different life stages.
	What is the activity about?
	The activity is a seven-week online learning platform about life planning. Students will experience seven important stages of life: from teenage to career onset, career development, just married, married with young children, and retirement. At each stage, students learn about personal financial management by working to earn a living, and by making decisions related to consumption, personal values, career, investment and wealth management. The participating hours for ”Other Learning Experiences” will be recorded by the organisers for the schools’ reference.

Rules and awards

	How is the activity conducted?
	There are five game zones in the activity: Working Zone, Living Zone, Wealth Management Zone, Investment Zone and MPF Zone. Different game zones have different tasks or decisions, enabling students to experience the challenges of individual development and learn about financial management. They will also accumulate wealth, MPF and happiness index. Each student’s total asset value in life will be summed up upon completion of all seven stages. The platform will also indicate whether their retirement life will be "wealthy and prosperous", "stable and leisurely" or "poor and miserable". The main page of the game zone shows the tasks or decisions in different game zones at various stages of life. Students can access the tasks or decisions by clicking the links and starting the activity.
	How are the winners selected?
	Students accumulate wealth, MPF and happiness index through activities at different stages. Their total asset value in life will be calculated when they have completed all seven stages. Prizes will be awarded to the 20 students with the highest total asset value among all participating students in Hong Kong. Students can log in to the activity platform at any time to check their account balance, MPF balance and happiness index.
	Other than the 20 students with the highest total asset value, are there any other awards given to the participating students?
	To encourage active student participation, a gift will be given to the students who have completed the first three stages of the activity, and additional gifts will be given to those who have completed all the stages. In addition, a certificate will be awarded to all the students who have completed all the stages.

Game zones

	What is the “Working Zone”?
	The “Working Zone” is designed to simulate daily work in real life. Tasks in the “Working Zone” include survey questions, various tasks and quizzes. Money can be earned upon completion of the tasks in the “Working Zone”. A bonus award is given for completing the tasks and quizzes accurately. By doing the tasks in the “Working Zone”, students can accumulate wealth, which enables them to have an adequate account balance to make decisions in other game zones (such as consumption, financial management and investment decisions), and to pay for the expenses involved in the activity.
	When can students do the activities in the “Working Zone”?
	New tasks will be uploaded to the “Working Zone” every day from Monday to Friday (Day 1 on Monday, Day 2 on Tuesday, etc.) during the seven-week activity. Students should log in to the online learning platform every day to complete the task for that day to earn a higher income. Their account balance will be updated immediately upon completion of the task for that day. This allows them to have adequate money to make decisions in other game zones.
	Does every student get the same salary?
	In stage 2 of the activity, all students have to take a graduation examination. The examination paper consists of 10 multiple-choice questions. A university graduation certificate is awarded for seven or more correct answers, while a diploma certificate is awarded for six or fewer correct answers. In the following stages, students with university graduation certificates get a higher income than those with diploma certificates.
	Can any income be earned if students have not completed the task for that day in the ”Working Zone” ?
	Students can earn a preset salary by completing the task for the day in the ”Working Zone” from Monday to Friday (Day 1 on Monday, Day 2 on Tuesday, etc.). If students are unable to complete the task for the day, they can still complete it later. However, they can only earn 80% of the preset salary.
	What are the “Living Zone”, “Wealth Management Zone” and “Investment Zone”?
	”Living Zone”, ”Wealth Management Zone” and “Investment Zone” are designed to simulate real life situations involving consumption, investment, financial management, etc. In the various game zones mentioned above, students face different decisions. After reading the news for reference provided on the learning platform, they have to make rational analysis and appropriate choices for different scenarios. When they make a decision, a recommendation is provided for their consideration. They can also click on the related concepts and acquire related subject knowledge. Upon completion of each decision, the students’ account balance and happiness index will be updated accordingly. For example, the account balance will be reduced in response to a consumption decision, while the account balance will be increased with an investment gain.
	What is the “MPF Zone”?
	The “MPF Zone” was designed with reference to decisions regarding MPF contribution. This gives students an opportunity to experience MPF enrolment, and accumulate savings in their MPF to get prepared for their retirement life. Students learn about how to set up an MPF account, select MPF funds, and decide whether to adjust their MPF portfolio, etc. MPF contributions are saved in the students’ MPF accounts upon completion of each stage (Stage 2 to Stage 6). Students can invest in different MPF funds to accumulate retirement savings. Upon completion of the seven stages, the total asset value will be calculated by adding up the MPF account balance, total account balance and happiness index.
	How is the MPF contribution calculated?
	The activity has different preset incomes that can be earned by students at every stage of life. Their MPF contribution is calculated based on their relevant income. The employer and employee each make a contribution of 5% of the employee’s monthly income. The contributions are deposited in the students’ MPF accounts upon completion of each stage (Stages 2 to 6). As there will be university graduates and diploma graduates in the activity, their income levels and MPF contributions will be different.
	How should MPF funds be chosen?
	The MPF System allows employees to add value to their accumulated retirement savings by investing in MPF funds. Employees can allocate their MPF contributions among five types of MPF funds (namely MPF Conservative Funds, Guaranteed Funds, Bond Funds, Mixed Assets Funds and Equity Funds) or invest all their contributions in one of the funds. The activity is designed to simulate the MPF System, but with simplified procedures. Students are allowed to invest their MPF contributions only in one of the funds, and they do not have to select different investment portfolios. They must first choose their investment fund in Stage 2. They can change their MPF fund from Stages 3 to 6 according to their personal circumstances and needs.
	How are the MPF investment returns calculated?
	The MPF investment returns in this activity are calculated with reference to the past investment return of each type of MPF fund. When students choose to change their choice of MPF funds, they should consider their needs at different stages of life.

General questions

	Can the students’ personal information be amended?
	Students can access their personal information page when they first log in to the activity platform and check the personal information registered by their school. If there is any incorrect information, they should contact the TIC for amendments.
	Can the User ID be changed?
	No. Students cannot change their User ID after their teachers have completed the registration process.
	Can the password be changed?
	Students can click on “Reset Password” to reset their login password.
	Can the students’ chosen character be changed during the activity?
	No. The students have to choose the character in the activity when they first log in to the activity platform. They cannot make further changes after the choice is successfully made.
	Can students choose a male or female character in the activity regardless of their gender?
	Yes. Students can choose their character’s gender in the activity regardless of their real gender.
	How can students check their academic qualification during the activity?
	Upon the completion of the graduation examination in Stage 2, students can click “Personal information” at any time to check their academic qualification in the activity.
	Why can students click only the task in the “Working Zone” on the main page of game zone, and not the decisions in the other game zones?
	It is preset in the activity that students must complete at least one task in the “Working Zone” at each stage in order to enter the other game zones to make decisions or proceed to the next stage. Therefore, they have to complete at least one task in the “Working Zone” before entering any other game zones.
	What should the students do if they do not have enough money to make a decision?
	They should complete tasks in the “Working Zone” to earn and accumulate enough money to make a decision.
	If students fail to log in to the platform to complete the task every week during the activity, can they continue to participate in the activity?
	Yes, the students can continue to participate in the activity. However, it is preset in the activity that students must complete at least one task in the ”Working Zone” at each stage before they can enter other game zones to make decisions or proceed to the next stage. They must therefore complete at least one task in the “Working Zone” according to the stage sequence, before they can continue with the subsequent stages. For example, if they have not yet started the task in Stage 1 during the third week of the activity, they must complete at least one task in the ”Working Zone” of Stage 1 before they can proceed to Stage 2. Then they have to complete at least one task in the “Working Zone” of Stage 2 before they can proceed to Stage 3.
	Why is money deducted from the students’ account balance every time they enter a new stage?
	The activity is designed to simulate real life. As everyone has to pay for essentials, such as clothing, food, accommodation and transportation, these kinds of costs are deducted from the students’ account when they enter a new stage. The deducted amount is taken as living expenses carried over from the previous stage.
	What can be done with negative account balance?
	Generally speaking, students will not be able to continue to make decisions with an inadequate account balance. Hence, there will not be negative account balance in this situation. However, expenditure in the previous stage will be deducted from the students’ account when they enter a new stage. If there is an inadequate account balance by then, it will be a negative figure when students enter the new stage. Students can then work in the “Working Zone” (including the new stage and stages with jobs not yet completed) to earn money, in order to increase their account balance.
	How can students check their previous records in different game zones?
	They can click ”Account Details” to check their activity records in different game zones at each stage, including money and bonus earned in the ”Working Zone” and the decisions made in other game zones.
	Can students continue to log in to the online learning platform in the eighth week of the activity?
	Students can browse the content of all the stages (except for the “Working Zone”) regardless of whether they have completed all the stages in the activity. But they can no longer participate in the activity. The whole activity platform will remain open until 30 June 2014.

Learning areas

	Is there any relation between the learning platform and subject knowledge?
	Yes. The learning platform is tailor-made to tie in with the “Other Learning Experiences” (experiences related to work) in the Senior Secondary Curriculum, and topics in LS and BAFS are included in this life planning online learning platform. Subject contents relevant to the LS and BAFS curricula are as follows: 1. Liberal Studies Module 1: Personal Development ‧Understanding yourself ‧Interpersonal relationship Module 2: Hong Kong Today ‧Quality of life ‧Identity and recognition of identity 2. Business, Accounting and Financial Studies Fundamentals of Financial Management ‧Structure and role of financial market ‧Time value of money ‧The relationship between risks and returns Personal Financial Management ‧Consumer credit ‧Personal financial planning and investments ‧Investor protection in Hong Kong

Other Learning Experiences

	How is the activity related to “Other Learning Experiences”?
	“Other Learning Experiences” is an important component of the new Senior Secondary Curriculum. Students have to complete 250 to 375 hours of “Other Learning Experiences” during the three years of senior secondary schooling, including: Moral & Civic Education, Aesthetic Development, Physical Development, Community Service and Career-related Experiences. Many work-related scenarios are provided in this activity, and students can learn about personal financial management by making decisions related to consumption, personal values, work, investment and wealth management. All these help students in their personal development and career preparation. The recommended participation hours have been set on the learning platform, and related reports will be provided to the schools. The schools can then record the hours of “Other Learning Experiences” of every participating student. Participating schools can decide whether to include this activity as an “Other Learning Experiences” activity.

Survey

	How will the information collected in the survey be used?
	By collecting students’ values on different things and personal financial management habits etc., the organisers aim to get a better understanding of youngsters’ values and financial management attitudes. The related reports will be published on the school page of the “通SIX” and “Econschool” of the Hong Kong Economic Times. The organisers will not disclose the comments provided by individual students.