4.1. Mistifiq Action in Progress.

Points I have in mind for the Freshman Treasure Hunt I am organizing so far include (but are not limited to):

1. library (message about the next point should be encoded in different languages, so the students translate it using multiple dictionaries. Team power!)

2. gym (healthy mind in healthy body) - yoga classes, swimming pool, independent workout

3. financial aid office - to help new students research all the opportunities of financing their education

4. scholarship office - as a team, the students will have to apply for a simple scholarship

5. ePortfolio center (access laguardia live email)

6.  B333 computer lab (find out calorie values of foods available)

7. healthy food options on campus or possibilities to warm up their own meals (where can one use microwave or get hot water for the tea bag instead of paying $1 every day). Fruit stand next to the E-building, soup in the cafeteria across B, cantina on the 3rd floor of the C-building with a microwave and a place to eat your own lunch

8. C 4th floor - chilling area with soft seats, quiet and full of light

The whole trip should not take more than 2 hours.

To match the course theme, i want to employ monomyth structure.

1. mystic call for adventure - Professor Smith has been kidnapped, the teams have to face the threat to get a mean prof substitute (introduce students to ratemyprofessor.com).
2. challenge: In order to get sweet Professor Smith back, students will have to leave their zone of comfort and manage a few challenges.
3. supernatural aid - campus map and a logo/sign that will let the teams know they are on the right path
4. threshold - research the opportunity to escape to the roof. If not possible - take elevator in E-building to the nice hall on the 5th floor, where Honor Students hold their meetings
5. mentor/helper - find people who are always there for you on the campus. Options: security headquarters in the E-building, library staff, archive stuff or the sweet lady selling fruits on the way to the 7 train stop
6. abyss - bursar office, notice of being suspended from classes due to non-payment.
7. transformation - after being suspended the students should re-evaluate the importance of their education, from slacker students turn into proper students, proactive rather than reactive
8. atonement - C107, financial aid office. If financial aid won't be enough, the team will have to proceed to the scholarship office and apply for a scholarship
9. return - the long hall in the M-building with all the flags hanging in. Incorporate the political map of the world and underline the value of cultural diversity in our Alma Mater
10. gift of the goddess - besides getting Professor Smith back, students' boon will be better knowledge of amenities available on campus and how to take full advantage of the premises, research skills, team work, useful shortcuts to finance their education and showing the advantages of high GPA/motivation to study harder, ways to eat healthy and deal with stress throughout sport activities.

After I post this blog entry, I will take the trip around the above mentioned locations and try to make the most efficient journey outline. (I need to find the map of the entire campus) I will have to make two itineraries over the same locations and find ways not to have both teams' directories overlap.I will have to match the locations with the stages of the hero's journey. I will also try to look for interesting places to hide my messages and try to come up with a fun and creative way to encode my messages - challenging, but decodable. I will also go throughout the whole process of application for financial aid/scholarship and try to make it into quiz. I might come up with a virtual student and make all tasks relevant to helping him solve the college problems.