Teaching, Learning & Technology

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Interest in game-based learning is sky-rocketing, with some VERY exciting examples that take Learning & Games to a new level. But what’s working? Is it all about immersive simulations? Students CREATING games? Or…?

I recently attended the Emerging Technologies for Online Learning Conference hosted by the Sloan Consortium (#et4ol2011), where I had a chance to meet with two members of the HP Catalyst network. Dr. James Juarez (National University) and Dr. Larysa Nadolny (West Chester University of Pennsylvania) presented a session entitled, “Game Design and Virtual Worlds for STEM+Learning Online: Teachers as Game Masters”.

What I found particularly interesting is their two separate yet complementary approaches to “games for learning”. It started me thinking, “What works best?” The answer seems to be “it depends”…

Playing Games for Learning – Immersive Simulations

At West Chester University, Dr. Nadolny is 3D immersive worlds using OpenSIM to help students learn about Science and Ethics . Through support from the National Science Foundation and the HP Catalyst initiative, “ScieEthics Interactive” is a way for students to encounter and realistic “ethical dilemmas”. Students are assigned the experience as “homework” (self study), and when they go “in world”, they are confronted with a relevant situation and the need to make important decisions. The first SIM theme is focused on genetically modified salmon, with more themes to come.

What’s interesting to me about this type of “game play” for learning is:

• It’s much more powerful and memorable than a lecture or simply reading a case study
  
• It’s more personal than a face-to-face role play which may not allow students to fully “suspend disbelief” to play and learn; I suspect that having time to do it on your own, stumble around, try it many times, etc., gives more time for personal reflection and minimizes the personal embarrassment factor
  
• There’s the potential for the faculty to “tweak the game” for specific students, making a unique personalized learning experience. Thus, “teacher as game master” becomes a new approach to scaffolding learners
  
• You can watch an archive of Dr. Nadolny presenting her work at a Sloan Consortium webinar, “SciEthics Interactive: A one-of-a-kind virtual experience for science students”

Learning by Creating Games

At National University, Dr. Juarez is on a team of faculty who are engaging engineering students in designing and creating games. While students learn from playing each others’ games, the real power of the experience is the creation of the game itself.

The game design project is a short four week module within an engineering design course, such as “wireless communication engineering”. Dr. Juarez teaches them game design by playing games – then they embark on creating a game of their own that addresses key topics relevant for the discipline they’re studying. They create physical prototypes and then eventually create an actual 2D “digital board game”.

 

What’s interesting to me about this approach to “learning from games” is:

• It appeals to my constructivist sensibilities. Students always learn more and remember more when they do projects, and even more so when the project is their own creation. In fact, Dr. Juarez reports that students are asking much more detailed questions about the discipline because they want to incorporate accurate models into their game flow.
  
• Students seem to be far more invested in their own learning when they’re doing their own creating – amplified by the fact that they have an audience for their creation (the games will be shared online through a game portal)

…and the answer is…?

So what is the bottom line? When I asked Dr. Juarez and Dr. Nadolny to consider which approach works best, they both agreed that it depends on the learning objectives. If you need students to have a focused experience that supports iteration and reflection, then a structured SIM may be best. If the goal is to engage students in deep thinking about a topic and how a phenomenon works, it may be best to give them a more open ended challenge of designing a game.

In both cases, the potential is very exciting…

Jim Vanides, B.S.M.E, M.Ed.
Education Program Manager
HP Office of Global Social Innovation
Hewlett-Packard

www.hp.com/go/socialinnovation
Follow me on Twitter @jgvanides

[#2]

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