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Gamification: A Different Paradigm of Pedagogy
No full textIn a recent online presentation Charles M. Reigeluth, he said that the future of Ed Tech would require a change of paradigm of pedagogy. Gamification is one such new pedagogy that can be implemented without the need for institutional systemic change.
‘Gamification’ is the use of game elements in non-game contexts and since the term’s first appearance in 2006, it has become a trending topic on many education forums. This presentation reports on the gamification of 2 university courses: one a grad-level education course and the other a freshman computer course.
While many aspects of gamification are *not* new, some are, and when taken together create a pedagogy that could be one of Reigeluth’s different paradigms. His requirements for a new paradigm includes a requirement for attainment-based, continuous student progress that is learner-centered, personalized, and self-directed. Gamification, done right, is all those things.
The Gamification Paradigm includes:
1. Strict cumulative grading.
2. More tasks to choose from than needed for a perfect score.
3. Flexible path through content to demonstrate objectives.
4. Attainment-base student progress.
5. Criterion-referenced assessment.
The presentation will explain the structure of the courses that were taught, highlight successes and failures, and conclude with strategies that can be used to incorporate meaningful gamification into existing courses
Dirty secrets revealed : Journal publishing and marketing, impact factors and access to scholarship
No full textPresented at the 2014 MRFA Faculty RetreatA spirited discussion of what’s happening behind the scenes as journals respond to developments in scholarly communication. How are traditional journals responding to open access, how are they maintaining prestige in a changing environment and how can you really tell where articles will have the widest reach
Gamification: A Different Paradigm of Pedagogy
Get PDFIn a recent online presentation Charles M. Reigeluth, he said that the future of Ed Tech would require a change of paradigm of pedagogy. Gamification is one such new pedagogy that can be implemented without the need for institutional systemic change.
‘Gamification’ is the use of game elements in non-game contexts and since the term’s first appearance in 2006, it has become a trending topic on many education forums. This presentation reports on the gamification of 2 university courses: one a grad-level education course and the other a freshman computer course.
While many aspects of gamification are *not* new, some are, and when taken together create a pedagogy that could be one of Reigeluth’s different paradigms. His requirements for a new paradigm includes a requirement for attainment-based, continuous student progress that is learner-centered, personalized, and self-directed. Gamification, done right, is all those things.
The Gamification Paradigm includes:
1. Strict cumulative grading.
2. More tasks to choose from than needed for a perfect score.
3. Flexible path through content to demonstrate objectives.
4. Attainment-base student progress.
5. Criterion-referenced assessment.
The presentation will explain the structure of the courses that were taught, highlight successes and failures, and conclude with strategies that can be used to incorporate meaningful gamification into existing courses
SoTL^2 : inquiring into the impact of inquiry
No full textMount Royal’s Institute for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning has now operated the Nexen Scholars Program for 5 years. However, before now, the outcomes of the program have not been systematically investigated except to count the number of travel grants given and number of papers that program participants have produced. Therefore the purposes of this study were to investigate whether the program has helped faculty meet their own goals for participation, and how both their project and the program have influenced their teaching and scholarly activities. All Mount Royal faculty members who were accepted to the SoTL Scholars program in the years 2009-2013 were invited to participate in the study, which consisted of an online survey and follow-up interviews asking how much impact scholars’ projects and participation in the program had on their teaching, scholarship and career trajectory. A total of twenty-five scholars participated and after conducting seventeen interviews we concluded we had reached saturation as no further themes were emerging. A detailed description of the program, a summary of the survey results, and preliminary findings from open coding of the interviews are presented. Based on our results and some comparison with programs offered at other institutions, we conclude with a discussion of the strengths and potential limitations offered by different formats of teaching scholar support programs
Walking Backwards in to the Future: Ensuring the Success of Games for Learning
Get PDF"Most of us prefer to walk backward into the future, a posture that may be uncomfortable but which at least allows us to keep on looking at familiar things as long as we can." ~ Charles Handy
Formal education moves at geological speeds, and that's lucky for us, because games for learning really aren't ready for prime time, and it's not for the first time. During the 'Edutainment Era' of the late 1980's and early 1990’s computer games were proclaimed as the modern solution to all our educational ills. In order to take advantage of this great technology, all we needed to do was wrap a game around a lesson, and it would magically become fun. This, of course, is not true, and the resultant fall from grace left many educational game proponents reeling.
We now have a second chance, and we need to make sure we don't fall into the same trap again. The game evangelists are valuable to be sure, but we need to be realistic, and if we don't have enough games out there that live up to the hype, the idea of using games to teach will once again become a pariah, and the likelihood of a third chance is slim. This keynote will look at what went wrong last time around, where we are now, and what we need in design, research, and support to make sure that we have it right this time so we are ready when formal education catches up with us
Methods of design, an overview of game design techniques
No full textKey Summary Points
The design of games for learning requires knowledge of game design and of instructional
design. One cannot merely be layer on top of the other.
A learning game must be designed to meet pre-specified learning objectives.
Games have specific characteristics that require specific design skills: they are entertaining
as well as instructional, interactive, visually appealing, and often replayable
The use of scaffolding and interactive learning strategies in online courses for working nurses : implications for adult and online education
Get PDFThis paper reviews the foundational litera- ture of contemporary e-learning, with a focus on scaffolding, instructional design, and engagement. These concepts are then considered in two limited case studies, each involving e-learning and adult learners—in particular, nurse-learners.
The first case study describes the use of a scaffolding model called Introduction, Connect, Apply, Reflect, and Extend (ICARE) in e-learning for nursing education. The second is a reflection on the use of engagement strategies for the purposes of discourse and learning in a different online nursing context.
Because nursing educators were among the early adopters of e-learning, they are important mentors to others who are adopting e-learning strategies at this time. Additionally, the paper is a crossroads publication: it reminds the reader of the imperative to review theory and emerging evidence related to e-learning and to bring key findings to the actual practice of e-learning in order to benefit the adult student. This commitment to theory and practice will enable the evolution of e-learning for all learners, including returning adult learners and working professionals
Evidence Summary: First Year University Students Arrive with Some Search Skills, But Struggle with Scholarly Sources
Get PDFA Review of:
Salisbury, F., & Karasmanis, S. (2011). Are they ready? Exploring student information literacy skills in the transition from secondary to tertiary education. Australian Academic & Research Libraries, 42(1), 43-58.
Objective – To determine what existing information literacy skills first year students possess upon entering university.
Design – Quantitative survey questionnaire.
Setting – A research university in Australia.
Subjects – 1,029 first year students in the health sciences.
Methods – First year students enrolled in the health sciences were asked to complete a paper questionnaire in their first week of classes in 2009. The 20 question survey was distributed in student tutorial groups. The first 10 questions collected information on student demographics, expected library use, and existing information seeking behaviour. The remaining 10 questions tested students’ understanding of information literacy concepts. Data collected from the survey were analyzed using the statistical software SPSS.
Main Results – Most of the students who responded to the questionnaire were between the ages of 16 and 21 (84.3%) with only 2.2% over the age of 40. Approximately 15% of respondents had completed some postsecondary university or vocational education prior to enrolling in their current program.
The students ranked Google, a friend, and a book as the top three places they would go to find information on something they knew little about. Google was also the most popular choice for finding a scholarly article (35% of respondents), followed by the library catalogue (21%).
A large proportion of students correctly answered questions relating to identifying appropriate search terms. For example, one third of the students selected the correct combination of search concepts for a provided topic, and 77% identified that the choice of search phrase could negatively impact search results. Students also demonstrated prior knowledge of the Boolean operator AND, with 38% correctly identifying its use in the related question. Most students were also able to identify key markers of a website’s credibility.
Questions relating to ethical information use and scholarly literature proved more challenging. Almost half (45%) of the students said that they did not know the characteristics of a peer reviewed journal article. Twenty five percent of respondents indicated that citing an information source was only necessary in the case of direct quotes, with only 28% correctly identifying the need for citing both quotes and paraphrasing. Only 23% were able to select the example of a journal citation from the list presented.
Conclusion – Students enter university with existing strengths in concept identification and basic search formulation, but require the most assistance with locating and identifying scholarly literature and how to cite it appropriately in their work. The findings will inform the development of an online information literacy assessment tool to assist incoming students in identifying areas where they may require additional support as they transition to university
Using and Experiencing the Academic Library: A Multi-Site Observational Study of Space and Place
Get PDFThis study examines how students are using academic library spaces and the role these spaces are playing in the campus community. Data was collected on five campuses (two community colleges, two undergraduate universities and one technical institute) via observational seating sweeps and questionnaires. The study found remarkably similar usage patterns across all library types. Academic pursuits remain the most common activities, despite perceptions of the modern library as a social space. The library as a place to study is shown to be a complex topic, with noise, need and personal preference influencing experience. The research provides libraries with evidence to demonstrate their support of student learning and engagement within their institutions
What students want you to know about conducting SoTL research
No full textThese two scholarship of teaching and learning undergraduate student co-investigators talk about why they got involved in SoTL research, describe the projects they've worked on and what they've learned, and share their perspectives on how faculty and students can work together toward improving student learning. Some key themes from their talk include how they now have a better understanding of what research is and what universities do, how much they were inspired and excited by doing the research and gained confidence by being able to add value to a research project, and also how it taught them life skills such as developing time management skills, learning that setbacks are okay, and balancing work/life/school. However, they also discussed some of the challenges of being in a dual role of a research assistant working for their own professors. Their advice for faculty: be patient and remember that undergraduate students are just learning about research; make students feel comfortable bringing up new ideas yet provide constructive criticism; be flexible and realize that your students still have a life outside of school; realize that the relationship you develop will be different than a professor/student relationship; and remember the importance of place - having a dedicated space and community on campus for doing their work is important for them not only to focus but also to feel supported rather than isolated