1,721,216 research outputs found
The Clark-Kozma Debate in the 21-st Century
Full text linkThis paper takes a fresh look at the Clark/Kozma debate from the perspective of 21st century new media technologies in general and serious games in particular. After a brief re-cap of the key elements of the debate, a relatively recent article by R.E.Clark is summarized that brings serious games into the conversation. Clark’s allegations are addressed and the case is made that digital games form a distinct medium that can not easily be lumped in with other educational technologies. The author draws on over a decade of personal experience teaching with games to move the debate to the next level and offer some recommendations for when and how games can be used effectively in formal contexts
Teaching Teachers about Serious Games
Full text linkThe author designed and taught the first course on digital game based learning at the author’s institution which was also one of the first of its kind in North America. The course has been taught twice: once in the spring of 2005 and again in the summer of 2006. The design of the course is outlined and participant reaction is profiled. Topics discussed in the class included violence in games, up-to-date research on gaming and gamers, and how games might be used effectively in classroom settings. Also included in the paper are comments on some of the games that were examined, as well as the nature of the projects completed by the participants. Key elements crucial for teacher preparation are discussed
Implementing Reigeluth’s Paradigm
Full text linkIn his landmark paper describing what the new post-industrial paradigm of instruction should look like, C.M.Reigeluth outlines 8 core ideas:
1. Learning-focused vs. sorting focused.
2. Learner-centered vs. teacher-centered instruction.
3. Learning by doing vs. teacher presenting.
4. Attainment-based vs. time-based progress.
5. Customized vs. standardized instruction.
6. Criterion-referenced vs. norm-referenced testing.
7. Collaborative vs. individual.
8. Enjoyable vs. unpleasant.
(Reigeluth, 2012)
Most of us can agree that people learn at different rates and have different learning needs, but most of our courses continue to enforce a lock-step progression of topics and assignments that is much better suited to sorting students than to helping them learn. Reigeluth’s new paradigm calls for radical transformation and while that may well be justified, it is unlikely to happen, at least not in the near future. What then can we do in the meantime? This presentation will examine Reigluth’s core ideas through the lenses of their effect on creating access and embracing diversity. The author will include case studies from over 35 years of experience teaching in higher ed.
This presentation is targeted at all educators in higher education with a particular focus on the STEM fields.
Reigeluth, C. M. (2012). Instructional Theory and Technology for the New Paradigm of Education. Revista de Educación a Distancia, 11(32)
The Invention of Good Games: Understanding Learning Design in Commercial Videogames
Full text linkThis work sought to help inform the design of educational digital games by the studying the design of successful commercial videogames. The main thesis question was: How does a commercially and critically successful modern video game support the learning that players must accomplish in order to succeed in the game (i.e. get to the end or win)? This work takes a two-pronged approach to supporting the main argument, which is that the reason we can learn about designing educational games by studying commercial games is that people already learn from games and the best ones are already quite effective at teaching players what they need to learn in order to succeed in the game. The first part of the research establishes a foundation for the argument, namely that accepted pedagogy can be found in existing commercial games. The second part of the work proposes new methods for analysing games that can uncover mechanisms used to support learning in games which can be employed even if those games were not originally designed as educational objects. In order to support the claim that ‘good’ commercial videogames already embody elements of sound pedagogy an explicit connection is made between game design and formally accepted theory and models in teaching and learning. During this phase of the work a significant concern was raised regarding the classification of games as ‘good’, so a new methodology using Borda Counts was devised and tested that combines various disjoint subjective reviews and rankings from disparate sources in non-trivial manner that accounts for relative standings. Complementary to that was a meta-analysis of the criteria used to select games chosen as subjects of study as reported by researchers. Then, several games were chosen using this new ranking method and analysed using another new methodology that was designed for this work, called Instructional Ethology. This is a new methodology for game design deconstruction and analysis that would allows the extraction of information about mechanisms used to support learning. This methodology combines behavioural and structural analysis to examine how commercial games support learning by examining the game itself from the perspective of what the game does. Further, this methodology can be applied to the analysis of any software system and offers a new approach to studying any interactive software. The results of the present study offered new insights into how several highly successful commercial games support players while they learn what they must learn in order to succeed in those games. A new design model was proposed, known as the 'Magic Bullet' that allows designers to visualize the relative proportions of potential learning in a game to assess the potential of a design
Games and Learning Styles
Full text linkSeveral ways to address learning are: 1) through learning theories, 2) through learning styles (treated as distinct from learning theories here), and 3) through instructional design theories and models. This paper looks at the second approach to examine how modern games support various learning styles in their design and gameplay. Four well-known learning style models are examined in the context of computer game design. These are: the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, the Gregory Style Delineator, Felder’s Index of Learning Styles, and Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory. Good, i.e. top-rated games can be shown to incorporate aspects of most, if not all of these, and in this way actively support learners of all learning style preferences
Assignments that Meet the Needs of Exceptional Students without Disadvantaging the Average
Full text linkStudents in first year often begin with dramatically different backgrounds and abilities. In an effort to address the needs of all, varying levels of completion (stages) can be described in the assignment specifications
Cutting Edge Research by Undergraduates on a Shoestring?
Full text linkThis paper outlines an approach to helping mid-program undergraduates conduct cutting-edge research that can be incorporated into almost any program wit
How Are Games Educational? Learning Theories Embodied in Games
Full text linkThrough the combined efforts of many dedicated researchers across the globe, the “message” of the value of games for learning is starting to be heard in formal education, but there remains considerable resistance. One way to help overcome this resistance and influence the acceptance and integration of games as educational technology is through the connection of existing game design with scholarly and widely accepted pedagogy. This paper outlines the theories of Robert Gagné, and Howard Gardner to demonstrate how good games, even purely commercial ones, already embody the fundamental elements of these learning and instructional theories. In this way, it can be shown that good games constitute sound educational pedagogy
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