Game On!
Do you want to play a game? These words have been uttered in several movies to varying degrees of audienCe fright and delight. From Joshua in War Games to Saw, as a (human) race, we seem fascinated by games. Board games, basketball games, the Olympic games, head games, miNd games, digital games, children’s games, and the list of Games we play as a people goes on and on.
So, why have games gotten such a bad Reputation in educational contexts? After all, we know that games are a great way to teach foundational skills. Ask any 1st grade teAcher about the games they use to teach various subjects and the list will likely be lengthy. Memory, flash cards, word games, and the like are used with great effecTiveness as children learn math, reading, science, and other skills.
But when yoU hear “game” used in any context past 5th grade, it’s generally negative. We talk about people “gaming” the system – there is a popular YouTube video directed at educators which taLks about students learning to “game” school for example. (These students learn just enough to pass, just enough to take the test, etc.) In fact, to try and combat these negative assumptions, educators who reseArch and create games for the classroom have to create phrases like “serious games” or “educational games” just to try and give credibility to the medium.
But games have tremendous teaching and learning potential! NoTe, I’m not just talking about Battleship or Pac Man, but about games that integrate currIculum, increase comprehension, or augment content. I’m talking about gaming in its various forms like simulations, puzzles, word play, alternative reality games, first person narrative games, timed events, logic brainteasers, riddles, and even 3rd person mysteries.
I’m talking abOut River City, created by Chris Dede from Harvard, that allows students to learn about history, chemistry, group communication, biology, research, and math by playing a game in a virtual world. I’m talking about Mystery at M.I.T., the game that integrates political science, logic, journalism, engineering, biology, and other disciplines. I’m referriNg to Discover Babylon, the first person game created by the Foundation of American Scientists and Sony Playstation. From the simulated surgeries at www.edheads.org to the M.U.V.E. (multi-user virtual environment) gameS, educational relevance is well researched and effectiveness is proven.
There are waYs for you to create yOur own, find free downloads, or share resoUrces with others when it comes to gaming. There are conferences, conventions, websites, forums, books, and Journals dedicated to games in educational contexts. BUt I think gaming in the clasSroom comes down to this.
If you don’T think you have time for games, you’re probably right. If you don’t think Games work, you probably won’t find any that do. (I’m A big believer in the self-fulfilling prophecy.) But I would argue that these mindsets are uninforMed and narrow-minded. There are pre-created games in almost every discipline. From political science to math to education to music, games are being used quite imprEssively in schools around the globe. So go find some. In this day and age, we (eDucators) had all better be fantastic “Googlers” – or we can’t stay relevant anyway. So here are a few suggested searches! Type in your discipline followed by the word “game” or the word “applet” or the word “simulation” and see what comes up. You might be pleasantly surprised at what’s out there to support your efforts and (more importantly) your student’s learning.
--J Borden--
Director of Academic Training & Consulting
How much is this test going to be worth?
Whether you teach K-12 students or teach adult learners, I'm pretty sure you've heard that question at some point in your career.
I recently read an interesting article in The Chronicle of Higher Education titled "Portfolios Are Replacing Qualifying Exams as a Step on the Road to Dissertations," by Paula Wasley. In it, she chronicles the University of Kansas' History department's switch from traditional examination methods to portfolio assessment for their PhD students. The catalyst for switching from final exams to portfolio assessment was initially an attempt to move students through the program more quickly. Wadsley found that students were taking eight to nine years, on average, to complete their degree. Interestingly, in many cases, the students completed their coursework earlier and then took two to three years to sit for the final exam. In an attempt to speed things up, they switched to portfolio assessment. Students were given a three ring binder at the outset of their program and were instructed to keep all of their work in it.
While the experiment was successful, the students were moving through the program, the school found that implementing a portfolio based assessment provided unforseen benefits. From the student perspective, one student stated that the portfolio experience helped him stay focused on the end goal. He mentioned that he changed his perspective for assignments, "every class I take, every paper I write, should be aimed at this end product." Isn't this what we want out of our students? Don't we want them to become critical thinkers rather than robots who are just trying to complete an assignment for a grade? From the faculty perspective, the immediate value added came in the form of identifying struggling students more quickly. One faculty member commented, "we don't end up with any nasty surprises."
Ultimately, I say congratulations to the University of Kansas History Department. Not only are you raising the bar for your students, you are encouraging a cultural shift in education. Its time for us to embrace cultural change as educators and raise the bar for our students. Expect the best from them and provide them with an opportunity to give you their best.
Stephanie Pfeifer, MA
Academic Trainer and Consultant
Across Generational Lines
There are currently four generations* involved in education -- with participants filling roles as instructors, administrators and support staff, and students. Those populating the generational categories have diverse world views, goals and values based in large part on their past experiences and the economic, political, social and technological climates they encountered on their path to adulthood. Not unexpectedly, tensions arise when the generations don’t understand each other. Institutions can diffuse tension by assisting individuals in learning about and appreciating differences among colleagues and between the institution’s educational providers and the student population. Institutions that achieve an effective balance among educational participants learn from each generation’s past experiences and understand the barriers encountered by members of the generational groups working and learning together.
Bridging the Generational Gap – Colleagues in the Workplace There are some general approaches that can assist in bridging the gap between colleagues among faculty and administrators. For example:
- Know who you are talking to and which generational climate influenced them
- Learn to accept and appreciate others’ perspectives and approaches
- Learn to cut bureaucratic rules or to explain necessary policies and procedures
- Keep up with and use appropriate technology and tools
- Focus on mutual goals and make everyone feel included in the process
Bridging the Generational Gap – The Students Not surprisingly, learning preferences are often tied to a student’s generational identification. Suggested approaches would include:
- First and foremost, know the make-up of your student body
- Design online courses with:
- goals/objectives of “knowing” plus “doing” leading to measurable change and growth
- multiple presentation formats, such as text and/or PowerPoint plus audio or video clips
- appropriate online case studies, labs, simulations, websites, etc. fostering active engagement and additional exploration of topics
- required discussion participation fostering active engagement
- relevant graphical icons and graphics
- appropriate visual design for pages -- font, color, graphics, white space, “chunking,” etc.
- interactivity between students, instructor and students, and students and content
- development of a learning community and a visible instructor presence
- timely, supportive communication/feedback from instructor to students
- clear, redundant (Syllabus, announcements, emails) guidance on policy and procedure, grading rubrics, deadlines and consequences, submission procedures, participation, online etiquette, plagiarism, obtaining assistance (technical and course content), etc.
- authentic, multiple (portfolio) approaches to student assessment
- attention paid to “interactional,” procedural and outcome “fairness”
- attention paid to the multiple “emotions” that students bring to the online environment
In Conclusion
We ignore generational differences between colleagues or between educational providers and students at our own risk. One challenge we face is how to work together as faculty, administrators and staff across generational divides. In the student realm, many educators routinely stress that the learning process should be “meaningful” or “authentic” but fail to take into account how to achieve these objectives for a diverse student body. A second challenge we face is how educational providers can effectively engage and teach students across generational divides. The opportunities, of course, allow us to learn from others’ experiences and employ creative and effective approaches to providing educational experiences that are rewarding both to the providers and to the learners. What is the situation at your institution? Are there programs in place to deal with the generational divide?
* Note that the names given the generations may differ and also that the dates given may differ by a few years for any generation. You may also find that some materials reference “Twixters” or “Cuspers,” those who fall within a couple of years on either side of a dividing year. These individuals will likely display traits of two generations.
Traditionalists (Silent Generation) born 1925 to1942-45
Baby Boomers (Boomers) born 1943-46 to 1960-64
Generation X (Gen Xers) born 1960-64 to 1980
Millenials (Gen Yers) born 1980 - 2000
--Ken Switzer
Senior Academic Trainer & Consultant
