Trends and issues in instructional design and technology

1. Gaming and learning Trends and issues in instructional design and technology Martha Rice ITED 501—Instructional Technology Foundations Texas A&M Texarkana

2. Serious Gaming… • includes educational video games, simulations, and virtual worlds • presents real world problems • is NOT simply drills or questions to answer • keeps with theories of Constructivism • creates intensive learning opportunities • bases learning on sound pedagogy

3. Games help students learn to… • link abstractions with concrete learning • make mental models • work together • make decisions and accept consequences • study smarter • strategize • solve problems • think critically • recognize patterns and visual cues

4. Virtual Worlds and Simulations: • Expansive interactive environments and complex resources allow learners to make and test hypotheses. • Simplified microcosm teaches learners about more complex real world. • Learners can experience working as an expert in the field. • Learners can experiment, especially with what would be prohibitively expensive or dangerous in real life. • Not widely used in k-12 education yet.

5. Creating Motivation • Digital natives like video games. • Learning occurs in places where learners feel safe and able to take risks. • Serious games are engaging and interesting. • Learners earn rewards for learning. • Problems are hard enough to challenge, but easy enough to conquer. • Players begin to feel ownership of their learning through the game. • Video games teach complex skills through scaffolding process. • Students can collaborate to solve challenges.

6. Personalized learning • Serious games can inspire learners when traditional classroom instruction fails. • Games can be adapted to appropriate skill and mastery levels; most games adapt themselves according to player inputs. • Games reward players for what they do right, recognizing players’ strengths. • Games use multiple senses, learning methods. • Games are nonlinear so students can move from one skill area to another, avoiding frustration.

7. Risks and rewards • Video game players expect to fail before they can succeed in mastering a task. • Serious games provide positive experiences in failure, in contrast to negative feelings that come with failure in traditional face-to-face education. • Because failure is acceptable in serious gaming, serious gaming creates a risk-free environment for students, and creates a stronger learning experience.

8. Reflection and Feedback • Video games provide learners with instant feedback about their decisions and actions. • Serious games allow learners time to stop and think about problems. • Serious games that build in reflection after the task are actually more effective than teacher-led feedback. • Serious games encourage learners to think about what they think they know.

9. Proven results: • Military simulations: real expertise and fewer mistakes in reality • K-12 education: better standardized scores • Higher retention of active learning • Health care simulations: quality professional development • Business: high-level training that can be accessed anywhere, anytime

10. Suggestions for k-12 • Teachers should use serious gaming to tap into digital learners’ natural interests, not dwell on 19th century learning methodology. • Serious gaming is worth the time investment, and is not counter-productive to assessment goals. • Continued use of serious gaming across curricula helps standardize terminology and educational experience and measuring students’ growth. • Curriculum modules should be created for use with popular consumer games.

11. Resources An, Y.J., & Bonk, C.J. (2009, May/June). Finding that SPECIAL PLACE: designing digital game-based learning environments. Tech Trends, 53(3) Driscoll, M.P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction. Boston: Pearson. Federation of American Scientists. (2006). Summit on educational games: harnessing the power of video games for learning. Retrieved from http://www.fas.org/gamesummit/Resources/Summit%20on%20Educational%20Games.pdf Kelly, H. (2005). Games, cookies, and the future of education. Issues in Science and Technology, Retrieved from http://www.fas.org/gamesummit/Resources/issues in SnThenry kelly.pdf Kelton, A.J. (2008, September/October). Virtual Worlds? "Outlook Good". Educause, 43(5), Retrieved from www.educause.edu Lamb, A., & Johnson, L. (2010). Beyond Googling: Applying Google Tools to Inquiry-based Learning. Teacher Librarian, 37(4), 83. Retrieved from MasterFILE Premier database. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=50300803&site=ehost-live Mansour, S., & El-Said, M. (2009). Multi-Players Role- Playing Educational Serious Games: A Link between Fun and Learning. International Journal of Learning, 15(11), 229-239. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=40825465&site=ehost-live Osterweil, S., Austin, A.C., Drzaic, K., & Roy, D. (2006). Unifying education and game in educational games. Comparitive Media Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved from http://labyrinth.thinkport.org/www/library/papers/mit_june2006.pdf Reese, D. (2007). First Steps and beyond: Serious Games as Preparation for Future Learning. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 16(3), 283-300. Retrieved from ERIC database. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ776071&site=ehost-live A review of recent games and simulation research. (2006). The Center For Technology In Education, Johns Hopkins, Columbia, MD. Retrieved from http://labyrinth.thinkport.org/www/library/papers/cte_november2006.pdf Schollmeyer, J. (2006). Games get serious. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 62(4), 34-39. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=21722477&site=ehost-live Squire, K. (2008). Video Game-Based Learning: An Emerging Paradigm for Instruction. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 21(2), 7-36. Retrieved from ERIC database. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ823843&site=ehost-live Ulicsak, M., & Wright, M. (2010). Games in education: serious games. Bristol, Futurelab. Retrieved from http://www.futurelab.org.uk