The Chronicle has yet another article about how “gaming” is finding its place in the classroom: “At Indiana U., a Class on Game Design Has Students Playing to Win.”
What interests me is seeing yet another example of how role playing can lead to greater student engagement. Giving students a chance to take on a different persona in the classroom can make it easier for them to take risks in class discussions and other activities and assignments.
In this case, the instructor has shifted the identity of the class itself:
Class time is spent completing quests (such as presentations of games or research), fighting monsters (taking tests or quizzes), and “crafting” (writing game-analysis papers and a video-game concept document). The 40-person class is divided into six “zones,” named after influential game designers, in which students complete group tasks.
Mr. Sheldon says last semester’s students performed a full letter grade better in the course than students had under the traditional approach — the class average was a B instead of a C.
Sheldon has also established a blog, “Gaming in the Classroom,” where he shares the details of the course and invites broader conversation about using games to teach.
You can read the full article on the Chronicle website.
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