Reflection: Gamification in the Higher Education Classroom
10/22/2013
Lead Presenter: Bethany Smith
Director of the Media & Education Technology Resource Center
Poe 512, 3:30-4:30
14 attended seated around a semi-circular table
CoAT Elective
Reflection
A discussion and sharing of available and adaptable learning games for higher-ed classroom subjects.
Readings:
• NMC Horizon Report 2013 (pg. 20-23)
• Motivating Students and the Gamification of Learning, Khan Academy (The Huffington Post)
• Expanding Education and Workforce Opportunities Through Digital Badges (Alliance for Excellent Education, 08/28/2013)
Bethany Smith, Director of the Media & Education Technology Resource Center at NC State, hosted a discussion on a very current topic: Bringing Gamification to the Higher Ed Classroom. The discussion began with a show of hands of who personally played any sort of non-educational computer game – I was the only person at the session that did not play computer games. The session proceeded with talking about the games used in a variety of classrooms settings, elementary through post-secondary. There was total agreement regarding the interest of gamification from the student’s perspective. Some of the attendees were not convinced that changing over already prepared material was worth the time and learning curve on their part, for the value over more traditional methods.
The most intriguing discussion, in my opinion, was about the use of ‘badges’ for accountability, similar to CEUs or testing for certifications. NMC Horizon Report defines digital badges as “credentials that represent skills, interests, and achievements earned by an individual through specific projects, programs, courses, or other activities.” We discussed two successful systems: Mozilla’s Open Badges Initiative and Purdue’s Passport system.
The group then turned the conversation toward using higher order thinking skills in gaming. Those using games and gamification brought up several examples of what products they are currently using or have used in the past. These are detailed below.
Candy Crush Saga: Pattern recognition, no real learning value, to increase the learning curve the company charges individuals. Addictive.
Oregon Trail: All agreed this is one of best. Based on solid educational concepts, it featured high replay value and enjoyable gameplay. It teaches and entertains, doing both extremely well, and continues to have interesting updates and new experiences available.
Crystal Island: An intelligent game-based learning environment focused on 8th grade English language arts and science education, and emphasizing informational texts and microbiology. Goals: research skills, literacy skill acquisition, learning outcomes, and engagement. Can be adapted to large groups.
Example of a scenario created in Crystal Island: groups of people are sick – is it the water that is making people sick? What in the water is making them sick? Where is it coming from? Is the ‘something’ being transported in the water rather than the water itself? The student is part of the game and some of the learning is passive. Recommended by several teachers.
In the end, this was a highly informative hour, after which I further researched information I found interesting. The idea of games in the classroom works on the very basic idea of intrinsic motivation. As with any teaching, you begin by scaffolding the experience, building up and making each level a little more difficult. The challenge for any educator is keeping the student engaged long enough to embed the information and be able to retrieve it for later use. Games are a natural draw for a fast-past, busy, the often competitive society our students are use to working and playing in during their daily activities.
Summary of the workshop and the information sheets:
1. The NMC Horizon Report. 2013 (pg. 20-23)
Games and Gamification Time-to-Adoption Horizon: Two to Three Years.
Description of an application of using gamification is described in this report: “In the context of higher education, when students are expected to think critically in order to solve problems, game-like simulations can be leveraged in any discipline to reinforce the real world applications of concepts. At the IE Business School in Madrid, for example, students are learning the complexities of global economic policy through a game called 10 Downing Street.”
2. Motivating Students and the Gamification of Learning, Khan Academy, The Huffington Post, 02/14/201
The concept of badges and other game mechanics started with an effort to make learning engaging and rewarding to young users. Some educators fear it will detract from real learning objectives. As with most things, the issue is not nearly that black and white and is far more nuanced. People have always been motivated by rewards and the truly the game industry has turned motivation and incentive systems into a science.
3. Expanding Education and Workforce Opportunities, Alliance for Excellence in Education, 08/28/2013
Digital badges offer students the opportunity to pave their own learning pathways and allow teachers and employers to verify progress and skills. The report defines digital badges as “credentials that represent skills, interests, and achievements earned by an individual through specific projects, programs, courses, or other activities.”
Passport
Badge-powered flexible learning
Guides students through tasks by providing a framework to submit documents, share links, complete quizzes, or gather approvals. Instructors can follow each student's progress and connect badges with course objectives.
Badge builder
With the system's badge-builder tool, instructors can select different styles; colors, icons and fonts for each badge, or upload their own images. They also can set expiration dates for challenges, or reset tasks when a student's first attempt is not satisfactory.
Scorecard
Achievements such as essays, online discussions, blog posts and podcasts can then be translated into a numeric-based evaluation system for tracking and grading purposes.
Mozilla Open Badges
Non-proprietary — use free software and an open technical standard to support the recognition of verification of learning by standardizing processes for delivering recognition. Any organization can create, issue and verify digital badges, and any user can earn, manage and display these badges all across the web.
Badges can build upon each other, joining together to tell the full story of your skills and achievement. Each badge contains the data built in that links back to the issuer, the criteria it was issued under and evidence verifying the credential (noted as unique to Open Badges). All of the users badges are collected in a “backpack”, and display their skills and achievements on social networking profiles, job sites, their websites and more.
Projects using Badges:
Highly qualified teachers in California, per subject
Learning objects (L.O.R.E.)
Readwritethink.org
Scratch
Lead Presenter: Bethany Smith
Director of the Media & Education Technology Resource Center
Poe 512, 3:30-4:30
14 attended seated around a semi-circular table
CoAT Elective
Reflection
A discussion and sharing of available and adaptable learning games for higher-ed classroom subjects.
Readings:
• NMC Horizon Report 2013 (pg. 20-23)
• Motivating Students and the Gamification of Learning, Khan Academy (The Huffington Post)
• Expanding Education and Workforce Opportunities Through Digital Badges (Alliance for Excellent Education, 08/28/2013)
Bethany Smith, Director of the Media & Education Technology Resource Center at NC State, hosted a discussion on a very current topic: Bringing Gamification to the Higher Ed Classroom. The discussion began with a show of hands of who personally played any sort of non-educational computer game – I was the only person at the session that did not play computer games. The session proceeded with talking about the games used in a variety of classrooms settings, elementary through post-secondary. There was total agreement regarding the interest of gamification from the student’s perspective. Some of the attendees were not convinced that changing over already prepared material was worth the time and learning curve on their part, for the value over more traditional methods.
The most intriguing discussion, in my opinion, was about the use of ‘badges’ for accountability, similar to CEUs or testing for certifications. NMC Horizon Report defines digital badges as “credentials that represent skills, interests, and achievements earned by an individual through specific projects, programs, courses, or other activities.” We discussed two successful systems: Mozilla’s Open Badges Initiative and Purdue’s Passport system.
The group then turned the conversation toward using higher order thinking skills in gaming. Those using games and gamification brought up several examples of what products they are currently using or have used in the past. These are detailed below.
Candy Crush Saga: Pattern recognition, no real learning value, to increase the learning curve the company charges individuals. Addictive.
Oregon Trail: All agreed this is one of best. Based on solid educational concepts, it featured high replay value and enjoyable gameplay. It teaches and entertains, doing both extremely well, and continues to have interesting updates and new experiences available.
Crystal Island: An intelligent game-based learning environment focused on 8th grade English language arts and science education, and emphasizing informational texts and microbiology. Goals: research skills, literacy skill acquisition, learning outcomes, and engagement. Can be adapted to large groups.
Example of a scenario created in Crystal Island: groups of people are sick – is it the water that is making people sick? What in the water is making them sick? Where is it coming from? Is the ‘something’ being transported in the water rather than the water itself? The student is part of the game and some of the learning is passive. Recommended by several teachers.
In the end, this was a highly informative hour, after which I further researched information I found interesting. The idea of games in the classroom works on the very basic idea of intrinsic motivation. As with any teaching, you begin by scaffolding the experience, building up and making each level a little more difficult. The challenge for any educator is keeping the student engaged long enough to embed the information and be able to retrieve it for later use. Games are a natural draw for a fast-past, busy, the often competitive society our students are use to working and playing in during their daily activities.
Summary of the workshop and the information sheets:
1. The NMC Horizon Report. 2013 (pg. 20-23)
Games and Gamification Time-to-Adoption Horizon: Two to Three Years.
Description of an application of using gamification is described in this report: “In the context of higher education, when students are expected to think critically in order to solve problems, game-like simulations can be leveraged in any discipline to reinforce the real world applications of concepts. At the IE Business School in Madrid, for example, students are learning the complexities of global economic policy through a game called 10 Downing Street.”
2. Motivating Students and the Gamification of Learning, Khan Academy, The Huffington Post, 02/14/201
The concept of badges and other game mechanics started with an effort to make learning engaging and rewarding to young users. Some educators fear it will detract from real learning objectives. As with most things, the issue is not nearly that black and white and is far more nuanced. People have always been motivated by rewards and the truly the game industry has turned motivation and incentive systems into a science.
3. Expanding Education and Workforce Opportunities, Alliance for Excellence in Education, 08/28/2013
Digital badges offer students the opportunity to pave their own learning pathways and allow teachers and employers to verify progress and skills. The report defines digital badges as “credentials that represent skills, interests, and achievements earned by an individual through specific projects, programs, courses, or other activities.”
Passport
Badge-powered flexible learning
Guides students through tasks by providing a framework to submit documents, share links, complete quizzes, or gather approvals. Instructors can follow each student's progress and connect badges with course objectives.
Badge builder
With the system's badge-builder tool, instructors can select different styles; colors, icons and fonts for each badge, or upload their own images. They also can set expiration dates for challenges, or reset tasks when a student's first attempt is not satisfactory.
Scorecard
Achievements such as essays, online discussions, blog posts and podcasts can then be translated into a numeric-based evaluation system for tracking and grading purposes.
Mozilla Open Badges
Non-proprietary — use free software and an open technical standard to support the recognition of verification of learning by standardizing processes for delivering recognition. Any organization can create, issue and verify digital badges, and any user can earn, manage and display these badges all across the web.
Badges can build upon each other, joining together to tell the full story of your skills and achievement. Each badge contains the data built in that links back to the issuer, the criteria it was issued under and evidence verifying the credential (noted as unique to Open Badges). All of the users badges are collected in a “backpack”, and display their skills and achievements on social networking profiles, job sites, their websites and more.
Projects using Badges:
Highly qualified teachers in California, per subject
Learning objects (L.O.R.E.)
Readwritethink.org
Scratch