Special Topic Presentation: February 5th, 2010

Dr. Richard Van Eck, the Graduate Director for the Instructional Design and Technology program at the University of North Dakota, will be delivering a special presentation on Educational Gaming that will be broadcast on February 5th 2010 at 11:00 in McFarland 424. VCSU faculty and others interested are invited to attend.

Presentation Title: Getting Serious About Games: What Instructional Designers Should Know About the Theory and Practice of Digital Game-Based Learning.

Abstract: The idea that games have learning benefits is not the radical concept today that it once was. Extensive research over the last 10 years has documented the many physiological, psychological, and pedagogical benefits of games. Unfortunately, while we are no longer fighting the battle over acceptance of games as serious learning endeavors, we now face a different problem. The growing mainstream acceptance of games in learning has led to the perception that we know more than we really do about where, when, how, and with whom to employ games. In reality, the field is still very young; we do not yet know how to design games, how to integrate existing games, how to choose between a simulation and a game, and what kinds of gameplay will best support what kinds of learning.

Consider edutainment games, which appear to have been designed without any understanding of how and why games are effective, and how to align curriculum with the game world. This has resulted in what Seymour Papert calls "Shavian Reversals," a genetic term that characterizes offspring who have inherited the worst characteristics of both parents (in this case, boring games, drill-and kill learning). The dismal failure of edutainment has led some to believe that educators and instructional designers should never be allowed near a game. As Marc Prensky says, "Instructional designers suck the fun out" of games.

But the failures of the edutainment industry are the result of poorly understood theory (games and pedagogical) and a lack of alignment between the paradigms of effective learning principles and the game world. In fact, games succeed precisely because they employ sound pedagogical approaches such as situated cognition, cognitive disequilibrium, and scaffolding to teach what is needed to succeed in the game. By examining the underlying principles of games and aligning them with educational theory and learning outcomes, it IS possible to create effective blended game-based learning.

Likewise, using commercial games in formal education settings requires more than just picking a game on a given topic and having students play it; it must be integrated with the course like any other learning tool and instructional strategy. Employing games for learning purposes is NOT about making learning fun; it is about achieving specific learning outcomes effectively. Game selection must therefore be driven by the learning outcomes and instructional taxonomies; we can hardly expect a Jeopardy-style game to address the same learning outcomes as an adventure game does.

Instructional design is ideally positioned to guide this process, because that is what instructional designers have been doing for 40 years: analyzing content, learners, and media and designing effective learning solutions that maximize the strengths of the medium and align the instruction to the medium. But what does this mean when it comes to specifying, selecting, and designing games for learning purposes? This presentation will provide an overview of some of the theories that underlie games and effective learning, describe how different games support different outcomes, and link to existing research and practice in the field of digital game-based learning.

Presenter: Dr. Richard Van Eck is the Graduate Director for the Instructional Design and Technology program at the University of North Dakota. He received his M.A. in English from UND, and his Ph.D. in Instructional Design and Development at the University of South Alabama. His dissertation focused on the use of an instructional game to promote transfer of learning of mathematics and attitude toward mathematics.

If you plan to attend, please contact the meeting host:
Dan Clark | Valley City State University
101 College Street | Valley City, ND 58072
701.845.7206 | dan.clark@vcsu.edu

Questions?
Please call Dan Clark @ 701.845.7206 or email dan.clark@vcsu.edu.