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Unit One: What is Game Based Learning?

From KNILT

Will's Mini-Course

Unit Objective

  • Understand the benefits of using Digital Game-Based Learning.
  • Understand the ways digital games can be used as an additive classroom tool.

Rationale

"Simulations to date have been widely employed to support specified training needs, in particular to support professional and vocational training needs, e.g. military, surgical, medical and business training. These approaches have not necessarily been taken up in areas of more abstract learning, e.g. to support conceptual and higher level cognition. Simulations, and more recently games, have been used more frequently to practice scenarios and skills in advance of taking up a professional employment opportunity. The trend for using simulations in this way has perhaps had an influence upon how games might be used for education and although these are different forms, there are clear links between the two, not least historically. However while simulations are regarded as acceptable training tools, games due their association with violence and leisure time activities have been more widely resisted by tutors and parents alike" (Freitas, 2006, pg. 5)

What is GBL?

Annie Pho and Amanda Dinscore (2015) state in their article Game Based Learning, published by the Association of College and Research Libraries and American Library Association, that "Game-based learning refers to the borrowing of certain gaming principles and applying them to real-life settings to engage users (Trybus 2015). The motivational psychology involved in gamebased learning allows students to engage with educational materials in a playful and dynamic way. Game-based learning is not just creating games for students to play, it is designing learning activities that can incrementally introduce concepts, and guide users towards an end goal. Traditional games can incorporate competition, points, incentives, and feedback loops. These concepts have become increasingly popular in higher education and in libraries as a way to engage students in learning" (pg. 1).

Making a Case for Computer Gaming

Prior to reading the articles listed below. List the concerns that one might have with using digital games in the classroom. These can be your own concerns as well as concerns you believe other teachers may have. What might go wrong in a DGBL lesson? How may the learning be impacted? After recording your thoughts, read the following passages.

Were your concerns addressed in the readings? If so, how did your viewpoint change as a result? What are some ways that you can imagine using this strategy in the classroom?

Not a reading person? Check out these videos on DGBL

Looking Ahead

Now that I understand the benefits of using DGBL in the classroom, where can I find resources for educational games that fit the needs of my students? Answer this question by moving on to Unit Two: Exploration.

Course Navigation

Next Lesson Unit Two: Exploration

Last Lesson Unit Three: Designing a Lesson


References

Pho, A., Dinscore, A. (2015). Game Based Learning. In Instructional Technologies Committee Tips and Trends. Association of College and Research Libraries and American Library Association. http://acrl.ala.org/IS/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/spring2015.pdf

Freitas, S. (2006). Learning in Immersive Worlds: A Review of Game Based Learning. http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/35774/1/gamingreport_v3.pdf

Van Eck, R. (2015, October 12). Digital Game-Based Learning: Still Restless, After All These Years. Retrieved from https://er.educause.edu/articles/2015/10/digital-game-based-learning-still-restless-after-all-these-years

Rivera, M. (2017, November 01). Is Digital Game-Based Learning The Future Of Learning? Retrieved from https://elearningindustry.com/digital-game-based-learning-future

Daggett, B., Dr. (2015, September 9). Digital Game-Based Learning. Retrieved from https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/news-and-events/2015/09/digital-game-based-learning

[asapSCIENCE] (2014, January 19). Can Video Games Make You Smarter? Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOsqkQytHOs

[TEDx Talks] (2013, March 31). Press Play -- Gaming, Simulation & Achievement in the Classroom: Jonathon Best at TEDxDenverTeachers. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKpo5SeZWns.

Cardenal, L. (2015, December 5). Digital Games Based Learning. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHfau6oRFhQ.

[BallardandTighe] (2014, January 9). Why Game-Based Learning Engages Students. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABMrI_qNtOE

[GameLearn] (2014, July 31). What is game-based learning? Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uj_8C2L9bXI

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