Best Practices Around Implementing Educational Games

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Tropf - Educational Games Slide Best Practices Around Implementing Educational Games 1

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Presented at STEMxCon 2013, Saturday, September 21st, and 1:00 EST. http://stemxcon.com/forum/topics/best-practices-around-implementing-educational-games

Transcript of Best Practices Around Implementing Educational Games

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Tropf - Educational Games Slide

Best Practices Around

Implementing Educational

Games

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About Me

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Doctoral Candidate: School Psychology @ University of Florida

Specialization: Program Evaluation

Minor: Research & Evaluation Methodology

Dissertation (Pending): Motivation, Goal Orientation, and Academic Performance in Educational Games and Anity Spaces

School Psychology Intern with Alachua County Public Schools (Gainesville, Florida area)

Co/founder & CEO of Immersed Games (early ed tech startup)

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Agenda

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Agenda

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1Intro

Why care?

2

Agenda

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1Intro

Why care?

2Literature

ReviewTheory &

empirical evidence

3

Agenda

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Tropf - Educational Games Slide

1Intro

Why care?

2Literature

ReviewTheory &

empirical evidence

3

Agenda

3

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1Intro

Why care?

2Literature

ReviewTheory &

empirical evidence

3Best Practices

for implementing

4

Agenda

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1Intro

Why care?

2Literature

ReviewTheory &

empirical evidence

3Best Practices

for implementing

4Resources

Tools for f inding games

Agenda

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“In some ways the world of education is going to go through one of the most massive changes in the next five years

than it has seen in the last three thousand years. It’s a perfect storm.”

-Nolan Bushnell

(Tack, 2013)

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should they have to disconnect in schools, or can we use this interest?

97% of teens aged 12-17 play video games

including: computer, web, mobile, and console

50% of teens reported that they played a game “yesterday”

Those that play daily spend at least 1 hour per day

Students empowered & engaged in digital media with these

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Ubiquitous Technology

5(Prensky, 2001a)

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Video games present a unique opportunity to engage students as

they “situate meaning in a multimodal space through embodied experiences

to solve problems.”

-James Paul Gee

Educational Games

(Gee, 2007, p. 40)

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LiteratureReview

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brief

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Defining Games

KeyDimensions

control

sensory stimuli

fantasy

challenge

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rules & goals

mystery

reaching flow

(Garris, Ahlers, & Driskell, 2002)

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Learning through Gameplay

User Judgments: interest, enjoyment (fun & flow), confidence, task involvementWhen positive, user behaviors are highly motivatedSystem feedback continues to motivate players

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! (Garris et al., 2002)

(Garris et al., 2002)

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Example: Quest Atlantis

10(Barab et al., 2005)

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Meta-analysis on interactive simulations and games

Resulted in significantly higher cognitive gains than traditional instruction, across all situations and variablesWhen separated (simulations / games), games not reliable result - more research needed

Empirical Research

Vogel et al., 2006

Hays, 2005

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Meta-analysis on games for instructional purposes

Games can be eective, but not supported to be more eective then other well-designed instructional methods (especially due to methodological issues)Instructional support around games important to improving eectiveness of experience

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Qualitative meta-analysis

65 game eectiveness studies: 34 positive, 17 mixed, 12 no dierence, 1 negativeOnly 10 examined learner characteristics (gender mixed results on impact; low SES enjoyed most but diculty getting knowledge from game)

Empirical Research

Ke, 2009

Recent Studies

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I compiled additional recent studies not included in Ke

Of 8 learning eectiveness studies: 6 games more eective, 2 no significant dierences

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“Games do motivate. They motivate players to play the game. This can be beneficial if the game is

designed to target and meet instructional objectives. Otherwise, learners may spend their time learning to

be successful at the game without receiving instructional benefits from these experiences.”

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Research on Motivation

Ke (2009) - games encourage motivation across varied learners and situationsHays (2005) - evidence often anecdotal supportRecent studies - increased engagement, positive attitudes, higher intrinsic motivation

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(Hays, 2005, p. 46)

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Ke (2009) six themes:

Sparse literature base

Empirical studies have conflicting results

Fragmented empirical research

Much research anecdotal or descriptive

Not many longitudinal studies

Some knowledge domains (math, physics, language arts) studied more frequently

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Research Limitations

because many articles are opinions rather than data

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Also:

Methodological issues such as no control / comparison group (Vogel et al., 2006; Hays, 2005)

More need for learning characteristics and pedagogical

environments

Most studies in Ke analysis included less than 2 hours of gameplay one was a single

3-minute session

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Classroom Implementation

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kids can help with this!Content area expertise is more important than familiarity with games

Being tech friendly helps – particularly in the early stages.

EduGames are inherently student–centered and constructivist. Teachers should have the temperament to work in this fashion.

Familiarity with dierentiated instruction is very useful in most deployments.

Politically, it helps to have teachers who can hold the respect of their peers and administrators.

Find teachers who proactively seek eective new tools for students.

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Teachers’ Implementation

16(Wilson, 2009)

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“ My niche when working with the students is helping them understand

the math concepts that they must know and utilize. …They seek me out for help when they want to…develop higher scores as math concepts are required for them to generate high

scores.”

“I am very involved in helping them contextualize decisions.”

(Wilson, 2009)

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kids can help with this!Content area expertise is more important than familiarity with games

Being tech friendly helps – particularly in the early stages.

EduGames are inherently student–centered and constructivist. Teachers should have the temperament to work in this fashion.

Familiarity with dierentiated instruction is very useful in most deployments.

Politically, it helps to have teachers who can hold the respect of their peers and administrators.

Find teachers who proactively seek eective new tools for students.

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Teachers’ Implementation

18(Wilson, 2009)

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Find instructional leaders who can manage dierentiated instruction – of teachers.

Games are collaborative and cross–disciplinary – Administrators should have strong coaching and team building skills.

Administrators should genuinely value education technology and provide support for teachers who try new approaches.

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Administrators’ Implementation

19(Wilson, 2009)

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Common Teacher Concerns

20(Klopfer et al., 2009; Wilson, 2009)

1 Need to cover mandated content areas

2 Skeptical of new technologies (and lack of infastructure)

3 Unfamiliarity with games (and dicult to learn)

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Strong Learning FrameworkEndogenous Learning

Embedded Assessment

Selecting a Game

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Pedagogical Foundations

Many games do not specify pedagogical foundations

Review of educational games between 2000-2007:

Of 55 games, only 15 stated their pedagogical foundations

After contacting designers, confirmed only 18 based on established learning theories and instructional strategies

Linked to Learning Objectives

Find games aligned with your standards

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Strong Learning Framework

22(Kebritchi & Hirumi, 2008)

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Learning and motivation in educational games can be done in two dierent ways

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Endogenous Learning

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Endogenous Exogenous

inside of outside of

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Endogenous content involves real engagement

Problem Solving, not answering a problem to shoot

(can be room for practice when students need it, such as drilling in math to learn basic facts)

Great games engage in learning mechanics

Cognitively: we remember what we do

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Endogenous Learning

24(Wilson, 2009; Habgood & Ainsworth, 2011)

useful, but doesn’t use the deeper power of games

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Zombie Division Experiment

Versions of same game:

Intrinsic: integrated math into combat

Extrinsic: non-math combat, M/C questions between levels

Intrinsic integration of learning content vs. extrinsic version

Greater learning gains in intrinsic

Also played 7x longer when given option

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Endogenous Learning

25(Habgood & Ainsworth, 2011)

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“In a poorly designed game, a player may have to memorize a formula to

earn the right to blast some aliens. In a properly designed EduGame, the

student should use the formula to blast the aliens.”

(Wilson, 2009)

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Reach for the Sun

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teaches about the life cycle of a plant as learn aboutphotosynthesis, resources needed, plant anatomy,and reproduction

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Crazy Plant Shop

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teaches about heredity and reproduction as they learnhow to determine probabilities for genotypes and phenotypes using Punnett Squares and pedigrees

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Games can produce deep levels of assessment

Use these for authentic measure of learning progress

Many companies have tools built in

Assess with 21st Century Skills

Can also mix paper assessments

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Embedded Assessment

29(Wilson, 2009)

comfortable assessment to verify learning

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“I have certainly found that when students write essays over the subject matter [causes of WWII], they have a deeper

understanding of the problems faced at the beginning of WWII.”

“…the essays on appeasement..tend to be more sympathetic to decision–makers and less unrealistic about the complexities of decisions. So it is a very dierent type of

learning than traditional lectures.”

(Wilson, 2009)

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Good educational games employe academic knowledge as a tool for

achieving goals.

Good educational games lend themselves to systemic understandings.

Good educational games employ sophisticated game design techniques.

Good educational games oer multiple ways of playing them, so that players can experiment with a variety of identities in a group.

Good educational games pique players’ interests.

Good educational games are ideological worlds that instantiate particular ways of viewing and valuing the world.

Good games are social, in that they encourage social interaction of dierent forms and lead to productive practices (fan communities, fan

fiction, machinima).

Good games inspire creativity and smooth ramps to usher players from users to producers.

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Squire’s Definition

31(Squire, 2011, p.36-37)

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Blending LearningProviding Support

Allowing Failure & ExperimentationDebriefing

Within the Classroom

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Combine the game with what you are already doing in the classroom

Adding another model of learning

Reinforce learning with additional techniques

Improve whole class participation & discussion

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Blended Learning

33(Wilson, 2009)

common experience to base discussion on

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Particularly for non-gamers

Although most children play games, often casual

Still need support understanding structure & interface

Have clear goals to help students stay on task & understand objectives of playing

Will need extra time at first for tech issues & learning

Grouping:

promotes collaboration & teamwork, discussion

2-3 students per group

try to mix gamers/non-games, strengths

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Providing Support

34(Wilson, 2009)

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“What is dierent for our students is that they have become teachers to each other. The team competition aspect forced them

to stop shooting each other and work together to beat other teams. This involved

game strategies and math skills.”

“Students report that they enjoy working collaboratively and that the trappings of middle school culture and peer pressure

disappear from the equation when working in the virtual world.”

(Wilson, 2009)

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Game scaolds for students

Resources to feel they can get better

Safe pace to experiment and give lots of eort

Failing is part of gamer culture

Can use for reflective discussion

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Allowing Failure & Experimentation

36(Waismann, 2013; Wilson, 2009)

“Research shows that gamers spend on average 80% of their time failing in game worlds, but instead of

giving up, they stick with the dicult challenge and use the feedback of the game to get better.”

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Debriefing

37(Garris et al., 2002)

!

“The link between the game cycle and learning objectives is represented by debriefing, or reviewing and reflecting on game play in order to ensure game

events become learning.”

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“Such learning is not dependent on the existence of a debrief. A good debrief,

however, allows the individuals who were in the experience to share, cross-fertilize,

and to generalize their learnings from and between all who participated in the same

experience.”

-Joe Wolfe

(Crookall, 2010)

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Kolb’s Model leading learnings through stages from experiencing to learning

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Debriefing

39(Nicholson, 2012, p 118)

1 What the learnings felt and experienced during the event

Introduces other points of view; engages individual's experiences with others’ experiences

Learners relate concepts in activity to previously learned concepts in class

2

3

4 Make a connection of activity to the real world

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Tools

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EdSurge Edtech Index https://www.edsurge.com/products/

Playing Science http://playingscience.org

Games for Change http://www.gamesforchange.org/play/

Educade http://educade.org

including lesson plans around games

BrainPop http://www.brainpop.com

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Sites for Discovery

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DISCUSSION

?

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Annetta, L. A., Minogue, J., Holmes, S. Y., & Cheng, M.-T. (2009). Investigating the impact of video games on high school students’ engagement and learning about genetics. Computers & Education, 53(1), 74–85. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2008.12.020

Bai, H., Pan, W., Hirumi, A., & Kebritchi, M. (2012). Assessing the eectiveness of a 3-D instructional game on improving mathematics achievement and motivation of middle school students. British Journal of Educational Technology, 43(6), 993–1003. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2011.01269.x

Barab, S., Thomas, M., Dodge, T., Carteaux, R., & Tuzun, H. (2005). Making learning fun: Quest Atlantis, a game without guns. Educational Technology Research and Development, 53(1), 86–107.

Crookall, D. (2010). Serious games, debriefing, and simulation/gaming as a discipline. Serious Gaming, 41. DOIL 10.1177/1046878110390784

Garris, R., Ahlers, R., & Driskell, J. E. (2002). Games, motivation, and learning: A research and practice Model. Simulation & Gaming, 33(4), 441–467. doi:10.1177/1046878102238607

Gee, J. P. (2004). Situated Language and Learning: A Critique of Traditional Schooling. New York, NY: Routledge.

Gee, J. P. (2007). What Video Games Have to Teach us About Learning and Literacy. New York, NY: Palgrave MacMillan.

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References

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Habgood, M.P.J., & Ainsworth, S.E. (2011). Motivating children to learn eectively: exploring the value of intrinsic integration in educational games. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 20 (2), 169-206. Retrieved http://shura.shu.ac.uk/3556/

Hays, R. T. (2005). The eectiveness of instructional games: a literature review and discussion. Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, 1–63.

Ke, F. (2008). A case study of computer gaming for math: Engaged learning from gameplay? Computers & Education, 51(4), 1609–1620. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2008.03.003

Ke, F. (2009). A qualitative meta-analysis of computer games as learning tools. Handbook of Research on Eective Electronic Gaming in Education, 1, 1–32.

Kebritchi, M., & Hirumi, A. (2008). Examining the pedagogical foundations of modern educational computer games. Computers & Education, 51(4), 1729–1743. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2008.05.004

Kebritchi, M., Hirumi, A., & Bai, H. (2010). The eects of modern mathematics computer games on mathematics achievement and class motivation. Computers & Education, 55(2), 427–443. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2010.02.007

Klopfer, E., Osterweil, S., & Salen, K. (2009). Moving learning games forward: Obstacles & opportunities & openness. The Education Arcade. Retrieved http://education.mit.edu/papers/MovingLearningGamesForward_EdArcade.pdf

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References

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Marina Papastergiou. (2009). Digital Game-Based Learning in high school Computer Science education: Impact on educational eectiveness and student motivation. Computers & Education, 52(1), 1–12. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2008.06.004

Miller, L. M., Chang, C.-I., Wang, S., Beier, M. E., & Klisch, Y. (2011). Learning and motivational impacts of a multimedia science game. Computers & Education, 57(1), 1425–1433. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2011.01.016

Murphy Paul, A. (2012). What’s the secret sauce to a great educational game? Mind/Shift. Retrieved http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/04/whats-the-secret-sauce-to-a-great-educational-game/

Nicholson, S. (2012). Completing the experience: debriefing in experiential educational games. In the Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Society and Information Technologies. Winter Garden, FL: International Institute of Informatics and Systemics, 117-121.

Prensky, M. (2001a). Digital game-based learning. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Prensky, M. (2001b). Digital natives, digital immigrants Part 2: Do they really think dierently? On the Horizon, 9(6), 1–6.

Squire, K. (2011). Video Games and Learning: Teaching and Participatory Culture in the Digital Age. New York: Teachers College Press.

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References

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Track, D. (2013). Serious games and the future of education. Forbes. Retrieved http://www.forbes.com/sites/danieltack/2013/09/12/serious-games-and-the-future-of-education/

Tüzün, H., Yılmaz-Soylu, M., Karakuş, T., İnal, Y., & Kızılkaya, G. (2009). The eects of computer games on primary school students’ achievement and motivation in geography learning. Computers & Education, 52(1), 68–77. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2008.06.008

Vogel, J. J., Vogel, D. S., Cannon-Bowers, J., Bowers, C. A., Muse, K., & Wright, M. (2006). Computer gaming and interactive simulations for learning: A meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 34(3), 229–243.

Waismann, C. (2013). Kids & Digital Games. MindCET. Retrieved http://www.worldwideworkshop.org/pdfs/MindCET_Kids&Gaming2013.pdf

Wilson, L. (2009). Best practices for using gamed & simulations in the classroom: Guidelines for K-12 educators. Software & Information Industry Association Education Division. Retrieved http://siia.net/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=610&tmpl=component&format=raw&Itemid=59

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References

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