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This book covers relevant issues such as gamification, curriculum development, using games to sup... more This book covers relevant issues such as gamification, curriculum development, using games to support ASD (autism spectrum disorder) students, choosing games for the classroom and library, homeschooling and gameschooling, working with parents and policymakers, and choosing tools for educational game development.
Each chapter provides an overview of the relevant frameworks and research findings, as well as practical case studies and useful resources.
Learning, Education & Games: Bringing Games into Educational Contexts is the second in a series written and edited by members of the Learning, Education, and Games (LEG) special interest group of the IGDA (International Game Developers Association).

Papers by Katrin Becker

Technical Aspects of a System for. Teaching Aboriginal Languages. Using a Game Boy. JR Parker.Rya... more Technical Aspects of a System for. Teaching Aboriginal Languages. Using a Game Boy. JR Parker.Ryan Heavy Head. Katrin Becker. What's the Plan? Games are thought of as a waster of vast amounts of time for students. Homework does not always get done. ...

The practice of setting hard deadlines, sometimes with stiff penalties for late submissions has b... more The practice of setting hard deadlines, sometimes with stiff penalties for late submissions has been the norm in many CS departments for as long as most can remember. This paper will examine the notion of submission deadlines as applied to programming assignments, in particular in the freshman year of a four-year computer science program. A brief outline of the common practices and the effect on novice students will be presented, followed by an alternative strategy that was implemented in a relatively small (i.e. 30 students) class in September 2005. Some initial student reactions are outlined along with known research from education which supports a more flexible approach such as this. The discussion that follows will outline the expected benefits from allowing greater flexibility in assignment submissions, the context necessary for successful implementation, as well as some of the drawbacks and difficulties. It begins by examining the place of deadlines in the curriculum and the e...

Jerome Bruner has helped to shape the notion of constructivism, which is of prime significance wh... more Jerome Bruner has helped to shape the notion of constructivism, which is of prime significance when looking at pedagogy in games and much of the learning that occurs in games is constructive. In one of his more recent works, “The Culture of Education” (1996), he discusses the importance of nine tenets to the development and maintenance of culture. Many of these touch on recurring themes in many discussions of games (Beavis, 1999; Kafai, 2001; Wolf & Perron, 2003). Bruner believes that “education is not an island, but part of the continent of culture.” (1996, p11) The same can be said of games. Bruner’s tenets guide such a ‘psycho-cultural’ approach to education and this paper will examine these tenets through the lens of game design.

An important step towards gaining an understanding of how a particular medium can be used most ef... more An important step towards gaining an understanding of how a particular medium can be used most effectively in education is to study its outstanding examples, regardless of their original purpose. It is assumed that “good ” games already embody sound pedagogy in their designs even if that incorporation is not deliberate. The work described here is intended as a proof of concept for a larger study in progress. The following paragraphs will examine two games: one is commercial and a critical success, and the other is designed deliberately as an educational game. The commercial game will be viewed as though it had been designed as a learning object. Through this perspective, it is possible to identify and classify built-in learning objectives and from there to associate the mechanisms and strategies employed to teach them. A significant outcome of the final work will be to describe how the existing strategies used to promote “learning objectives ” in commercial video games can be used i...

It is well-known that problems in interdisciplinary communication between knowledge communities c... more It is well-known that problems in interdisciplinary communication between knowledge communities can seriously hinder innovation [5, 21, 22, 24]. The games studies community is a highly interdisciplinary community, and there are, not surprisingly, regular terminology debates that question the definitions of some of our most fundamental terms such as ‘game ’ and ‘simulation’. While game analysis and criticism for the purposes of social and humanities research may not require direct collaboration between disparate disciplines, game design does, especially when the game is being designed for serious purposes. This paper is a discussion of some of the accepted meanings of key terms, discuss some of the implications of an inability to agree on the meanings of basic terminology and offer several strategies to address this problem.

The effective application and use of games and game technology for education requires examination... more The effective application and use of games and game technology for education requires examinations of existing artifacts, both in and out of formal educational settings, as well as the development of new theories and models for how to design games intended primarily to educate rather than entertain. One way to facilitate an understanding of how a medium like digital game technology can be used effectively in education is to study that medium's outstanding examples, regardless of their original purpose. This paper describes a methodology for analysing entertainment games that uses a synergy of reverse engineering and ethology, neither of which have been used in this context before. Normally, reverse engineering attempts to recover the original design of a software application, but in this case it will be used to generate an alternate design that can then in turn be used to inform instructional design. Ethology studies the observed behaviour of animals, but here is adapted as a m...

Current approaches to the design of games for learning can be roughly divided into two main camps... more Current approaches to the design of games for learning can be roughly divided into two main camps: one claiming that commercial games already employ many strategies that are valuable in the design of instructional games and that formal instructional design methodologies are not needed, while the other argues that the design of instructional games must apply traditional practices in formal ways and that games designers must yield to the better-informed professional instructional designer. The main focus of this paper is to explore the tension between these two viewpoints. A comparison of game design and instructional design uncovers several paradoxes which must be reconciled before they can be properly combined to be of use in the development of instructional games. Topics: Cross disciplinary issues in game development; Serious games; Games and learning (educational games); Bridging the academia-industry gap; Experiences and lessons learned from game development in academia and industry

This paper outlines an approach to helping mid-program undergraduates conduct cutting-edge resear... more This paper outlines an approach to helping mid-program undergraduates conduct cutting-edge research that can be incorporated into almost any program with no additional resource requirements. A key feature of this approach is a mechanism that allows for a thorough assessment of students ’ work, while still permitting what is typically classified as failure with respect to the production of research results. A brief review of some of the literature along with its benefits and concerns is presented first, followed by an outline of a model for implementing a student-centered research project that can be offered within the context of most traditional courses, at no extra costs in terms of manpower or funds. The focus of this approach is on helping students learn to be researchers, rather than furthering faculty members research agendas. 1.

The value of games as a vehicle for teaching concepts while inspiring students is now well accept... more The value of games as a vehicle for teaching concepts while inspiring students is now well accepted at almost all levels of education. Video games, arcade and computer games are rarely given the same kind of attention. This paper will describe the value of computer games as a motivator and some of the benefits that can be realized by using known computer games as programming applications, even in the first year of a CS program. The use of two such games as assignments in CS1 and CS2 is outlined and some feedback on the experience is offered.

Much attention has been paid in recent years to finding more flexible and less prescriptive appro... more Much attention has been paid in recent years to finding more flexible and less prescriptive approaches to the design of instruction than those put forward during the latter part of the twentieth century. A view of instruction as causal and largely behaviouristic has given way to one that is guided and primarily constructivist. In his current research, David Merrill outlines five fundamental principles of instruction which have broad implications for teaching computer science (CS). These five principles are: 1) solving real-world problems, 2) activating existing knowledge to build new knowledge, 3) demonstrating new knowledge to the learner, 4) allowing learners to apply new knowledge, and 5) integrating knowledge into the learner’s world. The following paper describes these principles and discusses how they related to instruction in CS. M. David Merrill’s career in instructional technology, with a career has spanned 40 years, and include numerous significant contributions to the fie...

Games Studies is still a relatively new field where much basic research remains to be done. This ... more Games Studies is still a relatively new field where much basic research remains to be done. This study asks K-12 teachers about their attitudes towards the use of games for teaching, what factors facilitate their use and what barriers exist? Information about attitudes, and what things assist and prevent the adoption of games in the classroom can help identify areas of need for the development of support. Concerns about the state and accessibility of computers in classrooms are known, and may not be addressable by those interested in providing games for learning, bit other factors may be. This study outlines several target areas suitable for further research as well as a few suggestions for approaches that might help in the promotion of games as learning objects.

Theme: What makes a good game, and what makes a game good.

Choosing and Using Digital Games in the Classroom, 2016

This chapter adds the last few pieces of the puzzle by outlining various ways that games can be u... more This chapter adds the last few pieces of the puzzle by outlining various ways that games can be used in the classroom. Although we have largely focused on games as content when it comes to using them in the classroom, there are other ways to make use of games. This chapter outlines 15 of them. While there are a growing number of sources who talk about using games in the classroom as an instructional strategy, it remains hard to find information on strategies that use games. The last piece of our puzzle is a big one. This chapter presents a list of 101 instructional strategies that are either specifically designed for games, or that have been adapted from existing strategies to make use of games.

Theme: What makes a good game, and what makes a game good.

Choosing and Using Digital Games in the Classroom, 2016

Developments in Current Game-Based Learning Design and Deployment, 2013