Developing Professional “Game Teacher” Repertoires: Describing Participants and Measuring Effects in a Danish College Course on Game Based Learning (original) (raw)
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Student Teachers' Game Preferences, Game Habits, and Attitudes Towards Games as Learning Tools
ECGBL 2020 14th European Conference on Game-Based Learning, 2020
Our aim in this study is to examine the gaming habits and game preferences of university students / pre-service teachers. Teachers' confidence to use and attitudes towards technology, and their experience with digital games seem to be some of the most critical factors determining the use of digital games in the classroom. Furthermore, personal game preferences are important factors for motivation and engagement in game play and the educational effectiveness of games. By examining the gaming experience and preferences of future teachers, we can better design relevant courses and curricula for supporting student teachers and prepare them to use game-based learning and teaching in their future classrooms. Data were collected through an online survey. Our sample (N=274) includes students from different universities, different university departments, and different academic years of study. This allows us to gain a more holistic view of the topic, based on the perceptions of student teachers from different disciplines and backgrounds. Trying to address the complexity of game classification for identifying preferences, a typology of games based on two main axes is proposed: a) the format of the game, the mechanics, and gameplay (e.g. simulation, action, strategy, puzzle, role-playing) and b) the content of the game and the narrative context (e.g. story oriented, fantasy world, sports, science fiction). We mapped the participants' preferences based on this typology. We further collected and analysed data on their game-playing frequency and preferred gaming device. Their intention to use games in their classrooms, and their perceptions on the educational value of digital games were further examined. Findings suggest that perceptions on the learning potential of games are linked to their intention to use them in the classroom; also, players who prefer games such as role-playing, open world and exploration, set in a fantasy or science fiction world, assessed the learning potential of games and their intention to use them in the classroom higher. The findings allows us to gain a better insight on current trends in attitudes, experiences, and preferences of student teachers in various disciplines, as well as to identify possible ways to support them in their studies.
Games And Students: Creating Innovative Professionals
American Journal of Business Education, 2010
To create professionals for the future, who will be innovative and internationally competitive, we need to change the learning environment. The current traditional delivery systems of education do not develop the necessary interpersonal, analytical and creative skills to deal with the new knowledge economy. Baer (2005), in calling for a new model of learning, says this will require collaboration between educators and game designers to research how games are best aligned with the targeted learning environment and needs. The incorporation of games will require realistic assessment of the current structure of education so that "students' ability to participate in complex social practices; learn new knowledge and perform well in novel, changing situations needs to be considered valuable learning" (Squire and Jenkins, 2004, p.31). When games and simulations are combined with technology they can generate the environment within higher education that can produce the highly-skilled professionals which are required.
ECGBL Proceedings 2011, 2011
In this paper, two case studies are presented of teachers who translate video gaming into educational practice. These cases are situated within a broader framework of intermediality/multimodality and related to debates about (video game) literacy and the position of the teacher in education. The question of what it means to be a game literate teacher is explored. Although the results of this study are to be considered preliminary, they raise important issues, such as the role of expert video game knowledge for teachers involved in DGBL, the description of DGBL as an interplay between distinct but intermingling knowledge aspects, and the need for teachers to become anthropologists rather than gamers.
Novices, gamers, and scholars: Exploring the challenges of teaching about games
Game Studies, 2009
Teaching about games should be easy. After all, students enjoy engaging with course content and have extensive personal experience with videogames. In reality, games education is surprisingly complex. We report on the results of a study that explored the challenges faced by instructors of games studies classes. Our results indicate that learning about games can be challenging for multiple reasons. For example, prior videogame experience often interferes with students' abilities to reason critically and analytically ...
Clashing and emerging genres: the interplay of knowledge forms in educational gaming
Designs for Learning, 2011
Based upon a series of design interventions with the educational computer game series Global Conflicts at various secondary schools, this article explores how educational gaming can be understood as a complex interplay between four knowledge forms – i.e. students’ everyday knowledge (non-specialised knowledge), the institutionalised knowledge forms of schooling, teachers’ subject-specific knowledge (specialised knowledge forms), and game-specific knowledge forms such as professional journalism, which is one of the inspirations for the game scenario. Depending on how the GC series was enacted by different teachers and students, these knowledge forms were brought into play rather differently. More specifically, several students experienced genre clashes in relation to their expectations of what it means to play a computer game, whereas other students experienced emerging genres – e.g. when one student was able to transform the game experience into a journalistic article that challenged her classmates’ understanding of journalistic writing.
Coaching by gaming: An instructor perspective of game-based vocational training
2011
Military organisations have a long history of using games for training. Over the years, they have developed training practices involving role-play, simulations, puckstering and gaming. Most researchers in serious games, i.e. games used for non-entertainment purposes, focus their studies on the learners. This licentiate thesis, instead, takes a closer look on the roles of instructors in game-based training situations, specifically at the Swedish Land Warfare Centre. Through a mix of theoretical and empirical studies, training practices were scrutinised, resulting in a framework for gamebased vocational training. A key element of this framework is the coaching by gaming perspective in which instructors give un-intrusive, formative feedback through role-play and gameplay. Another important aspect of the framework involves dynamic debriefing. These insights points to specific needs for system support for instructors involved in game-based training. They also emphasise the fact that serious gaming is a highly contextualised activity made up of more than the game and the players.
2018
This paper reports the outcomes of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning project 'Games in the Curriculum'. The project focussed on the use of 'off the shelf' tabletop games in Higher Education. We examined the use of games in six different settings, working in three faculties and with four year groups (levels 3, 5, 6 and 7). Our findings suggested that the strength of tabletop games lies in the creation of a 'safe space' in which to engage in discussions of complex, and at times contentious, topics and in enabling students to take control of their own learning. At the same time, the project findings suggest that 'game literacy' amongst students and staff should not be assumed, and that it is important to not overestimate the level of enthusiasm engendered by 'playful' activity. Finally, issues of cost (in terms of staff time and materials), while low in comparison to digital games, remain a significant factor.