{"id":1454,"date":"2017-07-12T15:10:14","date_gmt":"2017-07-12T19:10:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lucysnyder.com\/?p=1454"},"modified":"2017-07-12T15:14:29","modified_gmt":"2017-07-12T19:14:29","slug":"game-based-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lucysnyder.com\/index.php\/game-based-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Game-Based Learning"},"content":{"rendered":"

Game-based learning is pretty much what it says on the tin: it’s the use of a game to teach specific skills or concepts. For instance, most of us are familiar with online typing games<\/a> that help people assess and improve their keyboarding skills. There are plenty of educational games that are directly designed to teach concepts such as the many offerings at Game Classroom<\/a> or The Beer Game<\/a>, which teaches college-level supply chain management concepts. However, there are also many “regular” games that teach valid educational concepts, such as Minecraft<\/a>, Scrabble<\/a>, Oregon Trail<\/a>, Plague Inc<\/a>., and Suburbia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Why use a game for learning? Learning through play is a powerful tool for children and adults alike. Games provide far more engagement for students than traditional classroom lectures or book study. Games provide motivation, competition, and immediate reward and feedback. Simple types of learning games teachers might use in class include flash card games or a trivia games. Very good, complex games provide immersive storytelling, opportunities for positive social interaction, and outlets for creativity. Game-based learning can also provide scenario simulation and role-playing that prepares students to apply concepts and skills in the real world.<\/p>\n

Edutainment games such as Reader Rabbit<\/a> have been popular for years. GamesBeat<\/a> says that the game-based learning market will swell to $2.3 billion dollars in 2017, in large part because schools have become far more accepting of using learning apps on tablets and other mobile devices.<\/p>\n

The key element of any type of game-based learning is that it has specific, measurable learning outcomes. Games must be designed to integrate opportunities for players to learn concepts or skills and successfully demonstrate that they know how to apply them. For instance, an educator who has decided to incorporate Plague Inc.<\/a> or Pandemic<\/a> in a public heath course might write this outcome: “After playing the game, students will be able to list and describe common disease transmission vectors and explain how local environments affect these modes of transmission.”<\/p>\n

An educator who is looking for a learning game, or who is considering creating one, should ask him- or herself the following questions:<\/p>\n