Using Game Design Methodology in Adult Classes

cj63ingram

Introduction

Wikipedia states "Game design is defined as the process of creating and shaping the mechanics, systems, and rules of a game." (Wikipedia, Online encyclopedia) Games Design methodology will be reviewed here as an adult learner and the benefits they receive from introducing games into the curriculum. With the advancements in technology, we need to consider the use of multimedia technology and games in our curriculum as a way to increase learner engagement. As more advancements are made, considering the use of games in adult training provides many benefits for our students. Games are not just for children and most adults prefer the change from the lecture format to the variety of games for training classes. With these games, instructional designers can be more creative with their course material, open the lines of communication between student, teacher and classmates, create interactive games to represent real-world scenarios that will be more appropriate for adults who are in the class for a specific reason and reward the students for their interaction and accomplishments.

Altamira and Jaurez (2013) presented their research examining the effects of game design methodology (GDM) to enhance deeper learning in the students. "Games and game design have been shown to be one way of creating an interactive environment, where students and teachers are able to expand the traditional lecture assignment structure to include a more stimulating and pragmatic approach to education." (Durham, McKitmon, & Schulman, 2007; Jaurez, Fu, Uhlig, & Viswanathan, 2010; Prensky, 2008). They found that using games increased the knowledge a student gained from the class, and it closed the gap in the retention and understanding of the class material. By using game design, instructional designers are able to maximize the student's learning outcomes by setting clear goals for the students.

Considering the needs of the student

Dave Eng from University XP discusses the advantage for adults by using games in adult learning. "Serious games provide students with the ability to put their learned skills into practice. ("Games for Adult Learning - University XP") Whether that be a flight simulator or a stock market simulator: games help students learn through practice." (Eng, 2021, YouTube video)

Game design elements used in consideration when developing appropriate games for our audience include conflicts that present a challenge; strategies and chances that will be taken in the game; aesthetics to make the game appealing to our students; the themes and stories that are presented; and the rewards being offered for completing the tasks. With the advancement of game design, incorporating games into an adult class has gotten much easier. Developing clear goals for our students allow them to have a better understanding of the task presented to them. One way we look to the needs of our student is to develop real world scenarios and applying the goals of the tasks to be more interesting. According to Reiser and Dempsey, "motivation to learn is promoted when leaners can succeed in mastering the learning task." (Dempsey and Reiser, 2018) One of the principles they speak to is "Keep It Real: The Benefits of Authentic Tasks in Contemporary Learning Environments." (Dempsey and Reiser, 2018). This speaks to developing games with real-world scenarios, giving the adult learner authentic context to immerse themselves in course material using these games. By accomplishing this, students will believe they can succeed in learning the tasks set for them.

Let’s get interactive with our learning.

Curiosity is another factor to take into consideration when developing games for adult learners. If the scenarios do not challenge a student, they will not gain the benefits of mastering the subject. Curiosity allows a student to make connections between the subject and the games presented in class. By varying these games and using different media and game design methods, students benefit in many ways. As technology advances and learning changes, we must adapt to our students needs and provide strategies to engage them more deeply and allow them to take away more realistic and concrete ideas of our subjects. There are several ways to provide learner engagement using interactive games for adult learning. In the video, it shows several games and software/applications that can be used to create these games for your students of all ages.

When a game is developed and created to represent a theme or story representing a real-world based scenario, the learner actually sees the work they will be doing when they leave class.

Establishing Goals.

When we establish goals for our students, it gives them a clearer picture of the expectation for the class. When establishing these goals, instructors will need to take the student's need for the material and what they are expected to get out of the class. These goals vary from student to student and with adult learners, the main goal is to enable them to do their job better. These goals can be non-specific or emotionally based (Reiser, 2018, pg. 79). With adult leaners, developing the curriculum to accomplish these goals with games can be challenging. If we address the needs of our students, create the games to supplement our course using multimedia platforms and get creative with the storylines, themes and other game design methods, we give our students that ability to expect a good outcome from the class.

Games provide this goal-oriented thinking, by adapting many of the learner engagements and principles that have been discussed. The games that are incorporated into the class must be carefully considered for the goal that is to be accomplished, the content the student needs to take away and the curiosity that we can create with these games. Once this has been addressed in the curriculum, the specific content can be presented to learners taking into consideration their specific goals. Taking into consideration each student's needs and adapting the curriculum to address these will provide our students the end result of a successful outcome.

Rewarding students for the completion of tasks

There are many theories that say rewards work well and not the other end, do not work well at all. However, when considering game design methodology, the implementation of rewards is very popular. Most all games in the video work have rewards for the players. These rewards often include leaderboards, badges and certificates that the player will receive upon completion of the task or goal in the game.

Games in adult learning can be created to offer interactive concepts regardless of the student’s age. Games can be set up to offer incentives and rewards for correct answers or by accomplishing all of the tasks set out in the goal. Leaderboards, badges and certificates add a second layer of learner engagement strategies. By creating these goals, it allows the instructional designer to get creative in the games they use, from video games to board games. The rewards that are established in these games will challenge our students to gain a deeper learning by doing a deep dive into the material being presented. In the video below, Matthew Collville [2022] discusses the development for setting clear goals in the games to achieve those rewards.

Conclusion The question that is asked when doing needs analysis for a curriculum is "what can we do to increase learner engagement in the class?" Using the principles of learner engagement for providing curiosity for your students, giving them interactive ways to learn, setting clear goals when developing your tasks and providing incentives to complete the tasks is the foundation of adding games and multimedia supplements to a curriculum. Whether classes are virtual or in person, does not change this analysis. By adding multimedia platforms, such as YouTube videos, games in the virtual world, or in the classroom to the curriculum gives the students more challenges in the development of their personal goals, assists with a deeper understanding of the material and the student will be more likely to anticipate that successful outcome they are looking for. By applying the game design methodology to the outcome, we would like our students to achieve, students will find it easier to engage in the class and accomplish the result of achieving a passing grade to allow them to advance to the next stage of their development.

References

Dempsey, R.A.R.J.V. (2018). Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology. [VitalSource Bookshelf]. Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780134237039.

Durham, Y., McKinnon, T., & Schuhnan, C. (2007). Classroom Experiments: Not Just Fun and Games. Economic Inquiry, 45(1), 162-178. Retrieved from https://web-p-ebscohost-com.oclc.fullsail.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=12&sid=4841c8df-fe88-4980-8618-2175f296822f%40redis.

Eng, Dave. [Sept. 26, 2021]. Episode 42 Games for Adult Learning. University XP. YouTube video. Retrieved from https://www.universityxp.com/video/42.

Jaurez, J., Fu, P., Uhlig, R., & Viswanathan, S. (2010, October). Beyond simulation: Student-built virtual reality games for cellular network design. Paper presented at the Proceedings of American Society for Engineering Education Conference and Exhibition, Louisville, Kentucky. Retrieved from https://web-p-ebscohost-com.oclc.fullsail.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=12&sid=4841c8df-fe88-4980-8618-2175f296822f%40redis.

Matthew Colville [Jan.6, 2022]. Toward Better Rewards | Running the Game. YouTube video. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwpQwCWdhL8&t=1050s.

Nelson Altamirano and James Juarez. (2013). Student Built Games in Economic Courses: Applying the Game Design Methodology as Another Approach to Deeper Learning. [EbSCO Host] Retrieved from https://web-p-ebscohost-com.oclc.fullsail.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=12&sid=4841c8df-fe88-4980-8618-2175f296822f%40redis.

teachers diaries. [2022]. My Top 10 Apps for Game-Based Learning | For Free. YouTube video. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uaaOobo3Ws.

Wikipedia. [2023]. Game Design. Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game design.