We will be exploring the field of instructional gaming through a survey of readings, existing products, and those in development. What is the emerging nature of this field? What are the elements of an effective game? What makes for “good” instructional design within a gaming environment? A large emphasis of the class will be in the examination of current research in the field. Who is doing the research, and what are they recommending? For what kinds of learning needs are video games appropriate? What techniques exist for the assessment of learning within a gaming environment?
The class will center on readings and class discussion. Out-of-class activities will include exposure and the playing of games, and the creation of students’ own game design. We will utilize resources available at the Creative Learning Environments Lab within Instructional Technology.
At the end of the course, students can expect to have a breadth of knowledge in the field and have completed a design brief for an instructional game of their own. One of the assignments for this class will be the design and partial creation of an instructional game based on Edgar Lee Masters work: Spoon River Anthology using the medium of interactive fiction (IF).