Serious Games/Simulation

Use in Online CoursesJim Grenier

Mass Bay Community College

Peter Shea

Middlesex Community College

Session Description

Serious games/simulations are a multibillion-dollar industry that has

the potential to be a disruptive force in education at all levels.

This presentation/discussion will address such issues as using

games/sims in online courses for student performance data collection

and assessment, customizing instruction with games/sims, and

overcoming obstacles to integrating games/sims in the curriculum, as

well the possible solutions to these implementation issues.

Presenters

Peter Shea

Director, Office of Professional Development

Middlesex Community College (Massachusetts)

E-mail: sheap@Middlesex.mass.edu

J.M. GrenierDirector of Online Education

Massachusetts Bay Community CollegeE-mail: jgrenier@massbay.edu

You can discover more about a person in

an hour of play than in a year of

conversation.

Plato

Definitions

A simulation is an “interactive environment in which

features in the environment behave similarly to real-

word events.” (Clark & Meyer, 2003).

“A serious game is a game in which education (in its

various forms) is the primary goal, rather than

entertainment.” (Chen, 2006)

Important Terms

“Educational data mining (EDM) refers to the process of extracting useful information out of a

large collection of complex educational data sets (Berland, Baker, & Blikstein, 2014 ).

“Academic analytics (AA) is the identification of meaningful patterns in educational data in

order to inform academic issues (e.g., retention, success rates) and produce actionable

“strategies” in budgeting, human resources, etc. (Long & Siemens, 2011 ).”

“Learning analytics (LA) emphasizes on insights and responses to real-time learning

processes based on educational information from digital learning environments, administrative

systems, and social platforms. Such dynamic educational information is used for real-time

interpretation, modeling, prediction, and optimization of learning processes, learning

environments, and educational decision- making in near real time (Ifenthaler &

Widanapathirana, 2014 ).”

[Source: Loh, C., Shang, Y., & Ifenthaler, D. (Eds.). (2014). Serious Games Analytics: Methodologies for performance measurement, assessment, and improvement]

Emerging Market for Serious Games

& Simulations

[Source: Ambient Insight. The 2012-2017 Worldwide Game-based Learning and Simulation-based Markets

Key Findings from Recent Ambient Insight Research. Presentation for Serious Play Conference 2013.

http://goo.gl/6WL39G]

Example of a Serious Game with LAD

Screenshot of Agent Surefire game space Screenshot of Agent Surefire Player LAD

[Source: Mavi Interactive]

Example: Gravitalent

[Source: You Tube]

Example of a Simulation with LAD

Simformer offers a learning management system which provides both an LAD for student players tracking the success of their virtual businesses as a well as a LAD that provides instructors data on student performance in the simulation. [Source: Simformer]

“We overestimate student knowledge and thus

build new knowledge on a shaky foundation.”

(Ambrose et al., 2010)

How is Simulation or Game-based

Assessment Different from Traditional

Educational Assessment?

Sim Tools

[Source: www.branchtrack.com]

Examples of Serious Games

Nobel Prize Website – Displays several games in different content

areas. http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/

FunBrain – Great website for K-8, both for students and teachers.

www.funbrain.com

Educational Learning Games – boasts over 4000 games for

education. http://www.educationallearninggames.com/

Examples of Simulations

Churchfire https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/RLOs/661/Armstrong-

churchfire.htm

Evil Landlady (Cultural Competence) http://www.halfbakedsoftware.com/quandary/version_2/examples/landlady.htm

Rhet Sims https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/TitleIII/rhetsim.aspx

Advantages of Game-Based

Assessment

"The greatest advantage of an in situ analysis algorithm built ... into the game

engine is that it allows for ad hoc (formative) assessment. This means that

stakeholders can access the assessment report as the game is still in

progress, without waiting for play-learners to complete the entire game." (Loh

et al.,2014)

[Source: Loh, C., Shang, Y., & Ifenthaler, D. (Eds.). (2014). Serious Games Analytics: Methodologies for performance measurement, assessment, and improvement]

Paradigm Shifting

“If great lecture is theatre, the future of learning is games.”

Anant Agarwhal – President, EdX

[Source: Inaugural Celebration Symposium: The Future of Education. 2012 MIT Alumni Leadership Conference .http://storify.com/mitalc/2012-mit-alumni-leadership-conference]

Recommended Reading

Aldrich, C. (2009). The Complete Guide to Simulations & Serious Games: How the

Most Valuable Content Will Be Created in the Age Beyond Gutenberg to Google.

San Francisco, CA: Pfieffer

Kapp, K. (2012). The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-based

Methods and Strategies for Training and Education. Pfieffer.

Loh, C., Shang, Y., & Ifenthaler, D. (Eds.). (2014). Serious Games Analytics:

Methodologies for Performance Measurement, Assessment, and Improvement.

Springer.

Mayer, R (2014). Computer-Based Games for Learning: An Evidence Based

Approach. Cambridge: MIT Press

Michael, D & Chen, S. (2006) Serious Games: Games that Educate, Train, and

Inform. Boston: Thomson

All play means something.- Johan Huizinga, Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play-Element in Culture

[Special thanks to our friend Nikki Boots, PhD for some of the slide content]