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Educational Gaming for the Rest of Us WYSIWYG Production of Scalable, Beautiful, Web-based RPGs. Jude Higdon, Ed.D . Director of Innovative Learning and Academic Technology College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota. A Brief Intro to "Behind the Message". Why Educational RPGs?.
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Educational Gaming for the Rest of UsWYSIWYG Production of Scalable, Beautiful, Web-based RPGs Jude Higdon, Ed.D. Director of Innovative Learning and Academic Technology College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota
Why Educational RPGs? • *Can* provide instructional environments that blend elements of authentic assessment, discovery learning, and structured pedagogy. • Has the potential to provide enhanced learning and motivational outcomes for students. • (Some) instructors love it, and would like to be able to power pedagogy through games.
Why *Not* Educational RPGs? • Build model • Monetarily and time intensive • Boutique expertise • Examples: • River City • Games+Learning+Society • Croquetlandia • Buy model: Offerings often fall short of pedagogical goals • Bottom line: Not yet…
NOT SO FAST -- Maybe we can? • Thinking Worlds: • Inexpensive development licenses • WYSIWYG development environment • Web-based delivery • Ready-to-use libraries of scenes, objects, and characters • Development environment scaffolds the process of game development
Can we? • Our Goal: See if we could create an online RPG game in a sustainable way: • Using only student producer resources • In a short development time cycle • With little to no training for developers
YES WE CAN! (So far, at least...) • Pilot project: Behind the Message • School of Journalism and Mass Communication Game (Nora Paul and Kathy Hanson) • Game to teach basic reporting techniques including: • Story angle instincts • Research protocols • Interview skills
GOAL SUCCESS? Use only student producers? Yes! Short development cycle? Sort of...game play in a year, with one part-time UG worker. Little to no training for developers Yes! Conclusions
Next Steps • Augmented reality versions of this and other games • Expand the pilot • Work with the AHC Simulation Center • NIH funding for some simulation evaluation projects
Thoughts and comments? Let's have a (virtual) coffee! jhigdon@umn.edu