Integrating virtual and Physical games: Library instruction in a small academic library

1. Advantages • Students appear to absorb more • Can easily be re-used in many introductory classes • Entirely active-learning instruction session • Fun for students • Covers the same material in 30 minutes as a 45-60 minute lecture with activities • Students’ attention focused to one task at a time, unlike traditional activity sheets • Computer provides a “home base” while students still interact with the physical library • Computer awards points more fairly and quickly than human can • Point system provides inherent rewards Disadvantages • Learning curve for librarian to learn Flash • Time-intensive set-up • Risks associated with active learning (timing, etc.) Readings Gee, J. P. (2003). What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy. New York: Macmillan. • Ward, D. (2007) Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, a, b, select, start: Learning from games and gamers in library 2.0. In N. Courtney (Ed.), Library 2.0 and beyond: Innovative technologies and tomorrow’s user (pp. 105- 118). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited. Integrating virtual and Physical games: Library instruction in a small academic library Results • Took students about 30 minutes • Teamwork necessary and effective • Most teams only missed a few points • Friendly competition • Pride of highest score enough of a reward • Students had fun • Seemed to absorb more material • Gained familiarity with print materials • Story important part of strategy Introduction Millennial students do not remember life before video games and take their interactivity for granted. Students happily spend a great deal of time and mental energy learning while playing video games. The military and medical schools are using games for educational purposes. While the library literature is full of articles on the value of active learning, we rarely are able to get the students to have fun in the library classroom. This project taps into that joy of learning. Project Simple online games created by librarian using Macromedia Flash software Intended for introductory courses Mixed online activities with physical interaction Linked to online tools in addition to baskets of printed materials, nearly all of which readily available to any library visitor Print books and journals contained codes to enter into computer • Tell a story • Makes instruction game-like • Students as secret agent rookies • All resource examples related to theme • Rewards • Awarded points • Final scores posted on blackboard