Lecture 6 ID&E Learning with computer games (GBL)
Learning with computer games
Searching for the holy grail
Program/Learning aims
1. What is game-based learning (GBL)?
a. Which definition would I make?
2. GBL from an IDE perspective
a. How can GBL be seen from educational models?
3. Empirical evidence for GBL
a. Is it effective, is it motivating?
What is game-based learning: Game characteristics
People like playing computer games. Why?
• Clear goal/challenge of the game
• Interactivity
o You need to respond to some actions
• Feedback
o You get point/lives
• Adaptivity
o Adjust to the competency of the player
• Rules/constraints
o E.g. you can only spend your money ones in the game
• Not mandatory:
o (Competition)
o (Narrative)
▪ It’s about the story what you tell.
▪ Can be helpful in a computer game, but not mandatory.
People like playing computer games. Why?
When these are balanced, the gamer becomes into a flow/emerged in the game.
These characteristics are also relevant for learning
• Goals
• Interactivity: act in active cognitive processes
• Feedback: how to scaffold students in their learning process
• Adaptivity: adapt the difficulty of the task.
In addition: (using sounds, animations, you can create a meaningful context)
• Situated learning (create a nuclear building and applying skills in this animation)
, • ‘Graceful failure’ (People can make mistakes without real consequences, they can try again,
make hypotheses and test them. This might create a critical learner)
What is game-based learning: Effects
What kind of (learning) effects/outcomes can we expect from computer games?
What is game-based learning: What’s in a name?
Focus on serious games and gamification
• Games for Learning
• Game-based Pedagogy
• Serious games (business, medicines, government → education in a formal way)
o In this lecture: game-based-learning (GBL)
o Make a model of the reality of the skill, in the game play you learn the skill
• Educational games
• Simulation games
• Gamification
Left: exotic world where they will find
math problems. When solved
correctly, they can continue the game.
Right: The element of competition
brought into the classroom, without
really playing a game.
What is game-based learning:
A definition
My definition:
1. A model implemented on a digital device
2. It has some defining characteristics: goals/challenge, interactivity, feedback, adaptivity,
rules/constraints
3. These characteristics create engagement when they are well-balanced for the purpose of
learning. Because they are so engaged they will also learn.
4. The use of this engagement for other purposes such as learning, training and awareness
5. Learning effects involve cognition, locomotion (motor skills), affection and communication
, 2. GBL from an IDE perspective: Learning theories
• Poor theoretical foundation of GBL. Combination of learning theories, but…
• Intuitive learning: the challenge
o In contrast with the state of flow
Left: Behaviorism and Cognitivism: for VMBO-students, solving proportional reasoning.
- You need the skill of ‘tafels’ automatization → which was not really done
- Therefore drilled exercises to automatize them for the real learning task: solving
proportional reasoning.
- Behaviorism: drilling the ‘tafels’
Right: Constructivism and Cognitivism: biologist goes to an island to find a solution for the broken
out decease
- Constructivism: learning from the environment of being a good biologist
How are learning theories embedded in GBL? (Wu et al., 2012)
Almost of all the games analyst do not have explicated the theories of learning.
Critics on this article: they might have stated their theoretical framework more implicitly.
Learning with computer games
Searching for the holy grail
Program/Learning aims
1. What is game-based learning (GBL)?
a. Which definition would I make?
2. GBL from an IDE perspective
a. How can GBL be seen from educational models?
3. Empirical evidence for GBL
a. Is it effective, is it motivating?
What is game-based learning: Game characteristics
People like playing computer games. Why?
• Clear goal/challenge of the game
• Interactivity
o You need to respond to some actions
• Feedback
o You get point/lives
• Adaptivity
o Adjust to the competency of the player
• Rules/constraints
o E.g. you can only spend your money ones in the game
• Not mandatory:
o (Competition)
o (Narrative)
▪ It’s about the story what you tell.
▪ Can be helpful in a computer game, but not mandatory.
People like playing computer games. Why?
When these are balanced, the gamer becomes into a flow/emerged in the game.
These characteristics are also relevant for learning
• Goals
• Interactivity: act in active cognitive processes
• Feedback: how to scaffold students in their learning process
• Adaptivity: adapt the difficulty of the task.
In addition: (using sounds, animations, you can create a meaningful context)
• Situated learning (create a nuclear building and applying skills in this animation)
, • ‘Graceful failure’ (People can make mistakes without real consequences, they can try again,
make hypotheses and test them. This might create a critical learner)
What is game-based learning: Effects
What kind of (learning) effects/outcomes can we expect from computer games?
What is game-based learning: What’s in a name?
Focus on serious games and gamification
• Games for Learning
• Game-based Pedagogy
• Serious games (business, medicines, government → education in a formal way)
o In this lecture: game-based-learning (GBL)
o Make a model of the reality of the skill, in the game play you learn the skill
• Educational games
• Simulation games
• Gamification
Left: exotic world where they will find
math problems. When solved
correctly, they can continue the game.
Right: The element of competition
brought into the classroom, without
really playing a game.
What is game-based learning:
A definition
My definition:
1. A model implemented on a digital device
2. It has some defining characteristics: goals/challenge, interactivity, feedback, adaptivity,
rules/constraints
3. These characteristics create engagement when they are well-balanced for the purpose of
learning. Because they are so engaged they will also learn.
4. The use of this engagement for other purposes such as learning, training and awareness
5. Learning effects involve cognition, locomotion (motor skills), affection and communication
, 2. GBL from an IDE perspective: Learning theories
• Poor theoretical foundation of GBL. Combination of learning theories, but…
• Intuitive learning: the challenge
o In contrast with the state of flow
Left: Behaviorism and Cognitivism: for VMBO-students, solving proportional reasoning.
- You need the skill of ‘tafels’ automatization → which was not really done
- Therefore drilled exercises to automatize them for the real learning task: solving
proportional reasoning.
- Behaviorism: drilling the ‘tafels’
Right: Constructivism and Cognitivism: biologist goes to an island to find a solution for the broken
out decease
- Constructivism: learning from the environment of being a good biologist
How are learning theories embedded in GBL? (Wu et al., 2012)
Almost of all the games analyst do not have explicated the theories of learning.
Critics on this article: they might have stated their theoretical framework more implicitly.
