Using Games to Enhance Learning and Teaching

Using Games to Enhance Learning and Teaching provides educators with easy and practical ways of using games to support student engagement and learning. Despite growing interest in digital game-based learning and teaching, until now most teachers have lacked the resources or technical knowledge to create games that meet their needs. The only realistic option for many has been to use existing games which too often are out of step with curriculum goals, difficult to integrate, and require high-end technology. Using Games to Enhance Learning and Teaching offers a comprehensive solution, presenting five principles for games that can be embedded into traditional or online learning environments to enhance student engagement and interactivity. Extensive case studies explore specific academic perspectives, and featured insights from professional game designers show how educational games can be designed using readily accessible, low-end technologies, providing an explicit link between theory and practice. Practical in nature, the book has a sound theoretical base that draws from a range of international literature and research.

Nicola Whitton is a Research Fellow at Manchester Metropolitan University. She holds a doctorate in the use of educational games for learning and has recently led projects in the use of alternate reality games for student induction and gaming for older adults. More broadly, her research interests encompass learning and teaching innovation and the use of rich media and technology for learning. Alex Moseley is an Educational Designer and University Teaching Fellow at the University of Leicester, where he has had long experience as both practitioner and researcher of course design and development for higher education. He has particular interests in online and distance education, games-based learning, museum education, student engagement, and provision of effective research skills. He designed a successful games-based approach to teaching Historical research skills, and was also part of the team behind the first charity ARG, Operation: Sleeper Cell.

Part I: Background Chapter 1 Introduction Alex Moseley and Nicola Whitton Chapter 2 Good game design is good learning design Nicola Whitton Part II: Applying game principles to education Chapter 3 Challenge: Levelling up Nicola Whitton Chapter 4 Community: The Wisdom of Crowds Michelle A. Hoyle and Alex Moseley Chapter 5 Narrative: Let me tell you a story Nicola Whitton and Dave White Chapter 6 Competition: Playing to win? Alex Moseley Chapter 7 Multiple media: A picture is worth a thousand words Peter Whitton Part III: Creating games for learning Chapter 8 Authentic contextual games for learning Simon Brookes and Alex Moseley Chapter 9 Mapping games to curricula Alex Moseley and Rosie Jones Chapter 10 Assessment and games Alex Moseley Chapter 11 Designing low-cost games for learning Nicola Whitton and Alex Moseley Part IV: Games in Practice Chapter 12 Developing Alternate Reality Games for learning Katie Piatt Chapter 13 Evaluating Immersive Virtual Environments for learning Sarah Smith-Robbins Chapter 14 Alternate Reality Games and Literature Danielle Barrios-O'Neill and Alan Hook Part V: Conclusions Chapter 15 Conclusions Nicola Whitton and Alex Moseley