Captivating classroom: Gaming in an online classroom
As gaming continues to gain popularity, it has found its way into many areas of pop culture, and is now making its way into education. In an effort to develop a fun way for students to get engaged, Dr. Tamara Hunt, professor of history, took a creative approach to incorporating games into the online realm of the classroom. With her students coming into history class with the predisposed notion that they are going to be memorizing things, Hunt encourages them to think outside of the box by utilizing games. The main objectives of this strategy are to adapt and innovate, as well as challenge and engage students in learning.
"I really wanted to get students engaged with the material and I don't think there's anything wrong with them having fun while doing that," said Hunt.
"O'Fortuna" was the first game she utilized in the classroom. The game transported students to Early Modern Europe where they were challenged to think about what factors led people to make certain decisions. Students were taken on a quest to understand the lives of carpenters, cloth traders, merchants or women (who faced their own unique struggles), and tested their knowledge of the time period to see if they could make historically-sound decisions. Incorporating this into classwork, Hunt provided students with primary sources related to issues they encountered while playing the game that helped them better understand the struggles of that time period.
She even incorporated gaming into an ethical question: "Who Wants to be a Cotton Millionaire?" Specifically examining Great Britain in the Victorian times, players were asked to make choices to determine their success as Victorian entrepreneurs. Choose well, and make money and the business will survive, or choose badly and end up bankrupt. Might sound simple enough, but those decisions came with questionable moral implications. After playing the game, students would reflect on the moral issues they came across and how some of those decisions would have long-term effects on society.
After having directly worked with some pre-established games, Hunt utilized that information as a basis to outline her own games that students could play on Blackboard. She applied aspects of an American Indian trading game to get students thinking about cultural interactions. By keeping track of what was important to their character in their society, students were challenged to think more deeply about how these societies operate and what their values and goals are.
Only two years into applying this pedagogical approach, Hunt has already noticed more engagement from students. While she has applied this to the study of history, she encourages the use of games throughout many disciplines. "Games can be adapted to different class structures," says Hunt. While games are a fun way for students to learn, she emphasizes that they must also challenge the students to think creatively. "I want them to be curious about the world around them," she said.