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Displaying (1 - 15 of 15)
- Contributor(s)
- Katrin Becker
- Date issued
- 2011
- Description
- Before researchers can perform studies using commercial games, they must choose which game or games to study. The manner in which that choice is made and justified is the focus of this paper. Ideally, research informs pedagogy and when looking at game education it is important to be able to justify and defend conclusions drawn from game studies so they can inform best practices in design and development. As the number and sophistication of titles released in a given year continues to rise, it becomes even more important to look more seriously at how we are choosing the games we study, the criteria we use for those studies, how we support our claims about the suitability of the game for...
- Type
- article
- Appears in collection(s)
- Science and Technology
- Contributor(s)
- Katrin Becker; Darlene Gunson; Haboun Blair; Louis Cheng; Michelle Hayden-Isaak; Christine Miller
- Date issued
- 2015
- Description
- This paper is about the collective experiences of a graduate level education course that had been partially gamified. A common model for graduate level Education courses uses a seminar approach where participants complete various readings and then respond to them in short editorials or blogs. This course gamified that component by requiring students to complete numerous small to medium sized activities that included these typical ones in order to accumulate points. These points contributed to their final grade. Students gave feedback on their experience with gamification throughout the course which included increased ownership and control of learning and grades, as well as unwanted...
- Type
- conference publication
- Appears in collection(s)
- Science and Technology
- Contributor(s)
- Katrin Becker; D. Michele Jacobsen
- Date issued
- 2007
- Description
- Games literacy for all
- Type
- presentations (communicative events)
- Appears in collection(s)
- Science and Technology
- Contributor(s)
- Katrin Becker
- Date issued
- 2005
- Description
- Several ways to address learning are: 1) through learning theories, 2) through learning styles (treated as distinct from learning theories here), and 3) through instructional design theories and models. This paper looks at the second approach to examine how modern games support various learning styles in their design and gameplay. Four well-known learning style models are examined in the context of computer game design. These are: the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, the Gregory Style Delineator, Felder’s Index of Learning Styles, and Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory. Good, i.e. top-rated games can be shown to incorporate aspects of most, if not all of these, and in this way actively support...
- Type
- presentations (communicative events)
- Appears in collection(s)
- Science and Technology
- Contributor(s)
- Katrin Becker
- Date issued
- 2014
- Description
- Many people struggle with the fundamental concepts underlying Mendelian genetics. As soon as we involve more than two traits things get complicated. The classic examples are fine, but additional resources can be helpful. Besides, playing with blood isn't all it's cracked up to be, and rabbits are cuter. Here's a visual way to learn the jargon and the basic principles of Mendelian inheritance while playing a fast-paced card game using rabbit coat color genetics. Coat color in rabbits demonstrates dominance/recessive traits, differences in pheno- vs genotypes, epistatis, and multiple alleles - all of which blend together to form the color we see. Gene Rummy is a variation of Gin Rummy....
- Type
- article
- Appears in collection(s)
- Science and Technology
- Contributor(s)
- Katrin Becker
- Date issued
- 2007
- Type
- presentations (communicative events)
- Appears in collection(s)
- Science and Technology
- Contributor(s)
- Katrin Becker
- Date issued
- 2010
- Description
- This paper takes a fresh look at the Clark/Kozma debate from the perspective of 21st century new media technologies in general and serious games in particular. After a brief re-cap of the key elements of the debate, a relatively recent article by R.E.Clark is summarized that brings serious games into the conversation. Clark’s allegations are addressed and the case is made that digital games form a distinct medium that can not easily be lumped in with other educational technologies. The author draws on over a decade of personal experience teaching with games to move the debate to the next level and offer some recommendations for when and how games can be used effectively in formal contexts.
- Type
- article
- Appears in collection(s)
- Health, Community and Education
- Contributor(s)
- Katrin Becker
- Date issued
- 2007
- Description
- Not sure if games are good or bad for us? Not sure how much of what you hear is hype and how much is real? Want to know what it is that has your students so pre-occupied? For many of today’s generation, digital games are replacing television as leisure activity and hype about games for learning in school settings is once again increasing. Digital games have become at least as much a part of our culture as television was to previous generations and so, it behoves us to become familiar with the medium, but where can a novice go to get some experience? Games are no longer trivial so how are we to know where to start?
- Type
- presentations (communicative events)
- Appears in collection(s)
- Science and Technology
- Contributor(s)
- Katrin Becker; D. Michele Jacobsen
- Date issued
- 2005
- Description
- Games Studies is still a relatively new field where much basic research remains to be done. This study asks K-12 teachers about their attitudes towards the use of games for teaching, what factors facilitate their use and what barriers exist? Information about attitudes, and what things assist and prevent the adoption of games in the classroom can help identify areas of need for the development of support. Concerns about the state and accessibility of computers in classrooms are known, and may not be addressable by those interested in providing games for learning, bit other factors may be. This study outlines several target areas suitable for further research as well as a few suggestions...
- Type
- conference publication
- Appears in collection(s)
- Science and Technology
- Contributor(s)
- Katrin Becker; Elisa Gopin
- Date issued
- 2016
- Description
- Digital games are being used more and more often as teaching resources in the classroom (Habgood & Ainsworth, 2011). Some are games designed specifically for educational purposes, and others—commonly known as COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) games—are commercial games that were designed for entertainment, but have educational value as well. Some of these, like The Sims, Civilization, and Portal, have come to be seen as educational games despite having commercial success outside of education. COTS games may be free to download or play, or games that must be purchased. They can be for any platform, including mobile. While there appears to be a gradually growing acceptance of the use of games...
- Type
- book chapter
- Appears in collection(s)
- Science and Technology
- Contributor(s)
- Katrin Becker
- Date issued
- 2005
- Description
- Have you ever watched a child or teenager playing a videogame they really liked? Do you wonder what it is about this game that has them so completely engrossed? Part of the answer is that games are motivating, rewarding, engaging, and challenging, all at the same time. The kids will probably just tell you they’re fun. But when you think about it, fun and engagement are synonymous, and engagement is something we all want for our learners. Games also show us that challenge sells – when was the last time you heard that a game was popular because it was easy? Does a game loose its appeal once it has been won? Rarely. The game looses its appeal when players have learned all they can from it....
- Type
- presentations (communicative events)
- Appears in collection(s)
- Science and Technology
- Contributor(s)
- Katrin Becker; J. R. Parker
- Date issued
- 2014
- Description
- Key Summary Points The design of games for learning requires knowledge of game design and of instructional design. One cannot merely be layer on top of the other. A learning game must be designed to meet pre-specified learning objectives. Games have specific characteristics that require specific design skills: they are entertaining as well as instructional, interactive, visually appealing, and often replayable.
- Type
- book chapter
- Appears in collection(s)
- Health, Community and Education
- Contributor(s)
- Katrin Becker
- Date issued
- 2014
- Description
- Videogames are interactive by nature - people proceed in games by doing things, and this experiential quality lies at the very core of game design. Without interaction, it isn’t a game. Videogames are popular precisely because of the experience - games designed for learning can do no less. However, to be feasible for use in formal educational settings, they must do more, and while we are making progress studying games in classrooms, there remain few structured approaches to analysing games that do not include classroom testing. This presentation will outline the author’s Four Pillars of Game-Based Learning and show using examples how they can be used to perform a structured analysis of...
- Type
- presentations (communicative events)
- Appears in collection(s)
- Health, Community and Education
- Contributor(s)
- Katrin Becker
- Date issued
- 2001
- Description
- The value of games as a vehicle for teaching concepts while inspiring students is now well accepted at almost all levels of education. Video games, arcade and computer games are rarely given the same kind of attention. This paper will describe the value of computer games as a motivator and some of the benefits that can be realized by using known computer games as programming applications, even in the first year of a CS program. The use of two such games as assignments in CS1 and CS2 is outlined and some feedback on the experience is offered.
- Type
- article
- Appears in collection(s)
- Science and Technology
- Contributor(s)
- Katrin Becker
- Date issued
- 2007
- Description
- One way to understand how a particular medium can be used effectively in education is to study its outstanding examples, regardless of their original purpose. The argument can be made that many of the most successful commercial games already embody sound pedagogy in their designs even if that incorporation was not deliberate. The following paper will examine two games: one a commercial and critical success and the other designed deliberately as an educational game. The analysis seeks to answer the two questions: What do players need to learn in order to win the game?, and How does the game support that learning? A comparative analysis of both games reveals that although they are very...
- Type
- presentations (communicative events)
- Appears in collection(s)
- Science and Technology