Presenters: Steven Weitz, Assistant Professor or Media Arts, Lehigh Carbon Community College Mary Rasley, Professor of CIS, Lehigh Carbon Community College This presentation discusses the “Edugaming Framework” which takes educational concepts and creates games from them. The focus of this framework is in keep quizzing out of games, while ensuring that the content itself becomes the core gameplay element in a game.

1. Steven Weitz & Mary Rasley
The Edugaming Framework
Keeping the Quiz Out of Educational Games to
Create Effective Learning Environments
sweitz@lccc.edu & mrasley@lccc.edu
Lehigh Carbon Community College
Pennsylvania
NSF-ATEGrants1003154&1304216- Anyopinions,findings,andconclusionsor
recommendationsexpressedinthismaterialarethoseoftheauthor(s)anddonotnecessarily
reflecttheviewsoftheNationalScienceFoundation

2. Educational games have a reputation
for being terrible…
… because many educational games
are terrible.

3. But they don’t have to be!
wrongwithmanyeducational
games?That question is
actually 2 questions…

4. What’s wrong with many educational
games?
That question is
actually 2 questions…

5. Why don’t games cause a
deeper understanding?
1.
Why aren’t educational
games engaging?
2.

6. They are quizzes
pretending to be games

7. They are quizzes
pretending to be games
Quizzing has a place in the
classroom.

8. Quizzing has a place in the
classroom.
Quizzing significantly
detracts from games.

9. Quizzing has a place in the
classroom.
Quizzing significantly
detracts from games.

10. Bloom’s Taxonomy

11. Why don’t games cause a
deeper understanding?
1.
Why aren’t educational
games engaging?
2.

12. Why don’t games cause a
deeper understanding?
1.

13. Games are NOT great
for fact retention

15. What the player does
is what will be
reinforced.

16. All games “teach” something.
We’re trying to make games
that teach something useful.

17. The educational content needs
to be the play.

18. The educational content needs
to be the play.playplay

19. Why don’t games cause a
deeper understanding?
1.
Why aren’t educational
games engaging?
2.

20. Why aren’t educational
games engaging?
2.

21. It’s about Choices

25. Two choices…
… one right
answer

26. “A game is a series of
interesting choices.” – Sid Meier

27. Interesting choices.” – S
“A game is a series
Interesting

28. Quiz =/= Engaging Game.

29. =/= Engaging Game.Quiz

30. Quiz + Luck =/= Engaging Game.

31. Quiz + Luck =/= Engaging Game.?Twitch Skill

32. Quiz + Twitch Skill?

34. Quiz + Twitch Skill?

35. Quiz + Twitch Skill?

36. Quiz + Twitch Skill?
Reinforces reflexes and fast recall…
NOT understanding.

37. Educational games that aren’t quizzes
Easier said than done.
...

38. The Edugaming Framework

39. 1) Identify the specific concept
to reinforce

40. 2) Analysis: Break the concept
into
its component parts

41. An example:
• 2 is a piece
• + is a piece
• (- 4) is a piece
• X is a piece
• = is a piece
2 + (- 4) = X

42. 3) Consider the essence of the
knowledge those components
represent.

43. Back to our example…
• 2 is a starting point
• + is how to alter that starting point
• (- 4) is how much to alter it by
• X is the end result
2 + (- 4) = X
This is about manipulating numbers

44. 4) The essence becomes the
core gameplay using the
relationship of the
components.

45. Back to our example…
• Components: Numbers, Combinations, Results
• Essence: Manipulation
• Core Gameplay: Acquiring and manipulating
numbers to reach a goal.
2 + (- 4) = X

46. 5) Determine what the User
Experience (UX) will be.

47. 6) Build the rest of the game
around the core gameplay,
within the desired experience.

48. 7) Refine the game through
iterative playtesting.

49. Always perform a core check:
Is the educational content still the
core play of the game?

50. Steven Weitz & Mary Rasley
sweitz@lccc.edu & mrasley@lccc.edu
Lehigh Carbon Community College
Pennsylvania
NSF-ATEGrants1003154&1304216- Anyopinions,findings,andconclusionsor
recommendationsexpressedinthismaterialarethoseoftheauthor(s)anddonotnecessarily
reflecttheviewsoftheNationalScienceFoundation