Giving games are classroom activities where students are given a preset amount of money to donate to charitable organizations. Through discussion and debate, students evaluate various pre-selected organizations and vote on where to allocate the funds. These games aim to develop students' critical thinking about philanthropic giving by having them consider factors like organizational effectiveness, transparency, and alignment with personal values. Several University of Alaska Anchorage courses use giving games, finding they increase student engagement with issues of community problem-solving, global development, and careers in philanthropy. Student feedback indicates the activities provide an eye-opening learning experience that influences students' views on citizenship and effective altruism.
Using Giving Games to Develop International and Intercultural Critical Thinking Skills
1. USING GIVING GAMES TO DEVELOP INTERNATIONAL AND
INTERCULTURAL CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS
Dorn Van Dommelen, Judith Owens-Manley, University of Alaska Anchorage
2. What are Giving Games?
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Activity designed to encourage thinking and debate about charitable
donations
Preset amount to donate
Participants discuss and debate merits of organizations
Pre-selected organizations
Participant nominated organizations
Voting or evaluation leads to selection
3. What do Giving Games do?
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Develop critical thinking about philanthropic giving
Third party ratings
Use of empirical evidence in evaluation
Effectiveness in altruism
Experiential learning and reflection
Negotiation and compromise
Discussion of values – in philanthropy, in development
Intercultural exploration
Empirical support is just emerging
4. CEL A392: Fall Semester, 2015
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Civic Engagement seminar in “Learning by Giving”
Preceded by partnership with Technical Writing Class (Spring)
Potential agencies screened then meet with class
Students write grant proposals (in groups) and send to agencies
Agencies submit chosen proposal to UAA Center for Community Engagement and Learning
CEL A392 students learn about:
History of philanthropy & philanthropic giving
Three sector economy & non-profit management
State of the state & state of the city
Grant assessment & creating rubrics
Grant decisions & giving awards
5. GEOG A390A: Spring Semester, 2016
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Global Geography Seminar in “Effective Development and Altruism”
Students had $1000
Semester-long game
Students nominated and spoke in behalf of organizations at the end of a weekly seminar
focused on effectiveness in international development
Weekly voting saw rise and fall of 20+ organizations until five were chosen in a final “giving
tournament”
Final presentations were made to the “donors” and the class and donors negotiated final
contributions
Spring, 2017 plans
Foundation account to expand donor base
Pre- and post-surveys to measure effectiveness of the game
6. Other games
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GEOG A101: Lecture and vote
In-class comparison between two representative development agencies
Heifer International (holistic, agricultural development)
Give Directly (focused, direct giving development)
Discussion of Charity Navigator and GiveWell ratings
Discussion of values and arguments (NPR comparison)
Vote via-Socrative
GEOG A101: Discussion and vote
Lecture and discussion on microfinance
Exploration of Kiva.org loan options
Class selection of loan
7. Learning outcomes and anecdotes
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Formal assessment
CEL A392: Underway in current semester!
GEOG A390A: Students effectively communicated critical thinking about values, attitudes,
and practices in the area of effective altruism
Anecdotal evidence of success and engagement CEL A392
Students self-report learning to think critically and expanding knowledge base about
community and state level problem-solving.
Four local foundations now strongly connected to project
Integration of local organizations as guest speakers/co-teachers highly successful
Financial support is solid
Student interest in philanthropy as career path and participation as active citizens
8. Learning outcomes and anecdotes
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Anecdotal evidence of success and engagement (continued)
GEOG A390A
Exceptionally well-received by students
Course was cited as success during department peer-review of instructor’s teaching
Student interest in effectiveness in development clearly piqued
Efforts to expand course to include outside donors and careful assessment of student
learning are underway
9. Your turn!
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Form groups of 4-5 people
Examine written information on four possible organizations to support with a $200 donation
Discuss, considering at least the following:
Are the values of the organization aligned with your interests as a donor?
Are these organizations transparent in their finances?
Do donations made to this organization largely go to programs or to overhead?
How do these organizations demonstrate effectiveness? In other words, are they able to
prove that the work they do does what it’s supposed to do?
How effective are these organizations? What sort of value do you get for a donation?
Reach a consensus, as best as you are able, as to which organization to support.
Prepare to briefly report your decision and why you made it.
10. Reflection and Evaluation
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Reflection possibilities
Quick written responses via Socrative-like software.
Group reflection discussions
Short speeches on personal values and philanthropy.
Personal reflection assignment on philanthropic giving – a philanthropic autobiography.
Evaluation thoughts
Be as clear in evaluation as you demand them to be in evaluating charities
Rubrics that measure student effectiveness, reflecting rubrics that measure charitable
effectiveness
11. Possibilities and Problems
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Opportunity to explore the local vs. the global
Difficulties in student understanding of effectiveness
Grant proposals that are “apples and oranges” for the community. As students create rubrics,
how to rate them fairly, since we haven’t specified domains that we fund and those we don’t.
12. Resources
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Learning By Giving Foundation
The Life You Can Save – Giving Games
GiveWell – Giving Effectively
13. Student Quotes
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CEL A392
“In the beginning when classes first started, I
said that philanthropy is “giving stuff away.” It
includes the ability to forge bonds with other
humans and the community. In the process of
philanthropy, you begin to learn how to be
selfless and how to make the world a better
place. . . This class opened me up to a whole
new world I haven’t even thought about.”
GEOG A390A
“This class has truly been enlightening and eye
opening …the material really needs to be
available to everybody…because it is so eye
opening and it encouraged me to become a
better global citizen. The topics we covered in
this class should be dominating mass media,
but unfortunately they aren’t. This class was
crucial to helping me determine what I will do
after I graduate and how to become an
effective citizen and human being.”