The document outlines an agenda for a class on design strategies for e-learning. It discusses aligning engagement with education and elements for engaged learning, including theme, goal, challenge, action-domain link, and feedback. It presents four levels of engagement for e-learning design from enhanced instructional design to full game experiences. It provides the DreamBox math tutoring program as an example and outlines using Flash for motion tweening, buttons, and movie clips.

1. Design Strategy
IT 7220
February 2, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009 1

2. Agenda
Personal Web pages

Revisit Synergy of Learning and Engagement

Elements for Engaged Learning

Design Strategies of e-Learning

Flash - Motion Tweening, Buttons, Movieclips

Monday, February 2, 2009 2

3. Personal Web Pages
Monday, February 2, 2009 3

4. Aligning Engagement with
Education
Revisit juxtaposition of learning elements with

engagement elements from week 1
Basis for designing games that are both educationally

effective and engaging
Lack of awareness for this synergy creates a barrier

to providing engaging learning
Putting educators and entertainment experts together

historically doesn’t produce results as they invoke
very different paradigms for achieving results
Monday, February 2, 2009 4

5. Synergy of Learning and
Engagement Elements
Learning Elements Engagement Elements Engaged Learning
Contextualized Thematic coherence Theme
Clear goal Clear goal Goal
Appropriate challenge Balanced challenge Challenge
Anchored Relevance: action to domain Action-Domain Link
Relevant Relevance: problem to learner Problem-Learner link
Exploratory Choices of action Active
Active manipulation Direct Manipulation Direct
Appropriate feedback Coupling Feedback
Attention-getting Novel information and events Affect
Monday, February 2, 2009 5

6. Elements for Engaged Learning
Theme

 Setting and context
 Draw from well-known genres (from
literature, movies, or games) to build
familiarity
 Story; simplification or exaggeration of reality
Monday, February 2, 2009 6

7. Elements for Engaged Learning
Goal

 Establish in the story set-up
 Provides motivation for action
 Includes metric for attainment
 May change over time
Monday, February 2, 2009 7

8. Elements for Engaged Learning
Challenge

 Systematic balance of difficulty that changes as
the learner progresses
 Drill and practice is test for knowledge
retention, does not create challenge or reduce
boredom/frustration level
 Challenge needs to adapt to learner; games
have levels with associated difficulty
Monday, February 2, 2009 8

9. Elements for Engaged Learning
Action-Domain Link

 Knowledge needs to be applied as story line
progresses in meaningful application of knowledge
to tasks
 Inherent disconnect in edu-software games:
answering math questions earns chances to shoot
aliens
 Genre selection aids in particular skills development;
use of familiar genres reduce time needed to become
familiar with game expectations and interface
Monday, February 2, 2009 9

10. Elements for Engaged Learning
Problem-Learner Link

 Related to theme selection is creating a world
and story that is of interest to the learner
 Learner preferences and attributes
 Audience emotional factors, cognitive
approaches, and motivation
 Provide insight to learner mistakes and
remediation strategies to improve experience
Monday, February 2, 2009 10

11. Elements for Engaged Learning
Active

 Learner needs to play active role in making
decisions in the story via frequent choices
 Choices result in consequences from game,
leading to further opportunity
 Action should be cognitive: decisions need to
be sufficiently complex to build experience of
engagement with material
Monday, February 2, 2009 11

12. Elements for Engaged Learning
Direct

 Learner must act, preferably in a direct form of
mapping using interactive elements
 All interaction is a form of multiple choices
between alternatives
 Rule of thumb is if choice is between action
choice and a good cognitive choice, cognitive
choice wins
Monday, February 2, 2009 12

13. Elements for Engaged Learning
Feedback

 All decisions should have an impact on story
line
 Feedback should be staged in context of story
 Avoid using external device or narrator inform
you of the consequence, as least until play is
done
 Consequences do not have to occur
immediately
Monday, February 2, 2009 13

14. Elements for Engaged Learning
Affect

 Play should not be predictable
 Chance should play a role in the action
 Affective (emotional) elements should support
theme and mood or story setting
 Inappropriate dialogue, appearance, or sound
effects can undermine the willing suspension of
disbelief that is core to the manufactured
experience
Monday, February 2, 2009 14

15. Engagement Levels
Level 0: Enhanced ISD

Level 1: Mini-Scenarios

Level 2: Linked Scenarios

Level 3: Contingent Scenarios

Level 4: The Full Monty (Full Game Experience)

Monday, February 2, 2009 15

16. Level 1: Mini-Scenarios
Follow traditional ISD

Practice couched in

context
Engagement through story

line is light and may be
superficial
Monday, February 2, 2009 16

17. Level 2: Linked Scenarios
Decisions are sequenced into a

single story line (i.e., solve
problem, move on)
All game problems share a

common theme
Scenario may be launched

before bringing in content and
example resources
Linking scenarios gives more

complex practice opportunity
and helps develop relationships
between components of the
learning goal.
Monday, February 2, 2009 17

18. Level 3: Contingent Scenarios
Choice is expanded using

multiple scenarios
Learner is allowed to

make mistakes and
experience consequences
Takes more work to

develop multiple paths
and keep track of all
options
Paths may branch but

generally converge at
some point so that
eventually everyone
arrives at the same place
Monday, February 2, 2009 18

19. Level 4: The Full Monty
Full game approach employs a game engine which

dynamically serves activities by rules, probabilities, and
variables
Provides ideal situation for achieving learning outcomes

Basis for what are commonly referred to as

simulations...simulations become interactive when an interface
is provided to alter the settings and variables in the model
Big difference between scenarios and games is ability to create

the experience of flow
Outcome may be made to be non-deterministic meaning it is

not fixed and there may be several different types
Monday, February 2, 2009 19

20. Level 4: Full Game Model
Monday, February 2, 2009 20

21. DreamBox
Audience is K-2 math students in need of tutoring

outside of the classroom
Lessons are taught through video games

Players select theme and character

Personalized paths “...over a million paths a child

could take through the DreamBox curriculum”
Dreambox Learning (http://www.dreambox.com/)

Monday, February 2, 2009 21

22. DreamBox
How would you characterize the engagement

model based on the 4 levels Quinn discusses?
How are the engaged learning elements addressed

through the experience (based on intended
audience)?
Monday, February 2, 2009 22

23. Lab - Flash HOT
Motion tweening

Buttons

Movie clips

Monday, February 2, 2009 23