This document discusses opportunities for using computer games to meet learning objectives. It notes that games can provide cost-effective, engaging training that bridges knowledge gaps. Near market research is needed to understand how games can be incorporated into existing training and which training areas they are best suited for. Prototyping games allows researchers to learn from users and iteratively improve designs to meet organizational needs cost-effectively. Both opportunities and threats in developing games for learning are discussed.

1. Where computer game playing
meets learning - Opportunities for
near market research and
innovative prototyping
Dr. Derek Nicoll
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2. Games design, HCI, educational
models, organisation and users
Software/hardware
/internet
Pedagogy
Games
HCI and
technology
usability
Educational Training
Models Particular
training
objective
Organisational
Learners/Users/ culture, aims and
Players objectives
Theories of the
organisation
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3. Games design, HCI, educational
models, organisation and users
Software/hardware
/internet
Pedagogy
Games
HCI and
technology
usability
Educational Training
Models
Particular
Learner
Organisational
Learners/Users/ culture, aims and
Players objectives
Theories of the
organisation
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4. Games design, HCI, educational
models, organisation and users
—Games for training an learning is pioneering work
—Traditional corporate training often employs games-based
exercises and simulations to bridge knowledge and skills gaps
between novices and experts
—Construtivist theories of learning ‘ learning by doing’ have gained
popularity in education and training - CAI and ITS
—Games, simulations and prototypes inherently offer this
opportunity for ‘serious play’ in prototyping
—Learners’ understanding grows as they engage in and continue
to engage in new work practices -motivation/scaffolding
—Unitary and modular building blocks in experience design
—Cognitive, cognitive behavioural or behavioural facets
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5. Experiential learning
Concrete
experience
Testing
Implications of Observations and
concepts in new reflections
situations
Formation of
abstract concepts The cycle of
and experiential learning
generalizations after Kolb and Fry
(1975)
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6. Opportunities
—Cost - reducing training costs for individuals and firms
—Effectiveness - providing more effective training
—Motivation -training becoming more effective due to increased
motivation to participate in and/or absorb training?
—Relevance - providing training which is more focussed upon the
training need of the individual learner and/or the individual
organisation
—Applicability, Convenience, Mobility - Easier, more accessible
and immediate training, free of time and space constraints,
available at any time, through multiple platforms
—Provide opportunity to radically modify accepted practices and
enable entirely new approaches and thus open possibilities for
innovation to learning theories and theories of the organisation
(learning about learning)
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7. Near market research
—Cost - understanding how games can incorporate into existing
training programs or may even replace them (organisational)
—Effectiveness - Where do games work best? In which training
areas? Can they be properly benchmarked against live or alternate
forms of training? (user-learner research)
—Motivation - Do they enhance participation, level of interest,
engagement and immersion? Can they do this equally between
subjects or do individual/cultural/generational differences play some
role? (user-learner research)
—Hogan et al. Point to the fact that motivation suffers as learners
encounter obstacles - bad interfaces, gameplay not only meets
learning but new kinds of usability challenge
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8. Cost of training
—Deep understanding of the training need as seen from multiple
actors’ perspective (heterogeneity)
—Likewise deep understanding of technical and interface needs
from these multiple perspectives (co-design)
—Learning to attract and manage feedback from all actors into the
innovation of training materials, game elements and interfaces
(evaluation and research)
—Developing models of cost and price with respect to identifying
training need, capturing and codifying data? Model of software and
media development, man hours? Cost of evaluation?
—Developing a pioneering unitary and modular view to games
production - development of suitable generic components using
Java, Python??
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9. Prototyping games -problems
—Supply chain management issues - aligning the vision of the
various actors, development of open and effective communications
(user needs and requirements into engineering requirements )
—The keys to managing prototyping include knowing what you
want to learn from the prototype, access to, and understanding of
rapid prototyping tools and techniques, and end-user involvement in
development of the prototype
—Training and presentation must be cogent with company culture
and ways of doing things - knowledge is in part a product of the
activity, context and culture in which it is developed and used . . .
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10. Constituency of learning
Organisational
structure Organisational
External climate
influences Advance training
resource - game
Make-up of or simulation
workforce
Organisational Training Cost vs. benefits
goals Need
Proactive vs.
reactive Time required
Individual vs.
group Nature of
Training design learning required
complexity
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11. Example cost of 1 week live
training
—Salaries 12 x £425 £5100
—Classroom overhead £1479
—materials £150
—Admin £425
—Replacement staff £1950
—Instructor £475
—Audio-visual £175
—Transport £1400
—Misc. £425
—TOTAL £12,174 not including accommodation and meals
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12. Cost of games development
— Costs over development/implementation lifecycle
cost
Time
Training need Training need Requirements/Game Deployment/
identification and development evaluation
analysis
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13. Cost of games development
— Cost against development
£,£££,£££
cost
£££
Generic - Bespoke- Modular- Bespoke - software-
web web based - software- based - original
based Java,Python based - off the development
shelf
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14. Cost of learning
— Costs over development/implementation lifecycle
?
cost
Ongoing
Support?
iterations
Time
Training need Training need Requirements/Game Deployment/
identification and development evaluation
analysis
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15. Cost of learning
— Costs over development/implementation lifecycle
Learning £ VALUE
£?
cost
COST
Ongoing
Support?
iterations
Time
Training need Training need Requirements/Game Deployment/
identification and development evaluation
analysis
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16. Prototyping and learning
Observation of the user
Convert into design Prototype
requirements experience
Testing iterations Contextual
in new situations User observations inquiry,
and reflections Usability
studies
Formation of
abstract concepts
and generalisations
Learning about how
users learn - “learning
about learning”
action research - iterative design in which
build > trial > evaluate > learn > build repeat
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17. Monitoring/evaluation
—Impact upon learners and organisation
– Reactions of learners - I.e. quality of interaction, usability
issues, entertainment value etc.
– Learning - skills, knowledge and attitudes - have the learning
objectives been met? (tests, exams, quizzes)
– Behavioural - Did the learning transfer do the job? (Speed of
completing processes)
– Result on organisation - has the training impacted upon
general efficiency (more diffuse, interviews with management)
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18. Threats
—Danger to engage all too readily in training and/or technology as
panacea for all a human performance problems
—Prototyping and iterative design have a reputation for being
difficult to manage
—Failure to meet deadlines
—Failure to gain the trust and co-operation of key actors in the
organisation
—Seamless - learning to use the game should not interfere with
training objectives - distinctive need for good usability
—Difficult to persuade companies that performing one more
iteration is far less costly than releasing a flawed or incomplete
product
—Accurately estimating the size of the implementation challenge
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19. Opportunities
—The research is pioneering so there are inherently vast
opportunities to contribute to both training practice and also
games design
—Needs to draw upon an awareness of games - their potentials
and constraints from a user perspective (generic),
—from a technology/software/media perspective (generic)
—from a human and social factors perspective (generic)
—from a training perspective (generic)
—from the perspective of particular organisation (learning to be
customised and specific)
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