This document discusses developing a framework for successful adoption of game-based learning (GBL) in postsecondary education. It identifies opportunities and challenges for GBL adoption, including that it is still in early stages but growing in popularity. It also examines variables that affect GBL adoption and success, such as institutional commitment and support, faculty readiness, and impact on students. Developing a solid understanding of the GBL ecosystem and a detailed adoption framework is important for widespread implementation.

1. DEVELOPING
A
FRAMEWORK
FOR
SUCCESSFUL
ADOPTION
OF
GAME-­‐BASED
LEARNING
IN
POSTSECONDARY
EDUCATION
Fall
2011
by
Anne
Derryberry
Analyst,
Sage
Road
SoluIons
Producer/Designer,
I’m
Serious

2. Fall
2011
Anne
Derryberry,
Sage
Road
SoluIons,
LLC
2
Table
of
Contents
SecIon
1:
Gamed-­‐based
Learning
(GBL)
in
HED:
OpportuniIes
and
Challenges
SecIon
2:
Variables
AffecIng
GBL
AdopIon
and
Success
in
HED
SecIon
3:
Next
Steps

3. Fall
2011
Anne
Derryberry,
Sage
Road
SoluIons,
LLC
3
GAMED-­‐BASED
LEARNING
(GBL)
IN
HED:
OPPORTUNITIES
AND
CHALLENGES
SECTION
1

4. Fall
2011
Anne
Derryberry,
Sage
Road
SoluIons,
LLC
4
A
“Green
Field”
Opportunity
• Growing
consumer
fascinaIon
with
games
is
driving
accelerated
interest
in
using
games
in
and
for
learning.
• AdopIon
of
games
for
learning
is
in
its
early
stages.
• While
universiIes
and
colleges
are
adding
courses,
curricula
and
programs
to
teach
game
design
and
development,
very
few
are
using
game
principles
to
improve
teaching
and
learning
experiences.
• Pockets
of
innovaIon
are
beginning
to
emerge
related
to
technology
tools,
pla_orms
and
Itles.
As
yet,
there
are
virtually
no
examples
of
systemic
insItuIonal
adopIon.
• There
is
a
wide-­‐open
opportunity
to
“flip”
the
conversaIon
from
a
focus
on
producing
digital
assets
to
leveraging
the
moIvaIonal
and
engagement
elements
of
games
and
gamificaIon
to
promote
student
retenIon,
progress
and
compleIon.

5. Fall
2011
Anne
Derryberry,
Sage
Road
SoluIons,
LLC
5
Many
ConsideraIons
for
InsItuIons
Considering
Broad
Scale
AdopIon
of
GBL,
Including…
• Learning
content
takes
many
• Feedback
system
(aka
forms,
e.g.:
“GamificaIon”
or
“Behavior
• Scavenger
hunts
MoIvaIon
System”)
• Drill-­‐and-­‐pracIce
games
• Profiles
• e-­‐Learning
w/
game
dynamics
as
• Badges
part
of
design
• Awards/incenIves
• Immersive
simulaIons
• Leaderboards
• Alternate
reality
• Social
media
pla_orm
• Augmented
reality/locaIon-­‐
• CommunicaIons
based
services
• CollaboraIons
• Mobile
access
• LMS
integraIon
• Technical
support

6. Spring
2012
Anne
Derryberry,
Sage
Road
SoluIons,
LLC
6
“Leveling
Up”
Game-­‐based
Learning
in
HED
Successful
adopIon
of
game-­‐based
learning
requires:
• A
solid
understanding
of
the
GBL
ecosystem
• A
deep
knowledge
of
game-­‐based
learning
on
both
a
micro-­‐
and
a
macro-­‐level
• A
detailed
framework
for
adopIon
addressing
market
realiIes,
insItuIonal
requirements,
partner
idenIficaIon,
technology
integraIon,
and
organizaIonal
readiness.

7. 7
Game-­‐based
Learning
Ecosystem
for
HED
•
Games
•
Learning
standards
•
Badge
system
•
IntegraIon
guidelines
•
Repository
•
ADA
•
CreaIon
tools
Learning
Community
Students
Faculty
•
Developers
InsItuIon
•
Legislatures
•
Publishers
•
FoundaIons
•
Internal/External
•
Industry
associaIons
consultants
Technology
Infrastructure
• Access
ŸDistribuIon
pla_orm
ŸSocial
Media
ŸBadge
system
ŸLMS
ŸAnalyIcs
Anne
Derryberry,
Sage
Road
SoluIons
LLC
2011,
rev.
2012

8. Fall
2011
Anne
Derryberry,
Sage
Road
SoluIons,
LLC
8
VARIABLES
AFFECTING
GBL
ADOPTION
AND
SUCCESS
IN
HED
SECTION
2

9. Fall
2011
Anne
Derryberry,
Sage
Road
SoluIons,
LLC
9
Challenges
to
AdopIon
of
GBL
in
Postsecondary
EducaIon
• On-­‐going
percepIon
that
games
aren’t
suitable
for
serious
learning
• Limited
content
available
for
postsecondary
audiences
• “Pilot
project”
funding,
lifle
planning
for
sustainability
• Mostly
“home
grown”
–
specific
to
an
instructor
and
a
course
• Many
exisIng
Itles
are
developed
in
Flash,
so
not
iOS-­‐
compaIble
• Not
correlated
to
learning
standards
• Not
integrated
with
LMSs

10. Fall
2011
Anne
Derryberry,
Sage
Road
SoluIons,
LLC
10
Factors
Most
Likely
to
Affect
Successful
AdopIon
of
Game-­‐based
Learning
in
HED
• InsItuIonal
Commitment
and
Support
• Academic
Excellence
• Assessment,
Tracking
and
Analysis
• Technology
Infrastructure
and
Equipment
• Content
Management
and
Maintenance
• HosIng,
Licensing
and
Fees
• Faculty
Readiness
&
Support
• Impact
on
Students

11. Fall
2011
Anne
Derryberry,
Sage
Road
SoluIons,
LLC
11
InsItuIonal
Commitment
and
Support
• Independent,
“pilot
project”
efforts
are
popping
up
with
increasing
frequency.
• Lack
of
insItuIonal
recogniIon
makes
it
difficult
for
other
faculty
to
learn
of
and
from
those
pilot
projects.
• Without
insItuIonal
support,
there
will
be
no
cohesion
or
quality
assurance.

12. Fall
2011
Anne
Derryberry,
Sage
Road
SoluIons,
LLC
12
Making
Commitment
Explicit
InsItuIons
can
best
communicate
their
posiIon
on
GBL
via:
• Statement
of
support
from
highest
academic
officers
and
IT
leaders
• Clearly
defined
and
arIculated
strategy
for
new
direcIon
• Center
of
Excellence
to
coordinate,
promote,
support,
enable
GBL
• Commitment
to
balancing
academic
excellence,
program
integrity,
academic
freedom,
student
achievement
• Grants,
awards
for
academic
innovaIon
• OpportuniIes
for
faculty
engagement,
input
and
innovaIon
• OpportuniIes
for
student
involvement,
contribuIon,
innovaIon

13. Fall
2011
Anne
Derryberry,
Sage
Road
SoluIons,
LLC
13
Academic
Excellence
• If
GBL
is
to
be
adopted
across
the
insItuIon,
what
educaIonal
criteria
and
quality
metrics
will
guide
that
planning
and
implementaIon?
• Criteria
for
evaluaIon
may
include:
• “Approved”
usages,
applicaIons
• “Approved”
games/assets
• “Approved”
vendors
• Is
there
a
system
of
review/approval
before
a
course
incorporaIng
GBL
is
launched?
• How
can
instructors
produce
and/or
customize
games/assets?

14. Fall
2011
Anne
Derryberry,
Sage
Road
SoluIons,
LLC
14
Assessment
and
Tracking
A
move
from
discrete
learning
games
to
game-­‐based
learning
requires
a
shik
from
game-­‐as-­‐closed-­‐system
to
game-­‐as-­‐data-­‐rich-­‐learning-­‐arIfact.
• Will
the
insItuIon
accept/adopt
games
as
a
way
to
assess
learning?
Will
badges
for
learning
have
a
role
to
play?
• Can
student-­‐developed
games
be
exemplars
of
student
achievement?
• How
will
student
acIvity
within
games
be
transferred
to
LMS?

15. Fall
2011
Anne
Derryberry,
Sage
Road
SoluIons,
LLC
15
Data
Analysis
GBL
can
generate
new
categories
of
student
data,
including
how
student
performance
inside
a
game
can
predict
future
behaviors
in
the
game,
in
future
learning
acIviIes,
even
in
future
workplace
performance.
• Will
insItuIon
take
advantage
of
these
data?
• Which
and
how?
• Where
will
data
live?

16. Fall
2011
Anne
Derryberry,
Sage
Road
SoluIons,
LLC
16
Readiness
for
Technology
Advancements
Mobile,
social
and
locaIon-­‐based
services
are
the
focus
of
technology
advancements
over
next
several
years:
• Mobile
• Smartphones
and
tablets
• 4G
transmission
• Social
media
• LocaIon
based
services
These
trends
will
be
reflected
in
educaIon
–
especially
game-­‐based
learning
–
just
as
with
every
other
industry.

17. Fall
2011
Anne
Derryberry,
Sage
Road
SoluIons,
LLC
17
Technology
Infrastructure
and
Equipment
• What
demands
will
GBL
put
on
IT?
Will
exisIng
infrastructure
accommodate
the
load
from
networked
mulI-­‐player
games
and
social
media?
• As
more
content
moves
to
mobile,
will
students
access
that
content
via
the
insItuIon’s
gateway/
paywall,
or
receive
pointers/referrals
to
third-­‐party
sources?
• Is
it
preferable
to
standardize
on
a
single
mobile
operaIng
system?
Device
category?
Vendor?
Carrier?
• How
will
equity
of
access
be
assured
for
students
of
all
economic
status
levels?

18. Fall
2011
Anne
Derryberry,
Sage
Road
SoluIons,
LLC
18
Content
Management
and
Maintenance
• GBL
assets
must
be
kept
fresh,
just
as
textbooks
and
other
teaching
aids
must
be
curated
and
refreshed.
• As
technology
trends
emerge
(e.g.,
new
access
devices,
operaIng
system
upgrades,
transport
protocols),
assets
must
be
updated
to
remain
compaIble.
• Internal
faculty-­‐produced
assets
are
the
greatest
point
of
vulnerability
vis-­‐à-­‐vis
asset
currency.

19. Fall
2011
Anne
Derryberry,
Sage
Road
SoluIons,
LLC
19
HosIng,
Licensing
and
Fees
Third-­‐party
providers
may
help
accelerate
Ime
to
adopIon.
Agreements
with
providers/publishers
must
contemplate
many
issues.
• Hosted
access?
Version
access?
Upgrades
for
life?
• Licensing
as
sokware?
Or
licensing
as
learning
resources/
textbooks?
• Open?
Commercial?
• InsItuIonal
tech?
Or
personal
tech
running
university
resources?
• How
are
fee
schedules
constructed?
By
seat?
By
download?
By
course?

20. Fall
2011
Anne
Derryberry,
Sage
Road
SoluIons,
LLC
20
Faculty
Readiness
and
Support
• Faculty
need
to
know
how
to
incorporate
GBL
resources
into
their
syllabi
and
into
their
teaching.
How
can
instructors
learn
about
GBL?
Get
ideas
for
their
own
teaching?
• Faculty
who
are
interested
in
developing
their
own
GBL
resource(s)
need
pedagogical
and
technical
skills
and
support.
Will
insItuIon
provide
this
support?
If
so,
how?

21. Fall
2011
Anne
Derryberry,
Sage
Road
SoluIons,
LLC
21
Impact
on
Students
• What
kinds
of
communicaIons/messaging
will
be
necessary
for
the
insItuIon’s
consItuents
(i.e.,
students,
parents,
employers)
to
embrace
GBL?
• Will
students
need
to
purchase
new
technology?
Will
insItuIon
offset
cost?
Can
technology
and
content
be
rented?
What
are
limitaIons
to
renIng?
• For
mobile
technology,
any
offset
for
wireless
carrier
fees?
• Will
access
to
GBL
assets
fall
into
the
same
category
as
textbooks,
i.e.,
student
responsibility?
Available
in
library
or
lab?

22. Fall
2011
Anne
Derryberry,
Sage
Road
SoluIons,
LLC
22
NEXT
STEPS
SECTION
3

23. Need
help
geong
started?
Give
us
a
call
at
Sage
Road
SoluIons.
We
know
how
to
get
you
there.