Revolutionary Learning 2016 Conference Agenda

THE ROOSEVELT HOTEL
NEW YORK, NY
AUGUST 17−19, 2016
www.revolutionarylearning.org

iiiINSPIRATION AND COLLABORATION THROUGH GAMES
CONTENTS
Welcome Letter iv
Schedule at a Glance 1
Keynote Speakers 3
2016 Conference Spo nsors 4
Wednesday Schedule 5
Thursday Schedule 8
Friday Schedule 15
Special Thanks 18

iv #RevLearning
WELCOME
to Revolutionary Learning 2016
As chair of Revolutionary Learning 2016 conference planning committee, I thank you for
attending our inaugural multiday conference. The Center for Game and Simulation-Based
Learning and this conference grew out of an initial symposium and webcast held at Excelsior
College in 2012 titled “Meeting Students Where They Play: Exploring the Use of Video
Games to Teach College Writing and Research,” moderated by serious games pioneer
Clark Aldrich. This event resulted in the creation of our first video game, Paper Capers,
developed by 1st Playable Productions in nearby Troy, New York, for our now multi-award-
winning Online Writing Lab (http://owl.excelsior.edu/).
With Revolutionary Learning 2016, I hope to expand the conversation about game and
simulation-based learning in a way that crosses all artificial boundaries so typical of formal
education. I would like to see K–12 teachers speaking with higher education professors,
and both of these groups speaking with game designers and learning scientists. We need
more international conversation and sharing with our colleagues across the globe. The
more we can promote cross-fertilization the more progress we will make in changing the
status quo, and shifting the learning paradigm to where learners at all ages are producers
of knowledge, creators, designers, problem solvers, and systems thinkers.
Over the next three days you have an opportunity to work as a group in creating your
own learning game; network with world-renowned educators, researchers, and designers;
develop and hone your professional skills; and witness and play educational games
from public school students, colleges students, independent designers, and superstar
designers. I have no doubt you will find this event inspirational, but its success will depend
on our collaboration.
Ever Upward,
David Seelow, PhD
Chair, Revolutionary Learning 2016
Excelsior College
Center for Game and Simulation-Based Learning
7 Columbia Circle
Albany, New York 12203

1INSPIRATION AND COLLABORATION THROUGH GAMES
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
12:00 PM–6:00 PM Registration Open | Grand Ballroom Foyer
1:00 PM–2:45 PM Conference Welcome, Keynote Address and
Local Game Jam Team Formation | Grand Ballroom
2:45 PM–3:00 PM Coffee Break | Grand Ballroom Foyer
3:00 PM–4:30 PM Breakout Sessions
4:30 PM–4:45 PM Coffee Break | Grand Ballroom Foyer
4:45 PM–5:30 PM Featured General Session | Grand Ballroom
5:30 PM–6:00 PM Local Game Jam Play Session and Clark Aldrich Book Signing | Grand Ballroom Foyer
8:00 PM–9:00 PM Dessert Reception with Board Games and Exhibits | Grand Ballroom Foyer
Thursday, August 18, 2016
7:30 AM–7:00 PM Registration Open | Grand Ballroom Foyer
8:00 AM–9:00 AM Breakfast and Roundtables | Grand Ballroom/.Grand Ballroom Foyer
9:00 AM–10:15 AM Featured General Session | Grand Ballroom
10:15 AM–10:30 AM Coffee Break | Grand Ballroom Foyer
10:30 AM–11:30 AM Breakout Sessions
11:45 AM–1:15 PM Lunch on Your Own and Local Game Jam Play Session
2:15 PM–2:45 PM Focus EduVation | Grand Ballroom Foyer
3:45 PM–4:30 PM Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Wearables as
Learning Experiences | Grand Ballroom
4:00 PM–5:00 PM Local Game Jam Play Session | Grand Ballroom Foyer
5:00 PM–7:00 PM Revolutionary New York Game Arcade and Reception | Grand Ballroom/
Grand Ballroom Foyer
Friday, August 19, 2016
8:00 AM–12:45 PM Registration Open | Grand Ballroom Foyer
8:00 AM–9:00 AM Breakfast and Roundtables | Grand Ballroom/Grand Ballroom Foyer
8:30 AM–10:30 AM Breakout Session
10:10 AM–10:40 AM Live “Big Word Winder” Play Session with David L. Hoyt | Grand Ballroom
10:30 AM–10:45 AM Coffee Break | Grand Ballroom Foyer
10:45 AM–12:45 PM Local Game Jam Team Presentations, Closing Keynote, and Local Game
Jam Award Ceremony | Grand Ballroom

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MADISON AVENUE AT 45TH
● NEW YORK, NY 10017 ● 212-661-9600 ● FAX 212-885-6162 ● www.rooseveltnyc.com
Mezzanine Level Floor Plan
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Grand Ballroom 5,696 89’ x 64’ 27’ 375 800 - 540 850 -
Ballroom Foyer 1,952 61' x 32' 10’ 125 150 52 80 120 40
Promenade Suite 720 42' x 15' 9’ 60 75 36 60 50 35
State Suite 555 35' x 15' 9’ 40 45 25 40 30 25
Plaza Suite 945 27' x 35' 9’ 75 130 35 110 80 40
Hudson Suite 1075 43’ x 25’ 9’ 45 70 40 70 80 35
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Sutton Suite 1,007 19’ x 53’ 8’ 65 120 45 80 50 40
Broadway Suite 803 19’ x 42’ 8’ 50 80 35 60 45 35
East End Suite 639 20’ x 33’ 8’ 33 50 25 50 35 30
Lexington Suite 548 15’ x 37’ 8’ 33 50 25 40 35 25
Fifth Avenue Suite 532 16’ x 34’ 8’ 33 50 25 48 30 25
FLOOR PLAN
THE ROOSEVELT HOTEL, NEW YORK CITY

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Ian Livingstone co-founded the iconic games company Games Workshop,
launching Dungeons & Dragons in Europe, and also co-authored the multi-
million selling Fighting Fantasy gamebook series. When serving as execu-
tive chairman at Eidos, he launched global video games franchises including
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.
He co-authored the influential “Livingstone-Hope Next Gen” review published
by NESTA in 2011, recommending changes in ICT education policy, and worked with
government to introduce the new computing curriculum in schools in 2014.
He is a member of the Creative Industries Council, non-executive director of Creative In-
dustries Federation, non-executive director of Creative England, patron of Creative Skillset
and adviser to the british Council. He has been awarded a BAFTA Special Award, British
Inspiration Award, Honorary Doctorate of Arts by Bournemouth University, Honorary Doctor-
ate of Technology by Abertay University, Dundee, and Honorary Doctorate of Technology by
University of Greenwich. He was appointed CBE in the 2013 New Year Honours list.
Rebecca Rufo-Tepper, PhD, is director of programs, professional
development and teacher education for the Institute of Play, Rebecca is
responsible for overseeing the implementation and ongoing refinement of
Institute of Play’s unique professional development model, with a focus on
developing multi-dimensional teachers who make important contributions
to the learning community. She leads programs and workshops that
cultivate highly collaborative learning environments where teachers and
game designers work together to design game-like curriculum aligned to Common
Core and 21st-century standards. She is a former New York City public school teacher
and literacy coach, and holds a BA in English from Tufts University, a master’s degree
in English Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and PhD in Urban
Education from the Graduate Center at the City University of New York.

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CONFERENCE SPONSORS

CONFERENCE AGENDA
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
12:00 PM–6:00 PM Registration Open
Room: Grand Ballroom Foyer
1:00 PM–2:45 PM Conference Welcome, Keynote Address and Local Game Jam
Team Formation
OPENING KEYNOTE:
CODE CREATE COLLABORATE
Generation Z are the connected generation, living in an age of high-tech communications,
technology-driven lifestyles and prolific use of social media. How do we reach them? How do we
teach them? Ian Livingstone will give a visual account of his learnings from 40 years in the games
industry, starting as an entrepreneur in the 1970s when setting up Games Workshop, writing the
multi-million selling Fighting Fantasy gamebooks series, and launching Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.
He will talk about the Power of Play in learning, and the importance of having computing on
the national curriculum to promote cross-curricula computational thinking, creativity and problem
solving—meta skills for the digital age.
SPEAKER:
Ian Livingstone, Co-founder of the iconic games company Games Workshop, launching
Dungeons & Dragons in Europe, and co-author of the multi million selling Fighting Fantasy
gamebook series
2:45 PM–3:00 PM Coffee Break
LET’S GET THINGS SWOTTED IN HERE!: THE SWOT ANALYSIS CARD GAME
Room: Sutton Suite
Playing and Redesigning Commercial Board Games For Training and Instruction. This is a more
casual 2-hour workshop where faculty and staff can play fun, commercial board and card games
together. Joe Bisz will provide special cards of his design that break down each of these popular
game’s core mechanics and explain how the game might be re-designed for any training exercise
or instructional exercise. After the audience plays their chosen game for a while, their group will
pick a goal, and spend 30 minutes creating a training or instructional game inspired by the game
they just finished playing.
SPEAKER:
Joe Bisz, Associate Professor of English, CUNY Game Network (City University of New York)

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VIRTUAL REALITY AND EDUCATION
Room: Promenade Suite
Virtual reality is quickly proving itself to be a powerful tool to engage and connect with users. By
pairing interactive 3D content with immersive 360° environments, VR has the ability to create
lasting memories and experiences that stay with the user long after the headset comes off. While
these traits make it an enticing peripheral for gaming, the most exciting potential for VR is to
create compelling education experiences that connect students to knowledge on a deeper level.
In this session, Shauna Heller, a former Oculus VR Developer Relations Specialist, will discuss her
experience managing developers working to create non-gaming VR apps and how VR will shape
the future of education. Research has begun, exploring and measuring how experiential learning
in VR increases retention while VR developers are creating platforms that include analytics that
capture how users interact with content so that learning can be tailored to optimize experiences
on a individual basis. The hope is that this individualized learning data will revolutionize how
students learn and teachers educate. To create context, the session begins with a brief history
of VR, covering origins, early development and failures. This is followed by a discussion on the
current state of VR, including the major hardware players and platforms and the broad use cases
of the technology from gaming to (more importantly) arts, advertising, culture, medicine, industry
and enterprise. With the stage properly set, a meaningful conversation takes shape and examples
of current VR applications for education are shared.
SPEAKER:
Shauna Heller, Founder Clay Parker VR
MISSION US: A REVOLUTIONARY WAY TO LEARN HISTORY
Room: Hudson Suite
MISSION US is public media’s American history adventure game series. Developed by WNET, New
York City’s flagship PBS station, the four free “missions” of the game immerse upper elementary
and middle school students in critical moments of American history. Players see life through the
eyes of a “peer in the past,” and experience events as diverse as the Boston Massacre, escape
on the Underground Railroad, the Battle of the Little Bighorn, and emigrating to New York City at
the turn of the twentieth century. Currently, MISSION US is utilized by teachers and students in all
fifty states, and there are more than 1.8 million registered users. MISSION US has been lauded
nationally and internationally, having won the Japan Prize (recognizing the best in educational
media on the planet), a Gold Medal from the International Serious Play Awards, two Common
Sense Media awards, a Parents’ Choice Award, and nominations for both an Emmy and a Webby.
This session will focus on how the games were developed, the “behind the scenes” objectives for
teachers and students, and the outcomes and impact of the first four missions. The session will
also feature a “sneak preview” of the fifth mission, “Up From the Dust,” which will be premiering
during the 2016–2017 school year.
SPEAKER:
Christopher Czajak, Senior Director of Educational and Community Outreach at WNET, New
York Public Media.
BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE WORKSHOP TO DEVELOP YOUR OWN
INTERACTIVE MINI GAME/LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Room: Plaza Suite
Develop new game-based learning skills and walk away with something valuable at this exciting
workshop. Participants will create their own game-based learning activities and assessments
which they can then take and use in class or learning environment using Muzzy Lane Author.
Author is a cloud-based DIY tool that can be used by those new to game-based learning materials
as well as veteran subject matter experts and instructional designers. Muzzy Lane, a company that
develops innovative, custom games for publishers, is now bringing the best of their capabilities to
non-design educators with their cloud-based DIY game development tool, Muzzy Lane Author. This
tool has been nominated for the SIIA 2016 CODiE Award for Best Authoring / Development tool.

Muzzy Lane also received a CODiE nomination for a 3D workforce development sim created with
McGraw-Hill called Practice Medical Office.
SPEAKER:
Conall Ryan, CEO, Muzzy Lane, and Bert Snow, VP of Design, Muzzy Lane
STORYTELLING FOR LEARNING
Room: Broadway Suite
Humans learn best through stories. In this session, participants learn how stories and narrative
design contribute to the effectiveness of educational games. What makes an effective game
narrative? How do you elicit emotional identification from players? How do you use classic
story telling elements like character, plot, conflict, setting, and symbol in interactive media?
Participants will see examples from choose your own adventure books to Live Action Role Plays.
Small exercises and discussions will make this an active learning session.
SPEAKER:
Nicholas Fortugno, Cofounder and Chief Creative Officer, Playmatics
4:30 PM–4:45 PM Coffee Break
4:45 PM–5:30 PM Featured General Session: The Short Sim: A Game Changer
Room: Grand Ballroom
Educational simulations and serious games have evolved quickly over the last couple of decades,
from visionary experiments in schools and media to predictable tools used to support the leading
strategies of organizations as diverse as the U.S. Army and global corporations. The research
tells us that sims work, and they can teach some things better than any other approach. But
sims as currently conceptualized are too expensive, time consuming to build, tied to specific
platforms, and hard to update once created. This has prevented the methodology from really
taking off, to become integral to all educational media, including personalized learning and more
comprehensive assessment. Until now. Researcher and practitioner Clark Aldrich will share a new
perspective on sims, recently showcased in the Gates Foundation Open-Textbook initiative, that
can spark a new generation of authors of interactive content. Sims should be as common as
video and text in educational media. Using the short sim methodology, now they can be.
SPEAKER:
Clark Aldrich, Founder & Managing Partner, Clark Aldrich Designs
5:30 PM–6:00 PM Local Game Jam Play Session and Clark Aldrich Book Signing
8:00 PM–9:00 PM Dessert Reception with Board Games and Exhibits

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Thursday, August 18, 2016
7:30 AM–7:00 PM Registration Open
8:00 AM–9:00 AM Breakfast and Roundtables
Room: Grand Ballroom/Grand Ballroom Foyer
ROUNDTABLE #1:
THE MODERN CORPORATE LEARNER: HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT? HOW
MUST L&D ADAPT?
The learning landscape in today’s corporations is changing rapidly. Part of what is changing is the
generational impact of millennials and their assimilation into our organizations. Part of it is the
changing nature of business today, and the fact that learning modalities that worked a few years
ago are ineffective today. This roundtable will explore this evolution, and the revolutionary changes
required of learning and development to remain relevant.
SPEAKER:
Bryan Austin, Vice President, Learning Innovation, mLevel
ROUNDTABLE #2:
WORLDBUILDING IN THE ARG CLASSROOM
Educators often take for granted the idea that a course curriculum coheres with some innate
narrative of theory or discipline. Redesigning a course around gameplay challenges us to create
a compelling narrative that both supports sustained immersive experience and is pedagogically
effective. This session will use examples from a gamified introductory philosophy course to frame
conversations about the challenges of worldbuilding in support of educational goals.
SPEAKER:
Gerol Petruzella, Associate Director of Academic Technology, Massachusetts College of
Liberal Arts
ROUNDTABLE #3:
ENGAGING LOW-INCOME FAMILIES THROUGH EDUCATIONAL GAMES
While it is clear that high-quality educational games can have a real impact on learning, it is also
clear that access to these resources is not equitable across all income levels. Recent reports
from researchers such as Victoria Rideout and Vikki Katz show that digital equity is still very much
an issue among low-income households and especially among immigrant families, with limited,
intermittent, or no access to high-speed Internet. These families are also less likely to have the
latest (or functioning) technology with which to access digital games or the time or empowerment
to engage with their children in educational game play. How can we make connections to
underserved populations who would likely benefit most from engaging with high-quality education
games? What are some best practices and models in this area that can be replicated and scaled?
SPEAKER:
Devon Steven, Director, Ready To Learn Community Engagement, Corporation for Public
Broadcasting

9:00 AM–10:15 AM Featured General Session: Who Says What’s “Educational”? The
Role of Research in Learning Games: A Panel Discussion
With the growth of digital distribution and the rapid rise of mobile devices, educators these days
can find and use games in the classroom more easily than ever. But how much research lies
behind the most popular learning games? Do learning designers have as strong an influence as
that of production or game designers? And how are educators to evaluate claims when literally
tens of thousands of games on Apple’s App Store claim to be “educational”?
Join USA TODAY education writer Greg Toppo, author of the 2015 book “The Game Believes in
You: How Digital Play Can Make Our Kids Smarter”, as he talks to four key players in the industry,
all of whom have spent years taking a long, hard look at the role of research in the production of
modern learning games.
MODERATOR:
Greg Toppo, Education Writer for USA Today
PANELISTS:
Jordan Shapiro, Phd. - Senior Fellow, Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop
Kristin DiCerbo, Vice President of Education Research, Pearson
Justin Leites, Vice President of Amplify Learning
Valerie Shute, Mack & Effie Campbell Tyner Endowed Professor of Education at Florida State
University
10:15 AM–10:30 AM Coffee Break
WHAT’S YOUR GAME PLAN?: A HANDS-ON WORKSHOP FOR
TRANSFORMING INSTRUCTIONAL IDEAS INTO GAMED-UP
PRESENTATIONS
Room: Hudson Suite
What does the lesson “Finding Citations,” the game “Trivial Pursuit,” and the mechanic “Bluffing”
all have in common? In this bootcamp brainstorm facilitated by a professor from the City University
of New York (CUNY), attendees are broken up into design teams whose job is to enhance an
instructional plan with the mechanics of popular board games in only 20 minutes. Whether you
have to teach the rules of citation or the rules of interviewing, there is usually a game plan that
can help. If you’re an educator or trainer, this game teaches you how to integrate educational
games into your classroom or workspace. If you’re a game designer, you can generate ideas for a
new game (whether educational or not). This session provides a fun introduction to the principles
of game-based learning, followed by an active workshop.
More: The idea is to expose EVERYONE in the room to game-based learning as a means to solve
problems–whether in the public sphere, working world, or classroom–in as active and hands-on a
way as possible. We can break up the game design groups by tables according to similar interests
(elementary school, middle school, HS, college, public policy, other workforce–I think this is a
complete list). We should be prepared for 300 people, and no worries–this workshop has been
run very successfully with 200 admins and staff at Educause.
SPEAKER:

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PLAYING BIG THINK GAMES WITH PUPPETS
Room: Sutton Suite
MiNDWORKS is a new Internet learning concept that brings together scripted character sketches,
puppets, music, transmedia, podcasts, an imaginary environment, and a meta-game structure.
In this session, key creative people from the MiNDWORKS team discuss project development
and initial research results on finding the optimum balance between storytelling and game play,
learning and entertainment, audience engagement and the robust exploration of significant
issues. They will provide first looks at several MiNDWORKS segments, a visual tour of the creative
process, and discuss creative approaches and learning, with ample time for audience questions
and further brainstorming.
SPEAKERS:
Howard Blumenthal, Executive Producer, MiNDWORKS
Jennifer Villareale, Creative Director, MiNDWORKS
POTHOLES ON THE ROAD TO SUCCESSFUL GAME-BASED COLLABORATIONS
Room: Plaza Suite
Seasoned professionals in producing games in collaboration with external clients share their
stories about common pitfalls and ways to avoid them. They’ll discuss academic/NGO, academic/
commercial and other types of partnerships. Learn from their mistakes so you don’t have to make
them yourself.
SPEAKERS:
Jesse Soleil, EVP, Global Director of PNConnec
Elena Bertozzi, Engender Game Group and Bertozzi Group at Quinnipiac
Lee Sheldon, Worcester Polytech; Scott Brewster of Triad Interactive
META-EXPERIENTIAL DESIGN IN GAMEPLAY
WORKSHOP 1:
An interactive and competitive team-based session using non-digital approaches.
Capacity: 4-6 per group, maximum of 36 attendees
Everyone has the ability to make sense of disconnected cues. This session by the Disruptive
Media Learning Lab, UK aims to explore this by utilizing a playful approach to learning. This
gamified session will exploit the power of creativity, narratives and visual cues towards scaffolding
our understanding and interpretation of abstract or high-level concepts and themes. The session
will employ cards, tokens and team competition to help us articulate our personal narratives
around themes, such as Flipped Learning, Game-based Learning and Self-directed Learning.
SPEAKERS:
Dr. Sylvester Arnab, Reader in Games Science at Coventry University, UK, co-leading research
at the Disruptive Media Learning Lab, UK
Jacqueline Cawston, Disruptive Media Specialist, Coventry University’s Disruptive Media
Learning Lab, UK
Dr. Alan Richards, Disruptive Media Learning Lab, UK

THE ETHICS OF USING GAMES TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE
If you are reading this, you probably somewhat agree with the notion that games can be used for
learning, for social change, and for serious purposes. But what are the ethics of using games “for
good?” Games are being used to teach everything from math facts to historical empathy, to how to
lead a healthier lifestyle. Moreover, games like Foldit, Play to Cure: Genes in Space, and SchoolLife
are using large-scale crowdsourcing of data, problem solving, and social interactions to help solve
real-world problems. What are the possible implications, consequences, and concerns with using
games to help fold proteins, cure cancer, or reduce bullying? This talk presents the ethical issues
of using games–even if they teach us, help us, and make the world a better place.
SPEAKER:
Dr. Karen Schier, Assistant Professor of Media Arts and Director of the Games and Emerging
Media Program, Marist College
11:45 AM–1:15 PM Lunch on Your Own and Local Game Jam Play Session
TRANSFORMATIVE GAMES INITIATIVE: GAME DESIGN AS A CLASSROOM
LABORATORY FOR ANY DISCIPLINE
Room: Sutton Suite
This session will assess the potential of a new learning genre, Game Design Based Learning,
to engage students in undergraduate research. This genre is based upon theories from the
Learning Sciences, Design-Based Research, and Game-Based Learning. This genre also follows
recommended practices from the Council on Undergraduate Research, which advocates infusing
research-like experiences and creative scholarship into the classroom.
We will describe several courses where students are expected to design and implement an
original game-based learning experience for social or behavioral impact. In creating this learning
experience, students will (1) learn more about their chosen topic of interest by reviewing the
primary literature; (2) learn about the rationale and methodology of design-based research; (3)
learn how to generate state-of-the art digital experiences using commercial game engines and the
C# programming language; (4) learn advanced statistics as needed for their project; (5) learn how
to disseminate their research product via the Internet and mobile technologies; and (6) they will
have opportunities to present their work at local and national research conferences.
SPEAKERS:
Robert Duncan, Associate Professor of Behavioral Sciences, York College and The Graduate
Center, The City University of New York
Deborah Sturm, Associate Professor of Computer Science, College of Staten Island, City
University of New York

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SHAKESPEARE, MANDELA, BIT COINS AND BEACONS
WORKSHOP 2:
How to empower your audience/learners to take control of their learning experiences through
digital tools and enjoy it! (Audience participation required)
Capacity: 36 delegates
The Disruptive Media Learning Lab is an experimental unit in Coventry University,England. (Currently
the Times Higher Education “University of the Year”). The Lab experiments in new ways of teaching
and learning and has worked with many prestigious organizations such as Shakespeare Birthplace
Trust and Robben Island Museum to enrich the learning experience through digital technology.
This session presents 3 case studies to demonstrate how using augmented reality, gamification,
and geolocative technology can empower learners to personalize and direct their own assimilation
of information and knowledge. The audience will be involved in a hands-on workshop session to
design their own non-linear learning sessions.
SPEAKERS:
Dr. Sylvester Arnab, Reader in Games Science at Coventry University, UK, co-leading research
at the Disruptive Media Learning Lab, UK
Jacqueline Cawston, Disruptive Media Specialist, Coventry University’s Disruptive Media
Learning Lab, UK
Dr. Alan Richards, Disruptive Media Learning Lab, UK
INTERACTIVE FICTION IN THE CLASSROOM: HOW OLD-SCHOOL
GAMING CAN FACILITATE ACCESSIBLE CONSTRUCTIONIST LEARNING
OPPORTUNITIES
Room: Plaza Suite
Educators familiar with constructionist learning understand the power and effectiveness of
having students build their own assignment artifacts. Computer technology can facilitate the
constructionist process, and making computer games can be a tremendous opportunity for
student projects. However, while computer games can be very attractive to students, the time,
cost, and complexity to develop modern games are well out of reach of schools, teachers, and
students.
Looking back might reveal the best path forward. In the early 1980s, the Interactive Fiction (IF)
game genre was extremely popular, and research at the time demonstrated its power to engage
reluctant readers—largely through the mind’s capability for abstraction. The technical skills
necessary to develop IF are not great, and the development tools are low-cost or free. In today’s
classroom environment, it is possible to create assignments in which students construct their own
learning by authoring IF games around course subject matter.
This session looks at just such an example, in which 8th grade middle school students were
assigned the task of building Interactive Fiction games based on a Middle East history module.
The tool used by the students was Inklewriter, and in a four-week duration, students learned the
basics of the software and created a wide variety of fictional wrappers for their factual history
content. Join the presenters as they share how they designed the assignment, guided the students
through the activity, and what the outcomes were—from the students’ perspectives as well as the
teacher’s.
SPEAKERS:
Dr. Hap Aziz, Master Storyteller at InteractiveFact
Joy Baker, Eighth Grade History Teacher at International Community School

ADVENTURES IN COLLATERAL LEARNING: TWO POST MORTEMS
One of the originators of classes designed as games will lead a quest into how they are created
by focusing on two: Valeria (2016), a game in a physical classroom; and Secrets: A Cyberculture
Mystery Game (2015), an entirely online experience. Embark on an informative, sometimes
surprising, journey from initial ideas to design, collaboration, production and implementation. At
the end of your quest await treasures: learning outcomes, as well as insights from the students
who were enthusiastic players and willing partners in one of the most exciting developments in
education today.
SPEAKER:
Lee Sheldon, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, author The Multiplayer Classroom
2:15 PM–2:45 PM Focus EduVation
GAMESTORM CARDS: PLAYING A CARD GAME TO LEARN ABOUT GOOD
GAME DESIGN
Room: Sutton Suite
Educating people as to the benefits of good game design is important for developing good serious
games; however, it’s not always easy to do this in a fun, user-friendly and immersive way. Avery
Rueb, co-founder at Affordance Studio in Montreal, will walk you through GameStorm Cards, where
participants use a deck of specially created cards to actively learn about the theory and practice
of effective game design. With Brainstorm Cards, you can run workshops with teachers on how to
implement pen and paper serious games in the classrooms. You can work with your programming
and art team to pin down the scope of your current project. And you can guide clients’ expectations
for their ideal game all while keeping an eye on the budget!
SPEAKER:
Avery Rueb, Co-Founder, Affordance Studio
WHAT DO SERIOUS GAMES FOR HEALTH HAVE TO DO WITH THE FUTURE
OF LEARNING IN THE CLASSROOM?
Room: Plaza Suite
Pam Kato gives a general overview of serious games and gamification in the healthcare setting
with a focus on games for patients and games in medical education. She providers perspective
on the power of games to transform learning and change behaviors based on over 15 years’
experience leading the development and efficacy evaluation of serious games for health. She'll
also discuss the implications of research on games for health for transforming traditional
educational approaches using advanced technologies to meet the changing needs of society.
SPEAKER
Pam Kato, Professor of Serious Games, Coventry University

14 #RevLearning
WHAT AND HOW DO WE TEACH GENERATION Z? DELIVERING
21ST CENTURY SKILLS IN THE ROBOTICS AGE
Technology has had a major impact on the role of teachers and the expectations of Generation
Z who have never known life without ready online access to knowledge. Today, developments in
artificial intelligence, cloud computing, video games and immersive technologies are not only
capable of delivering context-aware, engaging personalized learning environments, they are also
increasingly used to continuously assess learners and offer adaptive learning experiences that
were previously the domain of human tutors.
Now that the primary role of teachers has shifted away from knowledge dissemination toward
coaching and mentoring, what technologies can best enhance and augment the role of the human
tutor and what skills will be required for the 21st century when an increasing number of knowledge
profession jobs will be done by robots?
The presentation looks at how students and teachers will use technology for education in the 21st
century and what skills will be required for both tutors and students.
SPEAKER
David Wortley, CEO & Founder, GAETSS, UK
PRO-SOCIAL MOBILE GAMES, COMMUNITY ACTIVISM, AND DEVELOPING
NATIONS: A CASE STUDY OF EGYPT
This presentation will showcase the development of a pro-social mobile game centered on teaching
youth about recycling issues. It will focus on how pro-social mobile games can be harnessed
for shifting norms on community engagement by preparing youth for community activism and
community change. Drawing from observational data of game play testing, interviews, and focus
groups, this presentation traces how 20 Egyptian youth, ages 6–13, negotiated meaning-making
activities, and shifted their ideas on how they could impact their local communities and make
positive changes locally in recycling efforts.
SPEAKER:
Hannah Gerber, Associate Professor of Literacy, Sam Houston State University
3:45 PM–4:30 PM Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Wearables as
Learning Experiences
SPEAKER:
TATA Interactive Systems
4:00 PM–5:00 PM Local Game Jam Play Session
5:00 PM–7:00 PM Revolutionary New York Game Arcade and Reception
Revolutionary Learning 2016’s Game Arcade will showcase innovative new learning games from
the Empire State’s three designated Digital Gaming Hubs. New York awarded over $1.3 million in
funding to three of the countries’ top research universities, each serving a different region of the
state. New York University (NYU), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and Rochester Institute
of Technology (RIT) will all be showing innovative student games as well as education games from
their respective regions (Metropolitan New York City, Tech Valley and mid-state, and Western New
York respectively). During this arcade you will be able to watch, and play the games as well as
speak with designers in a personal and meaningful fashion.

Friday, August 19, 2016
8:00 AM–12:45 PM Registration Open
8:00 AM–9:00 AM Breakfast and Roundtables
ROUNDTABLE #1:
USING GAMES/SIMULATIONS FOR EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT
Higher education is going through a paradigm shift regarding assessment of learning. Digital
technology developments allow for a greater variety of ways to measure student learning than ever
before. In this session, participants will discuss how games and sims can play a role in the new
learning analytics landscape.
SPEAKER:
Peter Shea, Director, Office of Professional Development, Middlesex Community College
Jim Grenier, Director of Online Education, Mass Bay Community College
ROUNDTABLE #2:
DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS STYLE ROLE-PLAYING OF HISTORICAL
EVENTS: BRINGING THE PAST TO LIFE
I am a high school social studies teacher and the winner of the 2014 Robert H. Jackson National
Award for Teaching Justice. More importantly for this context, I am also the author of The Classes
They Remember: Using Role-Plays to Bring Social Studies and English to Life. Essentially, the
book outlines the methodology I created for developing a D&D type character-based role-play to
immerse students in historical events. With my methodology, students create characters that
takes them through an entire unit (such as the Spanish-Aztec encounter) and then make decisions
and choices based on the real historical conflicts that I present to them, in D&D fashion, as
the historical game master. The roundtable will discuss and analyze (and possible practice) one
historical role-play using the historical D&D strategies that I have developed. We will consider ways
that imaginative character-based role-plays that involve difficult choices can enliven the classroom
and possible topics for teachers to create role-plays
SPEAKER:
David Sherrin, Social Studies Teacher and Author, Harvest Collegiate High School
ROUNDTABLE #3:
ALTERNATE REALITY LEARNING GAMES
Discussion about educational features and benefits of alternate reality games and other
transmedia learning games.
SPEAKER:
Randall Fujimoto, Executive Director, GameTrain Learning, Inc.

16 #RevLearning
REDESIGNING BOARD GAMES FOR EDUCATIONAL OR INSTRUCTIONAL
PURPOSES—A HANDS-ON WORKSHOP
This is a more casual 2-hour workshop where faculty and staff can play fun, commercial board
and card games together. Joe Bisz will provide special cards of his design that break down each
of these popular game’s core mechanics and explain how the game might be re-designed for
any training exercise or instructional exercise. After the audience plays their chosen game for a
while, their group will pick a goal, and spend 30 minutes creating a training or instructional game
inspired by the game they just finished playing.
SPEAKER:
WOW IN SCHOOL: A HERO’S JOURNEY
Room:
Today’s kids are born into a media-rich, networked world of infinite possibilities. But their digital
lifestyle is about more than just cool gadgets; it’s about engagement, self-directed learning,
creativity, and empowerment. Often, teachers find ourselves on the outside peering into a world
we neither know nor understand. Too often, we draw conclusions that miss the point — and
the promise — of what these new communication tools offer.” (EDUTOPIA) This session will
demonstrate how educators from two states (NY &NC) worked together to facilitate a collaborative
after-school program using World of Warcraft to engage at-risk youth.
After a successful first year, the project was expanded into the regular academic program, and
aligned to both state and national core standards for language arts. In its sixth year of operation,
The WoW in School Project has become a richly diverse journey in literacy and social emotional
learning.
SPEAKER:
Peggy Sheehy, Educator, Ramapo Central Schools
GAMES IN HIGHER EDUCATION STEM CLASSES
Room: Sutton Suite
This interactive presentation is suitable for STEM professors and higher ed administrators
interested in exploring the efficacy of games-based learning in STEM classes. Participants will
play several hands-on games and brainstorm modifications to those games for their own classes.
In addition, three new National Science Foundation-funded digital math games will be showcased;
administrators and faculty can take these games back to their own campuses free of charge.
SPEAKER:
Kathleen Offenholley, PhD, Professor of Mathematics, Borough of Manhattan Community
College (CUNY)

QUEST TO LEARN IN ACTION
Room: Plaza Suite
Experience how the experimental and pioneering public school Quest to Learn encourages student
creativity and success through a gameful environment. You will be able to ask questions, see
and play student-created games, and complete your “ready, set, design” activity challenge. This
is a unique opportunity to interact with students who learn through a design-based approach to
education.
SPEAKER:
Chris Schilling, Quest to Learn
BUILDING LEARNING INTO OPEN WORLD GAMES AND SIMS
Open world games do not constrain the player to a specific path or storyline. Strategy games,
simulations, city builders all allow the player freedom to explore and to discover the interactions of
different systems within the world. This freedom is an opportunity for great in-depth learning but
can also be daunting to the player and teacher. How to we guide the learner and assist the teacher
in assessing and structuring the experience.
SPEAKER:
Doug Whatley, Founder & CEO, BreakAway Games
10:10 AM–10:40 AM Live “Big Word Winder” Play Session with David L. Hoyt
10:30 AM–10:45 AM Coffee Break
10:45 AM–12:45 PM Local Game Jam Team Presentations, Closing Keynote, and Local
Game Jam Award Ceremony
CLOSING KEYNOTE: TRANSFORMING EDUCATION THROUGH
COLLABORATION, DESIGN AND PLAY
Although games have the potential to create transformative 21st-century learning spaces, too
often they are used to reinforce ineffective teaching practices, rote learning, and inauthentic
assessment. Using concrete examples from Institute of Play’s work with schools, teachers and
students, this session will explore the potential of games as tools for deeper learning, and
introduce game-like learning as a strategy for transforming teaching. Join us to see examples
of game-like learning in action, learn about professional development programs for games and
learning, and get some actionable tips to connect games to learning goals in order to support
student learning, engagement, and the development of key 21st-century skills.
SPEAKER:
Rebecca Rufo-Tepper, Director of Programs, Professional Development and Teacher
Education, Institute of Play

18 #RevLearning
SPECIAL THANKS
Conference Chair
David Seelow, Excelsior College
Excelsior College Support Team
Peter Del Monico
Mark Oppenneer
Brian Stuart
Darren Walsh
Local Game Jam Committee
Phoebe Harris Elefante, Conference Game Designer
Hap Aziz, InteractiveFact
Avery Rueb, Affordance Studio
Karen Schier, Marist College
Lee Sheldon, Worchester Polytechnic Institute
Program Committee
Hap Aziz, InteractiveFact
Elena Bertozzi, Quinnipiac University
Joe Bisz, City University of New York (CUNY), Borough of Manhattan Community College
Jacqueline Cawston, Coventry University, United Kingdom
Jeanne Contardo, Excelsior College
Frank Crocco, Excelsior College
Robert Duncan, City University of New York (CUNY), York College
Kimberley Hieftje, Yale University
Patrick Jones, Excelsior College
Andy Phelps, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)
Paul Prescod, Ayogo
John Prusch, Excelsior College
Avery Rueb, Affordance Studio
Conall Ryan, Muzzy Lane
Candice V. Sankarsingh, University of West Indies
Karen Schrier, Marist College
Lee Sheldon, Worchester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)
George Timmons, Excelsior College
Karolina Valterova, Tata Interactive
Martin Wortman, Excelsior College

Excelsior College • 7 Columbia Circle • Albany, New York 12203-5159
excelsior.edu
Center for Game and
Simulation-Based Learning
THE CENTER FOR GAME AND SIMULATION-BASED LEARNING
at Excelsior College aims to take the lead among online
colleges in promoting and integrating games and simulations
into educational curriculum. The center, led by founding
director David Seelow, PhD, promotes the use of game- and
simulation-based learning at all levels of the learning spectrum
and for help solving a range of social problems. It was officially
launched in May 2014.
Consider joining Excelsior College’s LinkedIn group, Gaming in
Education: www.linkedin.com/grp/home?gid=4338457

Revolutionary Learning 2016 Conference Agenda

Revolutionary Learning 2016 Conference Agenda

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