This document describes the multiplayer classroom approach to designing coursework as a game. It discusses how multiplayer games, video games, and alternate reality games provided inspiration for making classrooms more engaging for today's students. Examples are given of different schools and subjects that have successfully implemented multiplayer elements like quests, experience points, avatars, and guild-style collaboration. Benefits discussed include improved grades, attendance, retention of material, and preparation for future traditional classes and careers. Concerns about costs and transitioning away from gaming elements are addressed, noting no additional expenses and that benefits are maintained beyond the multiplayer classroom.

1. The Multiplayer Classroom:Designing Coursework as a Game applied gamification 4 teh win Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 9 August 2011

3. Once upon a time…

7. Tradition

8. The Video Game Generation

9. How can we get them to focus like that in class???

10. Maybe with video games? Duh.

11. But we’ve had Video Games in the Classroom for decades Be careful with that research: Even bad games can get good results in classrooms.

12. Because Even bad games are better than this

13. Abstraction Too literal? Why make a game at all?

14. “Ah! We have a question from a member of the audience!”

15. “Grrrr….. Where did the idea of a multiplayer classroom come from?”

16. One idea Video Games Solo Immersion Engagement Experience points Leveling Learning by Failure PhatlOOt

17. A second idea Multiplayer games & virtual worlds Competition Collaboration Boss raids Zones Pick-up groups Guilds Community

19. A third idea Alternate Reality Games Real-time Real world

21. Game Boards

22. “Good morning, you all have an F.”

24. “However you can all level up.”

26. Multiplayer Game Design ClassSpring 2010

28. Creating avaTars(Investment)

29. Students teaching students(Challenge)

30. Learning by failure

31. Grading by attrition

32. Intrinsic rewards

33. Boss raids

34. Guest bosses

35. Guild vs. guild Midterm prep

36. “Ah! We have another question from a member of the audience!”

37. “Grrrr….. I can see that it might work in video game classes, but it would never work in others.”

38. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Indiana University Marked Tree High School University of Arizona Louisiana State University Valencia Community College Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School Texas Tech University Ohio Valley College of Technology Waunakee Community High School Game boards

39. Teacher is a gamer 80% of students fall below the poverty line Added time element to the quests Used classroom items as quest givers Quests designed to reach every skill level and learning style Biology Bucks “In December of 2009, 62% sophomores taking Biology were passing with a D or higher. These students were taking a Biology class taught in the traditional format. In December 2010 98% of sophomores taking Biology are passing with a D or higher, 36% of which have an A or a B. This is compared to 2009’s 10% having an A or a B. The increase in scores is in direct relation to questing. Each quarter students must take an End of Course Practice Test. Students must score 60% to be considered proficient in Biology. The EoC is a comprehensive test. In October 2009 students were 29% proficient or higher on this exam. In the 2010 administration 68% were proficient or advanced. At this time the 2010 students had been questing for 9 weeks. The second administration was given in December. In 2009 students scored 31% proficient or advanced. The results from the 2010 test show that 81% of the students were scoring proficient or advanced.” School administration encouraging other core subjects to try the multiplayer classroom Marked tree high schoolBiology Denishia Buchanan

40. Teacher is not a gamer Fewer late students & absences “Each student also has an avatar. It is a cut out paper body that they drew on to represent themselves. This was our "get to know you" activity on the first day of class--students introduced their avatar after drawing on them. At the end of each quest, I hand out something for them to "stick" on their avatar that represents the era we worked on (buckled shoes for the colonial era, magnifying glasses or archival history, etc.). These are paper items I copy & cut out and they stick on with double-sided tape. When students lead the quest, they provide the items for the avatar. At the end of the class, the get to keep the avatars as a visual representation of everything they learned.” “I carry bag full of Ziploc bags for each student that contains their poker chips, avatars, and weird plastic objects I give out as special awards. It is a pain, but watching my students engage in quests enthusiastically, seeing them motivated, and well–prepared for class, and hearing them say that they are having fun and love for history makes it worth lugging bags of things around.” Texas tech universityhistory of higher education in the united states Stacy Jacob

41. Mix of students including special education and English language learners Experience bar using Google sites & gadgets Negative XP for not closing laptops Re-takeable quests “Before introducing Knowledge Quest, some students would come in, talk with their friends, not take out any materials to work with, the bell would ring, they would still be talking and not inputting their learning goals, and some would never write down the learning goal. As soon as we introduced Knowledge Quest and were giving students XP for completing these tasks, over 90% of the students were in class, seated, logging into their Navigators, and filling out their Math Notes with the learning goal for the day before class even started. Many students were now putting their learning goals into their notes before school or during recess.” “After introducing Knowledge Quest, 30% of students who had a grade letter of C or below for the first two quarters, had increased their grades to a B or higher.” Robert louisstevenson middle schoolgeneral math

42. “Grrrr….. But how do students who have experienced multiplayer classrooms do when they move on to more traditional teaching methods in later classes?”

43. Ongoing Benefits In the Multiplayer Classroom: Students learn the same material with more retention than in non-multiplayer classrooms Class performance is ultimately measured in the same way as non-multiplayer classes Benefits of the multiplayer classroom are carried over to traditional classes. “Good morning, you all have an F.”

44. “Grrrr….. But how do students who have experienced multiplayer classrooms do in the job market?”

45. What did I just say? Students learn the same material with better retention than in non-multiplayer classrooms Class performance is ultimately measured in the same way as non-multiplayer classes Benefits of the multiplayer classroom are carried over to traditional classes. Students will be highly competitive in any job market Jobs

46. “Grrrr….. But what about the cost?”

48. Actively engaged students (even students who are not gamers) Average grade on last big exam: A (up from C) Average grade for class: B (up from C) Almost perfect attendance Students come early to class and work hours outside of class by choice (even if no homework is assigned) Positive results from middle school to university level Positive results from poverty-level students, special education students and second-language learners Positive results continue after leaving a multiplayer classroom, even if education continues using traditional methods Teachers can design classes as games even if they themselves are not gamers No additional cost to teacher or school observations

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