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'''EDTEC 670: Exploratory Learning Through Educational Simulation & Games''' 
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{{education-course}}

= Teachers =

=== Instructors  ===

* Bernie Dodge

= Course Background Information =

== Location ==

San Diego State University

== Classification ==

''See: [[Areas]] for classifing for your course.''

'''Primary classification: Game Design''

== Time periods ==

Class meets for 15 weeks.

= Course Structure =


== Course description ==

This course deals with aspects of the design process that are sometimes neglected. To design an instructional game
well, you must be both systematic and intuitive, analytic and artistic. In mastering the ISD process, you've learned to
handle the cognitive side of instruction (which, almost by definition, is the most important). In EDTEC 670, you'll also
learn to deal with the affective side of instruction. Throughout the course we'll be addressing the questions: What
makes some activities interesting or fun? How can we maximize enjoyment without sacrificing instructional quality?
It's a difficult and fascinating challenge for any instructional designer.

A second major theme of the course involves the design of simulations. The questions that will dominate the second
half of the course are these: How do we represent reality in a simulation? How do we balance simplicity, efficiency,
and playability against realism, richness and complexity? These, too, are challenging design tasks

== Course learning objectives ==

Upon completing this course, students will be able to:

# Analyze a given educational game or simulation platform and explain the range of learning applications for which it might be effective.
# Decide what type of game or simulation (if any) would be an appropriate medium of instruction, given a set of objectives and a description of a learner group and context.
# Use, where appropriate, selected psychological theories and models to describe motivational and affective aspects of instruction. The models will include the following: Csikszentmihalyi's flow model; Keller's ARCS model; Malone & Lepper's intrinsic motivation taxonomy.
# Describe and explain selected issues, people, concepts and principles involved in the design of educational simulations and games using a group weblog as the medium of communication.
# Design an educational board game that is flexible and effective and document its rules, physical attributes, context of use, rationale, and variations.
# Design and document a computer-based educational simulation-game, using flowcharts, maps, and equations as appropriate as well as the motivational principles at work in the design.
# Reflect on and explain the design processes you use in creating motivating educational products.


== Week by week topics ==

# Course Overview and Introduction, Card and Board Games for Education and Training
# Designing Your Own Board Game, Introducing Blogger
# Board Design II, Team Formation
# Board Design III, Work Session
# Theories of Intrinsic Motivation, Analyzing Boredom & Interest
# Board Game Exhibition
# Introduction to Inform 7 (virtual)
# Introduction to Second Life
# Introduction to Star Logo 2, eGame Project Selection
# eGame Group Work Session
# eGame meetings (no class)
# eGame Group Work Session
# The Glass Bead Game, eGame work session
# eGame Peer Feedback & Research Work Session
# eGame Presentation

= Course Materials & Facilities Used =

''' Books '''

* Fullerton, T, Swain, C., & Hoffman, S . (2004). [[Game Design Workshop: Designing, Prototyping and Playtesting Games]]. San Francisco, CA: CMP Books. (required)
* August/September 2005 issue of Innovate, Journal of Online Education.
* Barab, S., & Roth, W. (2006) Curriculum-based Ecosystems: Supporting Knowing from an Ecological Perspective.

''' Software (engines, tools) '''

The final deliverable for your egame project will be primarily a design document, not a working game. To test your interface ideas and illustrate your design, though, you will learn to use specialized software tools and, depending on the project you choose, learn to work within the strengths and limitations of one tool. The three platforms we'll be using this semester are:

* Second Life, a massively multiplayer virtual world;
* Star Logo, a free authoring language used to create simulations of self-organizing systems; and
* Inform 7, a freeware interactive fiction development environment.

All project documentation will be presented in the form of web pages and shared via the course web site.

''' Assessment materials '''

Your final grade will be determined by your performance on a board game design, your contributions to several discussion topics, and an e-game analysis and design document and prototype.

There will be several e-game project opportunities to choose from. Each will involve the development of a computer-based prototype and a written analysis of its design from both instructional and motivational vantage points.

Discussion contributions will be graded individually. All projects will be team efforts. Each individual on the team will be graded separately, though the overall performance of the team will have an influence over individual grades. It behooves you, therefore, to put some energy into team building in order to maximize everyone's success. The projects will be weighted as follows:

* Board Game 25%
* Game Development Discussion 20%
* EdGameBlog Contributions 10%
* eGame Analysis 15%
* eGame Design 30%

This is a graduate level course.


= Analysis of learning methods =


== What worked ==

Please discuss what techniques worked well


== What didn't work ==

Please discuss what techniques didn’t work as well as you had hoped



[[Category:Courses]]


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