Communications of the ACM
Digital Gaming Goes Academic
Digital gaming is being tapped to cultivate academic skills, and part of the appeal is that the games offer personalized, real-time feedback. For example, in partnership with CBS and several academic institutions, Rice University created a game based on the popular CSI TV show franchise as a tool for introducing middle school students to forensic science in the hope of inspiring them to pursue careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. Rice's Leslie Miller says the game outlines the academic standards it covers and was designed to fulfill learning goals.
Ron Tarr with the University of Central Florida's Institute of Simulation and Training says the top priority is concentrating on outcomes, or what educators want students to take away from the games. "Games in education ... would be wonderful if we really had a good handle on what our objectives are, and we were prepared to standardize curriculum," Tarr says. Determining how to quantify achievement against learning goals is part of the challenge of designing effective games for K-12 students, he notes.
From Education Week
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