Educational Gaming for the Rest of Us WYSIWYG Production of Scalable, Beautiful, Web-based RPGs

Jude Higdon, Ed.D.Director of Innovative Learning and Academic

Technology

College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota

A Brief Intro to "Behind the Message"

Why Educational RPGs?

• *Can* provide instructional environments that blend elements of authentic assessment, discovery learning, and structured pedagogy.

• Has the potential to provide enhanced learning and motivational outcomes for students.

• (Some) instructors love it, and would like to be able to power pedagogy through games.

Why *Not* Educational RPGs?

• Build model– Monetarily and time intensive– Boutique expertise– Examples:

• River City• Games+Learning+Society• Croquetlandia

• Buy model: Offerings often fall short of pedagogical goals– Bottom line: Not yet…

NOT SO FAST -- Maybe we can?

• Thinking Worlds:– Inexpensive development licenses– WYSIWYG development environment– Web-based delivery– Ready-to-use libraries of scenes, objects, and

characters– Development environment scaffolds the process of

game development

Can we?

• Our Goal: See if we could create an online RPG game in a sustainable way:– Using only student producer resources– In a short development time cycle– With little to no training for developers

YES WE CAN! (So far, at least...)

• Pilot project: Behind the Message

• School of Journalism and Mass Communication Game (Nora Paul and Kathy Hanson)

• Game to teach basic reporting techniques including:– Story angle instincts– Research protocols– Interview skills

The WYSIWYG Dev Environment

The WYSIWYG Dev Environment

Conclusions

GOAL SUCCESS?Use only student producers?

Yes!

Short development cycle?

Sort of...game play in a year, with one part-time UG worker.

Little to no training for developers

Yes!

Next Steps

• Augmented reality versions of this and other games

• Expand the pilot– Work with the AHC Simulation Center– NIH funding for some simulation evaluation projects

Thoughts and comments?

Let's have a (virtual) coffee!

jhigdon@umn.edu