“I’d Like to Buy a Vowel”How Incorporating Gaming into an Online Language Course Engages Students and Creates a Sense of Belonging

Corrie Emery• Instructional Designer with

Liberty University• M.Ed Student in Educational

Technology and Online Instruction

• Foreign Language Educator

My Team:• Alex Barnett (German

Instructor)• Kara Ranck ( Instructional

Technologist and Game Designer)

• Dustin Haymaker (Instructional Designer)

Center for Curriculum Developmento Liberty University offers 166 online programs to over

95,000 students in all 50 states and over 95 countrieso Our department is responsible to provide the newest

educational technologies and course designs to our online students.

o Our online professor to student ratio is 17:1, allowing for students to feel engaged and receive quality instructor feedback.

o In designing these courses for Liberty University, it is our desire to implement the newest technologies and current theories to enhance the learning experience for the students, as well as provide instructors with well-designed courses to teach.

o During the next year we will be implementing integrative technologies in 30% of our courses.

Why would we want to incorporate integrative technologies into our courses?

How is gaming beneficial to online students?

Language Learning can be frustrating for the adult learner.

But learning a language online CAN be fun and engaging

How?• Using everyday vocabulary in a real and engaging way….in

gaming• Using real life scenarios and cultural aspects…..in gaming• Using pictures & stories to convey real life scenarios and aid in

language retention….in gaming• Using auditory stimuli from fluent speakers for

authenticity….in gaming

Image taken from: http://lithosphere.lithium.com/t5/science-of-social-blog/What-is-Gamification-Really/ba-p/30447

“Gamification”: the integration of gaming techniques or game dynamics into websites, educational resources, community..etc......

Gaming and Gamer statistics

• Gender split of gamers is 53% male to 47%

female

• Gaming has become a part of everyday life for all

ages

• Average age of gamers is now 35 years old

Significant Emerging Themes

• “Gamification” and Simulation aid in student engagement

• Adults in fields such as business and the military benefit from integrative technology

• Language courses benefit greatly from the use of simulation

• Adult students between the ages of 20 and 40 tend to receive better grades when taught using games and/or simulations

Emerging Themes Cont.

• “Good games create and support the cycle of expertise, with cycles of extended practice, tests of mastery of that practice, then a new challenge, and then further extended practice”(Gee 2004).

• “A focus on gamification increases engagement, relevance, and immersion and assists with the transfer of learning to the actual situation” ( Kapp 2012).

Our Goal:Our goal was • to create a gaming simulation and incorporate it into

discussion boards in Conversational German 101 class. • to create a multi-purpose game in which:

oplaying the game, the students are required to work to achieve a goal, inadvertently fostering retention by creating a sense of belonging.

oAdditionally, by using repetition throughout the game students achieve course outcomes by learning grammatical concepts.

oOnce the student’s objective has been met, he/she would receive a “reward” and be able to move forward to the next “level”.

Incorporating Gaming in a Live Class• A German Class was selected with an average of

20 students per term• A game was created to teach German using :

incentives, leaderboards, and authentic language/vocabulary

• Cultural aspects were included as much as possible

• Native and fluent German speakers were used for the narrations

• Audio and visual components were used with each “clue”

• Surveys were given to students at the end of the course

The Game1. Individually, students are required to complete a specific real life

objective in a timed setting using that week’s vocabulary concepts.

2. Once the student has completed his/her individual task, he/she will receive a German phrase to submit to their Instructor.

3. The students’ completion time is then ranked on a “leaderboard”.

The purpose of the game is multiple:

a. In playing the game, the students receive instant feedback on incorrect or correctly chosen answers, inadvertently fostering retention by creating a sense of belonging.

b. Additionally, by using repetition throughout the game students achieve course outcomes, in addition to learning grammatical and vocabulary concepts.

Adobe CaptivateInteractive Software that was used to create the language game. We chose Captivate in order to integrate the game into our Grade Center as well as for the audio and visual components that are accessible with the program.

Can be published in:• html 5• Flash• SCORM

Is compatible with all LMS Platforms

Outcomes of the GameIncrease desire to:

• Learn conversational German• Increase social interactivity within course• Aid in the retention of vocabulary and grammar• Increase awareness of German culture

Survey SaysStudents were given a survey at the end of the course with questions regarding the engagement of the game, ease of game, feeling of retention of the vocabulary, as well as the feeling of social interactivity in the game…

• 75% of the students felt they retained the information learned• 94% of the students found the game easy to play and enjoyable• 79 % of the students agreed that the game provided a sense of

engagement and would like to see gaming incorporated in other online courses

The Instructor’s Point of ViewThe game for the language course:

• Provided positive feedback on grading• Provided positive feedback on the interaction with

students• Provided a means of teaching that is out of the

ordinary and engaging

Future Improvements and Considerations

• Addition of Group settings so players can work together towards a main goal

• Vocal components so students can practice pronunciation

• Repetition of key phrases for retention• Opportunities for written answers for punctuation

and spelling practice• Integration of timing component for Instructors

use

References:• Altaalbe, A.,Wilkinson, B. (2013). Designing

games for learning English as a second language. IEEE Conference Publications 10.11,1-7.

• Bedek M. , Seitlinger P., Kopeinik S. and Dietrich A.(2012). Inferring a Learner’s Cognitive, Motivational and Emotional State in a Digital Educational Game. Electronic Journal of e-Learning. Volume 10, Issue 2, 172-184. Available online at www.ejel.org.

• Blazer, Christie. “Literature Review Educational Technology” The School Board of Miami-Dad County, Florida, available online at www.drs.dadeschools.net/Report/EdTechnology.pdf.

• Blunt, R. (2007). Does Game‐Based Learning Work? Results from Three Recent Studies. In: Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation & Education Conference (I/ITSEC).

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• Frossard, F., Barajas, M. and Trifonova, A. (2012). A Learner-Centred Game-Design Approach. Impacts on teachers’ creativity. Digital Education Review, 21, 13-22.

• Gee, J. (2004). Learning by design: Games as learning machines. Interactive Educational Multimedia, 8(21).Available: http://www.ub.edu/multimedia/iem/down/c8/Games_as_learning_machines.pdf

• Harris, J. (2005). Our agenda for technology integration: It's time to choose. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 5(2). Available: http://www.citejournal.org/vol5/iss2/editorial/article1.cfm

• Johnson, S. (2007). This is your brain on video games. Machine-Brain Connections. DISCOVER Magazine. Retrieved from  http://discovermagazine.com/2007/brain/video-games/article_view?b_start:int=0&-C=

• Knowles, M. 1998. The adult learner. 5th ed. Houston, TX: Butterworth-Heinemann.

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