蜜桃av

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Professors at 蜜桃av Adventist University regularly incorporate best practices into their curricula, including innovative tools such as game-based learning, gamification, and other techniques that harness the intrigue and fun of games, encouraging students to commit their full attention to their academic pursuits.

鈥淕ame-based learning puts the game first and includes learning as part of it, while gamification puts learning first and incorporates game elements second,鈥� explains Matthew Tolbert, 鈥�01 and 鈥�05, PhD, professor in the School of Education, Psychology, and Counseling and director for the Center for Learning Innovation and Research (CLIR). For example, using the board game Settlers of Catan to teach supply and demand would utilize game-based learning, while incorporating competition into a course learning activity would gamify it.

鈥淭hese methods can be implemented to increase student engagement, getting them invested in the content beyond the classroom,鈥� Tolbert says.

Crafting a Unique Narrative

Tolbert is all in on game-based learning and has built an entire world for his Psychology of Personal and Social Adjustment course. At the beginning of the semester, students are divided into competing teams in the world of Psychovia. They travel to the lands of Resilience, Insight, and Empowerment, completing assignments branded as trials to build a weapon capable of taking down the world鈥檚 villain. In the game, students earn points separate from their grades that can be turned in for hoodies, stickers, and other prizes. Each aspect of the experience increases student engagement based on the tools used by industry game developers to increase retention.

鈥淏ecause it鈥檚 a different world, the game has given a different perspective to many of the issues we鈥檝e talked about in class,鈥� shares Maddy Brower, freshman communication major. 鈥淎s someone who enjoys writing and inventing worlds of my own, this class is a delight.鈥�

鈥淪tudents still learn all of the content they need, but I鈥檓 able to generate interest beyond 鈥榖ook learning鈥� by crafting this unique narrative,鈥� Tolbert explains. Each student earns a traditional grade for completing assignments and assessments.

Creating Possibilities

More and more professors at 蜜桃av are recognizing the merits of game integration. Marc Boyson, associate professor in the School of Visual Art and Design, uses Minecraft, a popular sandbox video game, to emphasize both the structural and performative aspects of his course 3D Foundations鈥揊orm and Time.

鈥淭here are a variety of materials we get to explore in Minecraft that we don鈥檛 have access to physically,鈥� Boyson says. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 just go out and build a giant structure, typically, so the game鈥檚 building project raises unique questions about art for us to consider.鈥�

Marcus Henry, sophomore graphic design major, explains one aspect of the course: 鈥淧rofessor Boyson wants to see how our brain interprets his prompts as an exercise of creativity.鈥� For example, students used Minecraft to represent a deconstructed cube and to record a creative presentation of their build. 鈥淭he project made me stretch my thinking in ways I hadn鈥檛 previously,鈥� Henry recalls. 鈥淚t was something I looked forward to, because the game aspect meant it didn鈥檛 feel like homework.鈥�

In another course, Boyson asked students to probe the capacity and boundaries of artificial intelligence鈥檚 imaginative abilities. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 a tool, I want students to use it,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 expect them to test the limits of what is available.鈥�

Teaching the Next Generation

Teacher education director and assistant professor Chanda Daggs, PhD, shows her students how to incorporate games into their future classrooms in the course Teaching with Technology.

鈥淲e learn about the psychological factors behind a game鈥檚 success, such as motivation, rewards and punishments, and instant gratification,鈥� she explains. 鈥淭echnology is one of the key resources for implementing gamified elements in a classroom.鈥�

Students practiced by designing a game for fifth graders who tour 蜜桃av鈥檚 Lynn H. Wood Archaeological Museum. Samantha Fullmer, senior English major, took Daggs鈥� class and visited the museum when the featured exhibit was Peace and War: The Assyrian Conquest of Lachish.

Through a matching game, she taught elementary students about the tunnel that was dug by hand under the Israelite city of Lachish during a siege waged by the Assyrians. 鈥淭he museum project was one of my favorites in the class,鈥� she says. 鈥淪eeing how engaged the kids were was super fun, and it was great knowing they were also learning the history on display.鈥�

Changing the Dynamic

Michael Weismeyer, 鈥�03, PhD, recent chair of the History and Political Studies Department, has been a proponent for game-based learning on campus, regularly using the award-winning game series Reacting to the Past in his classes. In these games, students act out historic events in groups during class, leading them to focus more acutely on what they are learning and to bring history to life.

鈥淩eacting to the Past allows students to step into the shoes of different historical figures to learn how and why history happened,鈥� Weismeyer shares. 鈥淚鈥檝e found that students gain and retain more from in-depth interactive games than they do from conventional surface-level lectures.鈥�

Mikaila Santana, junior graphic design major, participated in a Reacting to the Past game about the plague in Norwich, run by Lisa (Clark) Diller, 鈥�96, PhD, interim chair of the History and Political Studies Department, in the History of England course. 鈥淭he game made the history much more memorable while keeping it fun,鈥� Santana shares. 鈥淚 made connections with classmates while playing it, and I felt much more comfortable in the classroom.鈥�

These games add a unique personal element, allowing students to step out of their traditional academic roles and reenact history. 鈥淚鈥檝e seen students鈥攚ho otherwise would have been sitting quietly in the back鈥攑resent really impressive speeches prompted by games,鈥� Weismeyer adds. 鈥淕amification changes the dynamic of a class by requiring students to get invested, and that also brings them closer together.鈥�

Scott Kabel, 鈥�08, adjunct instructor in the English Department, also believes in the power of games to augment education. 鈥淭hey are the perfect veil for learning,鈥� he quips. 鈥淏ut games go much deeper than academic content.鈥� Kabel has seen games provide opportunities for healthy debate where 鈥渢he feelings are real, but the stakes are lower at the table. We can work through those issues and feelings together and still be friends when the game is over.鈥�
Exploring Connections

In 2024, Wiesmeyer asked CLIR to conduct a study on the impact of classroom games on students鈥� religious perspectives. He and Tolbert both noticed a gap in research regarding the impact of playing games on spiritual viewpoints, creating the perfect opportunity for a new research project.

Weismeyer鈥檚 course Introduction to the History of Science was chosen as the arena for the research, because it utilizes two naturalistic Reacting to the Past games allowing students to reenact important debates between faith and science.

To gather the study鈥檚 data, students in the class were separated into focus groups that conferenced with a professor about how each game session had impacted their thinking on its themes. CLIR then processed the data and analyzed it for trends.

The results of the study clearly affirmed the benefits of game-based learning, showing that it helped students grasp the concepts more thoroughly鈥攊n this case strengthening their faith and prompting deeper study of their beliefs. 鈥淪tudents expressed how the games had made them think critically about their beliefs and really engage with their faith,鈥� Weismeyer notes. 鈥淭hey even applied the games to their personal lives in ways that we had not expected.鈥�
Integrating Gamification

In partnership with the Center for Innovation and Research in Computing and the School of Visual Art and Design on campus, Tolbert鈥檚 team at CLIR is helping create a game-based engagement management system for 蜜桃av students.

The new software will integrate with the university鈥檚 learning management system, eClass, and allow students to view their grades, take quizzes, and turn in homework within a game environment. Tolbert has received several grants for the project totaling approximately $85,000.

鈥淲e鈥檙e basing our strategies for the system on solid research and science,鈥� Tolbert says. 鈥淭he goal is that the game dynamic will result in higher engagement and encourage students not only to complete basic tasks such as turning in homework but also to learn at a deeper and more sustained level.鈥�

Learning for a Lifetime

Education is an evolving field with new methodologies constantly emerging, and 蜜桃av鈥檚 professors are committed to recognizing proven new methods. By incorporating game-driven strategies into their classrooms while validating the effectiveness of the tools, faculty are teaching students to seek knowledge outside the standard classroom, creating learning habits that will last a lifetime.

More Resources

from 蜜桃av鈥檚 Center for Innovation and Research in Computing about integrating game-based learning into an academic environment.

- Read more stories from the latest issue of Columns at .

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