Panel Presentation: Designing Games to Explore, Address And Take Action for Wicked Learning
Panel Presentation: Designing Games to Explore, Address And Take Action for Wicked Learning
Panel Presentation: Designing Games to Explore, Address And Take Action for Wicked Learning Problems at Gamification Europe
Monday November 23, 2020
8:45am – 9:10am (ET) 14:45 – 15:10 (CET)
Sarah Le-Fevre Chairs this panel session and she is joined by Dave Eng and Antonios Triantafyllakis
The focus of the panel is using games to address wicked problems. Games are often used to create learning experiences (knowledge acquisition, examining values, exploring systemic issues) around wicked problems such as inequality, culture in organisations, the climate crisis – and I’m sure you can add many more. But today’s focus is a little closer to home, looking at wicked problems within learning itself. As learning professionals, we face issues around accessibility, content and quality all the time, so let’s examine just a few of these.
Covid19 has presented us with many challenges, but one of the greatest concerns for many learning providers has been managing the transition from the classroom to online. How might games or gamification play a part, either as content, frameworks for taking advantage of the additional functionality of ‘online’, or as part of our own design/translation processes?
Recent research from the National Foundation from Educational Research has shown that pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to be engaged with remote learning, further damaging their prospects during lockdown. If games could be part of the solution to the engagement problem, how do we factor in, for example, unequal access to technology?
A final question, which is somewhat ‘meta’. Although there have been many innovations in platforms and software to help with online, it feels like the field is still so new, that we haven’t yet achieved reliable pedagogies, with firm theoretical and experimental bases. What could we do with games to help explore online learning to build our understanding?
About Dave Eng
Dave Eng is an intellectual and creative educator, designer, and researcher who combines games, theory, and technology. Dave has played games for most of his life. As a result he studies game design and teaches others how to use games for education and learning. Dave serves as a faculty member & educational technologist at New York University’s School of Professional Studies. Dave hosts the podcast Experience Points and consults at University XP on games-based learning. His interests include professional development, learning theory, technology, and games. Find out more at www.davengdesign.com Fun Fact: He has been seasick in every time zone.
About Sarah Le-Fevre
I am a games-based learning professional with a specific interest in using games to explore complex systemic issues, such as the climate crisis, racism and inequality. I am currently writing a book outlining a systems-based organisational learning model, which takes a gameful approach to creating communities of change, utilising wisdom and mastery, to create virtuous cycles of action, ultimately enabling systemic flourishing. I also run Ludogogy, a bi-monthly magazine for all things games-based learning, gamification and gameful design. The platform publishes a themed issue each month and brings together its community for events such as panel sessions and collaborative games design projects.
About Antonios Triantafyllakis
I combine experiential learning with gamification. This ensures a holistic, playful and impactful approach to capacity building, adaptable to the learners' needs.