A game plan for higher education
A game plan for higher education
A game plan for higher education
November 2, 2021
Summary
Are our South African universities equipped to engage with and stimulate these digitally immersed learners? Wits University's Emeritus Professor Barry Dwolatzky, who serves on the Computer Science Advisory Board of University of the People, a tuition-free, online university, says that conventional education models are starting to become superfluous in our modern age as more learners go online.
"The brick-and-mortar style of tertiary education is set to be disrupted in the near future with a move towards virtual learning. With so much material available through technology anytime, anywhere, it is no longer necessary to physically attend a lecture with hundreds of people. Learners can watch and learn online from the comfort of their homes," he says.
Can digital learning be as effective and engaging as in-person education? Teaching by traditional methods with a blackboard and the teacher's voice as focal point - or 'chalk and talk' - is already making way for more online learning spurred on by the global pandemic, while a more informal and interactive approach that allows learners to study at their own pace has long been acknowledged to inspire more effective learning.
By blending the online method with interactive learning techniques, a new way of learning is created, integrating game elements and game thinking in activities that are not games.
While South Africa is not quite there yet with gamified education, with the digital divide a stumbling block to including lower income learners in online learning, University of the People is opening up opportunities with its tuition-free model and is on the right path to making gamification in higher education a reality.
Prof Dwolatzky sees huge merit in gamifying learning and believes disruptors in the education sector should tap into this method of learning to keep students motivated and minimise dropout rates.
Using game-based elements, such as virtual currency or point scoring, problem solving activities, peer competition, teamwork, score tables and advancements to higher levels help learners assimilate new information and test their knowledge.
Reference
A game plan for higher education. (2021, November 02). Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://it-online.co.za/2021/11/02/a-game-plan-for-higher-education/