Dave Hassell

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Enhancing Learning Virtual Worlds, simulations
and games-based learning

• Dave Hassell
• Director Educational Content, Becta

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Introduction

• I hope to get us thinking . . . .
• Consider issues and questions
• Consider the space we inhabit and perspectives on
  it
• Outline some of the policy and strategic issues
• Offer some questions to think about during the
  day

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What are we thinking about?

• Games is an overused and variably interpreted
  word
• What do we mean by
• Simulations
• Virtual worlds
• Games-based learning?
• Can we identify the scope and boundaries?
• Is that useful?
• What are the following, and what else might be
  included?

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Are products and genres the issue?

• What else might we think about?
• Motivation
• Challenge
• Production values
• Immersion
• Content
• Skills
• Narrative structure
• Investment

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Peoples perceptions 1

• Henry Jenkins of MIT describes computer games as
  the most powerful learning technology of our
  age
• Education and games are literally starting to
  speak the same languageStephen Heppell
• Parts of the government already knows all it
  needs to know the rest of the government has to
  get over regular and ignorant Baby-Boomer
  prejudices towards video gamesProf. Jim Gee

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Peoples perceptions 2

• It is time to garrotte the Game Boy and paralyse
  the PlayStation, and it is about time, as a
  society, that we admitted the catastrophic effect
  these blasted gizmos are having on the literacy
  and the prospects of young males
• And different views on the same activity -
• War carnage theme helps writing skills
• All computer games are appalling

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History of interest

• Consistent interest in the genre(s)
• From early investigations into games to a wide
  range of research and promotion
• Appeal for those in influential places
• Much interest has been in
• motivational capacities
• understanding and representing problem and
  solutions
• gathering and organising relevant information
• constructing and managing a plan of action, or a
  strategy
• reasoning, hypothesis-testing and decision-making
• using various problem-solving approaches

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The content policy context

• Considerable investment with only partial success
  in the past
• Participation, progression and attainment
• A new focus on personalising learning
• Choice, flexibility, changing the dynamic, A4L,
  etc.
• Child safety
• Changing technological environment, consistent
  provision, mobile technologies, home access with
  aims to reduce digital divide
• Development of strategic approach to digital
  content and tools

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To be explored further

• Evidence that pupils do learn and the main issue
  is not if pupils learn but what and how they
  learn
• Use has a marked and positive effect on pupils
  attitudes, motivation and behaviour, but will
  these positive impacts generalise beyond the
  experience
• Will reliance on such technology for preparation
  for SATs and GCSE exams have the desired outcome?
• Curriculum practice and assessment using
  technology to support existing models or to
  challenges and develop new ones?
• Can we leverage what is learnt in informal
  settings?

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• In order to fully exploit this potential, we
  need to think creatively about what education and
  gaming might look like in the future
• David Puttnam

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Your questions

• What will convince you and others?
• Is further research needed and if so what?
• How should educators be equipped?
• Where should the focus of policy be and what is
  governments role?
• What could other stakeholders do?
• Can we afford such technologies?

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Contact details
Dave Hassell Becta Millburn Hill Road Science
Park Coventry CV4 7JJ Telephone 44 (0)24
7641 6994 Facsimile 44 (0)24 7641 1418 Email
david.hassell_at_becta.org.uk Becta
http//www.becta.org.uk