Most student affairs professionals I’ve met are a competitive bunch. We strive to do more, see more, learn more, and achieve more. That’s not unlike many modern games where we are awarded for the little steps along the way known as achievements.
Read MoreThis post will go into greater depth as to HOW learning in a games-based learning environment happens. It all starts with constructivism.
Read MoreEvery day more of my attention has to turned towards my dissertation. This blog was originally created as a way to explore games-based learning through my work as a student affairs professional in higher education. So the following post outlines what I plan to study through my dissertation as well as how it will add to education’s body of knowledge.
Read MoreIf you’ve ever seen a DIE HARD movie (or really any action movie) you’re going to remember some memorable and tense hostage negotiation sequences. The title game Hostage Negotiator by Van Ryder Games has all of this and more. Its tense nature kept me and my students on the edge of our seats the entire time we played.
Read MoreThis past February 12, 2016 I was honored to present at the annual NYU Student Affairs Conference at their Kimmel Center of University Life on my work in Blended High Impact Experiential Learning for my staff trainings. Below is the program abstract and outline. If you weren’t able to make the presentation I have provided both the Prezi and Blended Versal Course so that you can share the presentation out with your staff. Enjoy!
Read MoreBig systems, small systems, fast systems, slow systems. Pretty much everything, everyone, and everybody that we work with is part of system: large or small. But how do those systems work and how do they affect you? What does my work on this committee mean for the university? What does buying Marvin Gardens mean for the long game of Monopoly? Will selling off my AMEX stock really affect the London Stock Exchange? This is SYSTEMS thinking and there are four main ways to think about them: big (macro), small (micro), simultaneously (synchronous), or linearly (asynchronous). You got to have a system to navigate a SYSTEM, right? Keep reading to find out how.
Read MoreWhat is fun? What is hard fun? Is there easy fun? Gaming and games-based learning uses the fun of games, the joy of engagement, and the thrill of overcoming challenges as powerful motivators to get students to meet learning outcomes.
Read MoreA few days ago I had a conversation with an old student of mine that was having trouble staying focused after graduation. “There’s just not much for me to do,” my former student said when discussing time spent after college.
Read MoreHanabai is a cooperative card game designed by Antoine Bauza. Players are dealt a series of cards face down. These cards are never revealed to their holders. Instead they can only provide information to teammates around the table. Each card comes in one of six colors: green, blue, red, yellow, white, and rainbow. In addition each card has a rank: 1-5.
Read MoreA few months ago I was interviewed by Dustin Ramsdell of the Student Affairs Collective for an episode on gamification. Dustin also interviewed Stacy Jacob: a professor of Higher Education at Slippery Rock University. Stacy and I had collaborated in the past on a NASPA presentation covering gamification that was ultimately not accepted.
Read MoreRecently I applied Games-Based Experiential Education concepts through the use of the board game Pandemic. I did this for a student staff development in order to meet the learning outcomes to develop cooperative teamwork, critical thinking, strategic decision making, and identify group diversity. Pandemic is a cooperative board game designed by Matt Leacock. The game’s theme is based on the premise that four diseases have broken out throughout the world. A team of specialists from the Center of Disease Control (CDC) need to work together and apply their specialized abilities in order to stop outbreaks from turning into turning into a worldwide Pandemic.
Read MoreGames-Based Learning and Experiential Education are two concepts that are the heart of this blog. But before we take a look at both, we should first define what each of them are.
Read MoreWelcome to University XP! A blog dedicated to exploring games-based learning and gamification in the world of experiential education! This blog is authored by Dave Eng: a higher education doctoral student who combines theory, technology, and games to develop next practice.
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