G4LI announces new graduate courses on learning games design at NYU Steinhardt
Published May 20th, 2010
Category
By Jan L Plass
We are pleased to announce four new courses on designing games for learning at NYU Steinhardt, offered by the Program in Educational Communication and Technology:
E19.2500 Video Games and Play in Education
Introduces theories of learning, learning through play, and the role of technology in education. Students will encounter a wide variety of game genres through critiquing and playtesting current and historic videogames. Students will do preliminary game design with history, theory, learning outcomes and learner characteristics in mind.
E19.2176 Designing Simulations and Games for Learning (Plass, Fall 2010)
Introduces a model of designing simulations and games for learning, covering cognitive factors, affective factors, as well as narrative. Examines the potential of various genres of simulations and games as learning technologies and discusses issues of designing for fun versus designing for learning through readings, discussion, play, design and research. Class discussions focus on identifying and applying design patterns for the design of effective learning games. Students will collaborate to design several learning games and implement paper and digital prototypes.
E19.2510 Narrative, Digital Media and Learning
Addresses the role of narrative when designing serious games, simulations, social media, and documentary storytelling. Narrative forms have been used for teaching and learning given their role in memory, cognition, the engagement of learners, as well as in case studies for learning, teaching, and research. This course explores the design principles and constitutive elements of narrative-centered learning. Special emphasis is given to designing media narratives that enable and support pedagogical models including story-based learning, digital storytelling, and entertainment education, and goal-based scenarios.
E19.2520 Research on Simulations and Games for Learning (Plass, Spring 2011)
Provides an introduction to research on simulations and games, with a focus on choosing the appropriate approach, e.g., playtesting, evaluation, or efficacy research, and the appropriate methods, e.g., think aloud protocols, video research, eye tracking, EEG/EMG, user log data, or biometrics. Reading assignments, class discussions, and case studies will be used to discuss the goals, methods, design, and setup of these methods and prepare students to design and execute their own playtesting and evaluation research for learning games of their choice.
