Page 35 - Ideas

Importance of subject matter

According to William, there are two main factors that
determine if a topic requires a game for instruction. The
first factor is how interesting the topic is. “When you talk
about romantic relationships, you don’t need a game for
that,” William explained, “a lot of students will pay very
close attention because they feel that it’s relevant to their
lives.” The second factor is the difficulty of the material
that they have to teach. William’s topic of statistical
power, sample size and effect size is one such example of
a difficult topic. “If a faculty member is fortunate to teach
something which is inherently interesting, then the payoff
for creating games is not as big,” William remarked. “But,
if they find some topic that students struggle with, then
maybe that’s the topic that could be learnt better in the
the innovative pedagogical tools on a larger number of form of a game.” The impetus for each instructor to
students across a few semesters to measure the create and use games varies across disciplines and

effectiveness of the tools more accurately. courses.

Ultimately, it is for the individual instructor to carefully review his needs and those of his
students when deciding whether to embark on creating and using innovative pedagogical tools
such as games. In appropriate circumstances, the learning payoff can be immense. Abstract

concepts are always challenging to teach. Using appropriately designed games in such
instances can help enliven the process of imparting knowledge and make the learning
experience more enjoyable, thus creating a win-win situation for both instructor and students.