Study solidifies role of games as educational tool

[leunas]

A little over one year ago, a number of players in the industry wanted to know how videogames could act as effective learning tools in the classroom. Today, they are proud to announce that, yes, this can be done.

The study was initiated first by giant developer-publisher Electronic Arts by hiring research firm Futurelab. It was then supported by Microsoft and Take-Two; the latter's Grand Theft Auto title is often the object of criticisms when it comes to computer games-inspired violence issues. Titled Teaching With Games, the report maintains that computer games indeed motivate learning and engage students further.

Furthermore results suggest that such teaching approach improve computer skills, strategic thinking and problem solving. "The report has shown that commercial computer games have the potential to support education, which has raised the bar for ongoing collaboration between the industry and education sectors," declares Gerhard Florin, EA's Executive Vice President and General Manager for International Publishing.

Finally, Teaching With Games suggest that in order to put these findings into practice, technical obstacles like licensing and copy protection should be overcome first. The report utilized 2 Ipsos MORI polls that focus on students and teachers' attitudes to games in the classroom as well as 12 case studies. Titles used in the study include The Sims 2, Knights of Honour and Roller Coaster Tycoon 3.



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[leunas]

Study: Games Can Aid Learning at School

With the support of EA and others, not-for-profit organization Futurelab has completed a one-year study on the effectiveness of using video games as teaching tools in the classroom. Although many teachers were found not to be gamers, they were able to use the games to engage students and improve their thinking and problem solving. (photo credit: MTV)

A one-year study conducted in the U.K. by Futurelab has examined the effectiveness of using commercial computer/video games as learning aids in the classroom. The project called "Teaching with Games" started in August 2005 and has had the support of Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Take-Two Interactive and the Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE).

The study involved two Ipsos MORI surveys to look at the attitudes of teachers and students towards using games at school, as well as case studies of 12 teachers in four secondary schools using three games: The Sims 2, Knights of Honor and RollerCoaster Tycoon 3.

The general finding from the project was that using games in lessons can be "motivating and engaging," and teachers also believe that the games "improve students' computer skills, strategic thinking and problem solving."

"I can definitely see the potential of using games in the classroom. It proved to be a great tool for motivating students and engaging their interest. I would like to use games for teaching in the future if the technical problems could be addressed," commented Claire Gemmell, a teacher at St John's School & Community College in Marlborough. The technical problems she's referring to involved licensing and copy protection issues that prevented some teachers from easily installing the software or running the games on school networks.

Interestingly, the study also found that the teachers don't necessarily need to be game savvy in order to use games in the classroom. "While teachers needed a certain level of familiarity with a game to be able to use it in their teaching, achieving particular educational objectives through the use of the game was more dependent upon a teacher's knowledge of the curriculum with which they were working than it was on their ability with the game," noted Futurelab. Indeed, most teachers (72 percent) don't play games during their leisure time compared with 82 percent of students that said they do play games outside of school, indicating the presence of a generational divide.

Nevertheless, the games were successfully used in both competency-based and traditional content-based curricula, and 59 percent of teachers said that they would want to use games as teaching tools.

"We have long recognized the potential of interactive computer games to stimulate the learning process", said Gerhard Florin, Executive Vice President and General Manager, International Publishing, EA. "The Teaching with Games study in collaboration with Futurelab has shown that commercial computer games have the potential to support education, which has raised the bar for ongoing collaboration between the industry and education sectors. We look forward to continued initiatives to help pave the way for meaningful integration of computer games into school curriculum."

Much more on this study is available for your perusal here.

You may also be interested in our interview with MIT professor Henry Jenkins, who has long been a proponent of the games for learning movement.


biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=13977

[leunas]

Study: Games Effective Teaching Tools

A one-year study sponsored by Electronic Arts has concluded that commercial games can be effectively utilized to teach in the classroom.



The UK-based Teaching in Games project began in August 2005 and was supported by not only EA, but also Microsoft and Take Two, as well as the Interactive Software Federation of Europe. Futurelab, a non-profit education advancement organization, conducted the study.

The specific games that were put to the test in classrooms were The Sims 2, Knights of Honor and RollerCoaster Tycoon 3. The games were brought to 12 teachers from four different secondary schools, which were used as case studies. Student and teacher participants were also surveyed to get a read on their feelings toward using off-the-shelf games as teaching tools.

Teacher Claire Gemmell commented, “I can definitely see the potential of using games in the classroom. It proved to be a great tool for motivating students and engaging their interest. I would like to use games for teaching in the future if the technical problems could be addressed.”

The study concluded that teachers didn’t have to be gaming prodigies in order to utilize games in the classroom, but the technical problems Gemmell refers to may be countered with “new approaches to licensing and copy protection to allow easy installation and the running of games on school networks,” according to the study.

“We have long recognized the potential of interactive computer games to stimulate the learning process,” said Gerhard Florin, executive VP and general manager for international publishing at EA. “The Teaching with Games study in collaboration with Futurelab has shown that commercial computer games have the potential to support education, which has raised the bar for ongoing collaboration between the industry and education sectors. We look forward to continued initiatives to help pave the way for meaningful integration of computer games into school curriculum.”

The study also found that 59 percent of teachers “want to use computer games for educational purposes” and 53 percent said that they would consider using computer games in the classroom because “they are an interactive way of motivating and engaging students.”


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[Stuff]

I hope games don't erase the need for teachers. But I suppose this technological era will take over several human jobs, and can't really be avoided.