This updated 2014 slideshow is created by Sherry Jones. It includes new videos that demonstrates how game-based learning is implemented in rgMOOC. Slideshow is co-presented by Sherry Jones and Kate Caruso at the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) Immersion Excursion Conference on Feb. 14, 2014.

1. rgMOOC: A Digital Game Based
MOOC for Rhetoric and
Composition
Sherry Jones and Kate Caruso
CCCS Immersion Excursion
February 14, 2014
http://bit.ly/rgmooc2142014
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial - NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

2. Our Grant
Challenge
● How to teach rigorous rhetoric and
composition courses with games?
● How to scale game-based learning collegewide?
● Solution? Teach Video Games as Rhetorical
Objects!
● rgMOOC 1 & 2!!

3. A Window
Into rgMOOC

4. Research +
Theories

5. Research on
Connectivism
● Justin Reich (EdWeek, Aug. 6, 2013)
clarifies:
○ xMOOC = LMS + Autograder.
○ cMOOC = Web + Syndication Engine.
● rgMOOC is designed with Connectivism +
Games + Open Access + CC + Syndication.
● rgMOOC = “Rhetoric + Game-Based MOOC.”

6. gMOOC Theory!
Part 1
● The term gMOOC (Game-Based MOOC) is
coined by Sherry Jones (Philosophy, Rhetoric,
Game Studies) and Jack Park (Founder of
Knowledge Gardening Theory).
● Jones' version of gMOOC theory includes:
○ Role-Playing and Narrative-based UX
(Episodic + Epistolary + Magic Realism).
○ Use Digital Games for immersive learning of
almost any discipline (ex. Composition).

7. gMOOC Theory!
Part 2
● Beyond cMOOCs - Syndication with Games!
● Platform UX Design is game-like (interactive).
● Play to Learn! (Interactivity + Logic + Problem
Solving).
● Write about COTS Games via Game Studies.
● Both Instructors and Participants Role-Play.
● Synchronous chat + Asynchronous curation.
● Massive collaborative writing on Etherpad.
● Create games to demonstrate competency.
● Provide Badges as Rewards/Loot!

8. Audience

9. Who is rgMOOC’s
Audience?
● Intended Audience - gamers, non-gamers,
writers, educators, or enthusiastic learners
(open to all!).
● Who Attended rgMOOC 1 & 2? - 682-800
people each day! Students, Professors,
Business Leaders, Lifelong learners.
● Most surprisingly, professors from Udacity
and Coursera lurked! (-_-)/

10. With ACC Hybrid
Students
● We associate 2 ACC
Hybrid Courses with
rgMOOC.
● Open Lab with
laptops are
available for
students to play
games.

11. To Ensure Grant
Project Success . . .

12. We Each Donned
Many, Many Hats
● Sherry Jones - Project-Leader + Researcher
and Instructor of Game Studies, Rhetoric
Studies, New Media + Games Curator + UX
Designer + Video Producer + Writing Exercises
Author + Social Media Marketer + GBL Trainer.
● Kate Caruso - Project Co-Leader + Researcher
and Instructor of Composition & MLA + Web 2.0
Tutorials Maker + Video Producer + Discussions
and Tweetchat Moderator + Editor +
Gamification Trainer.

13. UX Design of
rgMOOC Home
0:55

14. Pedagogy

15. Topics Covered in
rgMOOC
Games as Art + Socio-cultural Constructs
Paratextuality/Transmediality of Games
Game Genres as Mediators of Meaning
Game Rules, Mechanics, and Dynamics as
"Procedural Rhetoric"
● Gameplay and Aristotelian Triangle
● Rhetorical Analysis of Game Design
● Game Platforms, Culture, and Audience
●
●
●
●

16. rgMOOC Brief
(4 Directives)
● rgMOOC’s Brief contains 4 Directives: 1)
Intel 2) Games 3) Directive Co-ops 4) Live
Debriefings.
● Agents fulfill each week’s Brief to master
analysis + evaluation of the rhetoric of
game programming and game systems.

17. 1st Directive
Intel (Level Up)!
● Intel = Assigned Readings and Lectures.
● Readings range from easy to difficult:
○ Level - Heroic = Medium Difficulty.
○ Level - Legendary = Advanced Difficulty
(require prior discipline based knowledge
to access).

18. Intel Video
@TheDecipher1
"Procedural
Rhetoric is a type of
procedural literacy
that advances and
challenges the logics
that underlie
behavior, and how
such logics work."
-- Ian Bogost
2:13-5:30
(Persuasive Games 258)

19. 2nd Directive
Play a Game (or 3)
● Agents play 1 game from our extensive
game collection.
● Various game genres are assigned.
● Let’s Play (LP) videos are offered as guides.

20. Let’s Play!
@TheGameMole
0:00-2:29
1:51-5:04

21. The Game Mole’s
Narratives 1
● The Game Mole is a spy, and “disrupts”
rgMOOC with his own narratives:
○ Episodic Narrative = Narrative in
episodes (sets readers’ anticipation to
read more subsequent narratives).
○ Epistolary Narrative = Narrative written
in documents (ex. tell a story through a
series of letters).
● Narratives lure agents back to rgMOOC!

22. The Game Mole’s
Narratives 2
● Magic Realism - When a narrative breaks the
rules of our real world.
● “Strecher defines magic realism as "what
happens when a highly detailed, realistic
setting is invaded by something too strange to
believe." (Wikipedia)
● The Game Mole disrupts the “reality” of the
rgMOOC universe by providing
secret/hidden intel to fellow agents!

23. The Game Mole’s
Narratives 3

24. 3rd Directive
Directive Co-ops!
● Directive Co-op are questions about the
Intel and games assigned.
● Agents complete 1 Directive Co-op with 200
Words Minimum (but Agents give us a
whole lot more).
● Writing Tutorials are offered.

25. Writing Tutorial
@rgTheScientist
5:44-8:08
Sample Directive Co-ops
● “Mr. Bree:
Instructing the
Basics of
Neuroscience
through Video
Games” by Rozalia
Zeibeki.
● Response to “Autisim” by Francisco
Vargas.

26. 4th Directive
Live Debriefing!
rgMOOC Twubs

27. Midweek
Minecraft Live!
2:49-8:00

28. Final Weeks
Make a Game Live!
● In Weeks 9-10 (final 2 weeks), agents make
games to demonstrate learning.
● Road Rage by Lucas Villa-Kainec (aka
Agent V-K/GAMERansom).
● Knowledge for the Future by Brandon
Madrigal (aka bigbyrdbmad).

29. Evaluation

30. Evaluate Storify!
(Syndication!)
● We evaluate Agents’ Storify articles to give
them an rgMOOC Completion Badge!
● Agents “syndicate” their work via Storify!
● Storify by Francisco Vargas
● Storify by Irov

31. Press about
rgMOOC!

32. rgMOOC
in the News!
● Aug. 12, 2013 - Roland Legrand reports on
Jones’ gMOOC Theory
● Aug. 30, 2013 - MOOC News and Reviews
published a very positive review of
rgMOOC (MN&R is a highly respected
international publication that evaluates the
quality and rigor of MOOCs).
● See More 2013 News on rgMOOC!

33. Questions?
Comments?
Sherry Jones
Kate Caruso
SherryJones.Edtech@gmail.com
KateEGuthrie@gmail.com
Twitter @autnes
Twitter @writercar
Visual Bio
CV
SLIDESHOW - http://bit.ly/rgmooc2142014