WSU IT7220 Week 3

1. Design Strategy
IT 7220
February 2, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009 1

2. Agenda
Personal Web pages

Revisit Synergy of Learning and Engagement

Elements for Engaged Learning

Design Strategies of e-Learning

Flash - Motion Tweening, Buttons, Movieclips

Monday, February 2, 2009 2

3. Personal Web Pages
Monday, February 2, 2009 3

4. Aligning Engagement with
Education
Revisit juxtaposition of learning elements with

engagement elements from week 1
Basis for designing games that are both educationally

effective and engaging
Lack of awareness for this synergy creates a barrier

to providing engaging learning
Putting educators and entertainment experts together

historically doesn’t produce results as they invoke
very different paradigms for achieving results
Monday, February 2, 2009 4

5. Synergy of Learning and
Engagement Elements
Learning Elements Engagement Elements Engaged Learning
Contextualized Thematic coherence Theme
Clear goal Clear goal Goal
Appropriate challenge Balanced challenge Challenge
Anchored Relevance: action to domain Action-Domain Link
Relevant Relevance: problem to learner Problem-Learner link
Exploratory Choices of action Active
Active manipulation Direct Manipulation Direct
Appropriate feedback Coupling Feedback
Attention-getting Novel information and events Affect
Monday, February 2, 2009 5

6. Elements for Engaged Learning
Theme

 Setting and context
 Draw from well-known genres (from
literature, movies, or games) to build
familiarity
 Story; simplification or exaggeration of reality
Monday, February 2, 2009 6

7. Elements for Engaged Learning
Goal

 Establish in the story set-up
 Provides motivation for action
 Includes metric for attainment
 May change over time
Monday, February 2, 2009 7

8. Elements for Engaged Learning
Challenge

 Systematic balance of difficulty that changes as
the learner progresses
 Drill and practice is test for knowledge
retention, does not create challenge or reduce
boredom/frustration level
 Challenge needs to adapt to learner; games
have levels with associated difficulty
Monday, February 2, 2009 8

9. Elements for Engaged Learning
Action-Domain Link

 Knowledge needs to be applied as story line
progresses in meaningful application of knowledge
to tasks
 Inherent disconnect in edu-software games:
answering math questions earns chances to shoot
aliens
 Genre selection aids in particular skills development;
use of familiar genres reduce time needed to become
familiar with game expectations and interface
Monday, February 2, 2009 9

10. Elements for Engaged Learning
Problem-Learner Link

 Related to theme selection is creating a world
and story that is of interest to the learner
 Learner preferences and attributes
 Audience emotional factors, cognitive
approaches, and motivation
 Provide insight to learner mistakes and
remediation strategies to improve experience
Monday, February 2, 2009 10

11. Elements for Engaged Learning
Active

 Learner needs to play active role in making
decisions in the story via frequent choices
 Choices result in consequences from game,
leading to further opportunity
 Action should be cognitive: decisions need to
be sufficiently complex to build experience of
engagement with material
Monday, February 2, 2009 11

12. Elements for Engaged Learning
Direct

 Learner must act, preferably in a direct form of
mapping using interactive elements
 All interaction is a form of multiple choices
between alternatives
 Rule of thumb is if choice is between action
choice and a good cognitive choice, cognitive
choice wins
Monday, February 2, 2009 12

13. Elements for Engaged Learning
Feedback

 All decisions should have an impact on story
line
 Feedback should be staged in context of story
 Avoid using external device or narrator inform
you of the consequence, as least until play is
done
 Consequences do not have to occur
immediately
Monday, February 2, 2009 13

14. Elements for Engaged Learning
Affect

 Play should not be predictable
 Chance should play a role in the action
 Affective (emotional) elements should support
theme and mood or story setting
 Inappropriate dialogue, appearance, or sound
effects can undermine the willing suspension of
disbelief that is core to the manufactured
experience
Monday, February 2, 2009 14

15. Engagement Levels
Level 0: Enhanced ISD

Level 1: Mini-Scenarios

Level 2: Linked Scenarios

Level 3: Contingent Scenarios

Level 4: The Full Monty (Full Game Experience)

Monday, February 2, 2009 15

16. Level 1: Mini-Scenarios
Follow traditional ISD

Practice couched in

context
Engagement through story

line is light and may be
superficial
Monday, February 2, 2009 16

17. Level 2: Linked Scenarios
Decisions are sequenced into a

single story line (i.e., solve
problem, move on)
All game problems share a

common theme
Scenario may be launched

before bringing in content and
example resources
Linking scenarios gives more

complex practice opportunity
and helps develop relationships
between components of the
learning goal.
Monday, February 2, 2009 17

18. Level 3: Contingent Scenarios
Choice is expanded using

multiple scenarios
Learner is allowed to

make mistakes and
experience consequences
Takes more work to

develop multiple paths
and keep track of all
options
Paths may branch but

generally converge at
some point so that
eventually everyone
arrives at the same place
Monday, February 2, 2009 18

19. Level 4: The Full Monty
Full game approach employs a game engine which

dynamically serves activities by rules, probabilities, and
variables
Provides ideal situation for achieving learning outcomes

Basis for what are commonly referred to as

simulations...simulations become interactive when an interface
is provided to alter the settings and variables in the model
Big difference between scenarios and games is ability to create

the experience of flow
Outcome may be made to be non-deterministic meaning it is

not fixed and there may be several different types
Monday, February 2, 2009 19

20. Level 4: Full Game Model
Monday, February 2, 2009 20

21. DreamBox
Audience is K-2 math students in need of tutoring

outside of the classroom
Lessons are taught through video games

Players select theme and character

Personalized paths “...over a million paths a child

could take through the DreamBox curriculum”
Dreambox Learning (http://www.dreambox.com/)

Monday, February 2, 2009 21

22. DreamBox
How would you characterize the engagement

model based on the 4 levels Quinn discusses?
How are the engaged learning elements addressed

through the experience (based on intended
audience)?
Monday, February 2, 2009 22

23. Lab - Flash HOT
Motion tweening

Buttons

Movie clips

Monday, February 2, 2009 23