by Sandy Gambill, Instructional Developer, Reinert Center
This past semester you may have read about SLU Professor Simone Bregni’s use of video games in the classroom. You can see him talk about his experience teaching Intensive Italian for Gamers as a Reinert Center Innovative Teaching fellow in this video: https://vimeo.com/214052615
We know that most of our students grew up playing video games and find them deeply engaging. While most of us do not have access to a programmer who can build something that looks like The Super Smash Brothers, or we may not have a commercially available game that is appropriate, we can use the principles of gamification to incorporate certain elements of games into the classroom. Gamification is widely defined as using elements of game design in a non-game context.
Here are some resources that will give you an overview of using elements such as narrative, goals with a reward structure, competition, and scaffolding to higher levels of achievement into lesson design.
Seven Things You Should Know About Gamification
https://library.educause.edu/resources/2011/8/7-things-you-should-know-about-gamification
Gameful Design
https://er.educause.edu/articles/2018/5/gameful-design-a-potential-game-changer
Gamification in the Classroom.
http://facultycenter.blogs.pace.edu/2017/06/06/gamification/
Assassin’s Creed Taught Me Italian: Video Games and the Quest for Lifelong, Ubiquitous Learning
https://profession.mla.hcommons.org/2018/03/22/assassins-creed-taught-me-italian/
The Notebook 