Introduction
“[Gaming is] the theatre of the mind. […] It’s the lens through which we understand how the world works without having to literally go to [live it] ourselves. It’s a way for people to be warned and to learn about what the world contains to better prepare themselves for what’s happening in their real life.”
The transition to online teaching raises significant pedagogical challenges. Student engagement, motivation and concentration are being put to test. This collection of recipes has been created to present game-based strategies to make online learning more stimulating and engaging for students.
Game-based learning is a teaching approach that uses different forms of games, and the strategies or mechanics associated with them, for educational purposes. It advocates a student-centred approach that allows learners to explore, fail and take up challenges in a safe environment. Game-based learning also supports students in autonomously exploring situations created by their professor. Finally, games are likely to reinforce the students’ commitment to the learning process. Indeed, a really engrossing game can capture the attention of players for long periods of time, while providing a sense of accomplishment and well-being. In an educational context, these characteristics and qualities can greatly enhance student engagement, motivation and learning.
In this Cookbook, an interdisciplinary panel of experts offers recipes for integrating different types of game-based learning activities in the context of remote teaching. An overview of game-based learning strategies will be provided, including trivia games, escape games, co–operative games, crossword puzzles, and more. And, who knows, you might even find secret games hidden somewhere in this document… The recipes proposed here are only a sample of the activities tested and recommended by the contributors. The world of game-based learning is vast and waiting to be explored.
The French version of this ebook is available here!
Don’t have time to go through this entire eBook? No problem! We created a summarized interactive version!
Ready… Set… Play!
