Findings
and Reccomendations
Organized by:
Federation of American Scientists
Sponsored by: Entertainment
Software Association
National Science Foundation
Federation of American
Scientists
The Summit on Educational Games occurred October 25, 2005 under
the sponsorship of the Entertainment Software Association, the National Science
Foundation, and the orginization/sponsorship of the Federation of American
Scientists.
Hundreds of experts Participated, including executives
and developers of the growing video game industry, as well as researchers,
teachers, publishers, educational software representatives, the U.S. Military,
R&D funders, Government policymakers, and other experts on technology and
pedagogy.
Some areas of inquiry revolved around the benefits of games
as an educational tool. The types and genres of such games were discussed, as
well as the skills these games might teach, the amount of time, expense, and
effort it would require to use educational games effectively and the business
climate for such games.
About the
Summit on Educational Games
Why Focus on Educational Games?
There are many prominent reasons why educational games are causing
such a commotion in the industry world and across the nation. Thorough training
and education is needed to enhance our economy and ensure efficiency and
success. For instance, the U.S. workforce must raise skills in order to compete
in global labor markets and to support an innovation-based economy. The U.S.
workforce must also be prepared for the developement of new jobs and occupations
created by daily technological advancements. It is apparent that digital media
is the foremost medium of attention for youth. They are familiar with games as a
form of entertainment, and becauce of this it is clear that video and computer
games are the best way to reach out to children and motivate them to learn in
the way they understand best. Schools must become high-performance organizations
in order to produce high-performing students.
Policy Leaders are Saying...
" We must support
workers’ and families’ ability to succeed, not merely
survive, in a world in
which skills needs are rapidly changing and the
competition for jobs is
global. "
- Innovate America, Council on Competitiveness
" A
substantial portion of our workforce finds itself in direct competition
for
jobs with lower wage workers around the globe… "
-
Rising Above the Competitive Storm, National Academy of Sciences
"
…the Workforce/Education issues are critical to our Nation’s longterm economic
security and innovation leadership. "
-
Sustaining the Nation's Innovation Ecosystems, PCAST.
" The
bedrock of America’s competitiveness is a well-educated andskilled workforce.
…we can do more to provide American students and workers with the skills and
training needed to compete with the best and brightest around the world. "
-
President George W. Bush, American Competitiveness Initiative
What Makes Games Attractive for Educational
Purposes
Why do video and computer games show so much potential in
education? Educational games allow clear learning goals for students of
all ages. These games support broad experiences and practice opportunities that
the students would otherwise be without. For example, educational games like the
ones developed by FAS allow the player to fly through the interior of a cell,
operate equipment, and allow trial and error learning without physical
consequences that help to try over and over again to mastery. Educational games
serve to monitor students' progress, provide continual feedback with each step,
and challenge the player as their mastery of the concept is gained. Educational
games encourage inquiry and allow students to ask questions without feeling
self-conscious among their peers.
Educational games also enforce
contextual bridging. They allow the gap between what is learned and its use to
close and as a result, students are more inclined to embrace that newly acquired
knowledge rather than forget it. It allows students timed goals and keeps them
on task. These games enforce stronger motivation in students, and consequently,
they become noticeably more goal oriented. Scaffolding is another benefit of
Educational games. They provide clues or hints to keep the learner progressing.
The games enhance personalization and make the student feel involved, ergo more
motivation to continue their education. Unlike many teachers or tutors,
educational games are an infinitely patient medium. Students never feel like
they are holding anyone back or revealing their ignorance, and thus eliminate
much of the anxiety of learning.
Some of the expected
benefits/results of Educational games are...
• Higher order skills
• Practical skills
• Practice for high performance situations
• Rarely used skills
• Developing expertise
• Team
building
Research and Developement : Challenges and Agenda
R&D specialists face many challenges when designing games
that can educate and entertain players simultaniously and effectively. They must
explore facets of computer games that are important to education. R&D
specialtists want to discover the best way to design video games for positive
learning outcomes in order to encourage players of all ages to embrace education
with enthusiasm.
Another important challenge Research and Developement
specialists face, is how to create these games efficiently and without great
cost. They want to fashion a quick way to create educational games that is
efficient and economical. This concerns the actual production of such games as
well as basic and applied research, technology, and prototype
development.
R&D Agenda
•
Role of games in learning
• Design of pedagogy for game-based learning
•
Best features of games to apply to learning
• Features of challenges for
motivation/learning
• Stories/scenarios for motivation/learning
•
Educational density
• Effect of immersion and engagement on learning
•
Gaming and goal orientation
• Degree of authenticity
• Designing
simulated actors
• Designing for gender/socio-cultural differences
•
Educational scaffolding
• Assessment/learner modeling data
• Assessing
attainment of higher order skills
• Understanding change in education and
training institutions
Opposition
to the Educational Game Industry
As expected of any innovational idea, there is much resistence
to games as a source of learning... click here to view the FAS powerpoint for further
information.
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