2013 Summit Programme - The Centre for Excellence in Media ...

PARALLEL SESSION 3: Thursday 19th 15.30 - 16.10
PARTICIPATORY LEARNING:
Ahead of the Game: Enhancing Student Engagement Through
Contemporary Modes of Delivering Learning Material
John Twycross
Cantor
9128
Games are rule-based activities; they offer rewards, provide feedback, record progress
and rate performance. At Oxford Brookes University research into game-based
learning has informed the development of a bespoke virtual learning environment. The
impact on student engagement has been positive and results so far indicate a significant
rise in the quality of work produced. Remarkably this has been achieved without
a significant increment to the teaching workload. Addressing themes such as student
engagement, competition & peer learning this session invites us to review the results
of this project and collaborate in its future development.
Posing the questions;
• Can the use of video game technology impact on student engagement
• Will this improve the effectiveness of formative feedback
• To what extent is this concept relevant to a wide range of disciplines
This paper demonstrates a teaching methodology that aligns gaming conventions with
learning objectives and student activities. These methods implemented continual assessment
based on a weekly feedback cycle and embraced the just-in-time workflow
that both industry and students rely on. Further research plans to extend the work to
involve a range of disciplines and institutions.
Keywords: student engagement, game-based learning, continual feedback.
John Twycross has lectured at Oxford Brookes University since 2009. Prior to
this he had extensive experience in television and interactive production. His research
explores both media practice and pedagogical excellence.
26 Media Education Summit 2013