Using games and simulations for supporting learning

Abstract

The growing interest in the use of games and simulations to support learning is evidenced in the literature, as well as in recent research projects and initiatives. While a focus upon the users of games and simulations is not well evidenced in the literature, this study aimed to highlight key issues and perceptions that inform and underpin how games and simulations were regarded by learners, tutors and experts using these tools. The paper highlights several key issues at stake in the wider debate about the validity of using games and simulations, including strengths of games to motivate learners, as well as scepticism about its efficacy as a learning tool. However, games and simulations are regarded as tools that may support differentiated learner groups including underserved learners, learners with skills needs (e.g. numeracy and literacy) and informal learners seeking to learn from experiences, as well as supporting collaborative learning practices. Furthermore, the majority of learners and tutors using games and simulations involved in the study did find value in using these tools as part of their wider learning and teaching practices.

Preliminary Experiments With EVA - Serious Games Virtual Fire Drill Simulator

“…Benefits of combining SG with other training activities include: the learners' motivation is higher; completion rates are higher; possibility of accepting new learners; possibility of creating collaborative activities; learn through doing and acquiring experience (Freitas, 2006).…”

Outsourcing Learning: Is the Statecraft Simulation an Effective Pedagogical Alternative?

“…While research on pedagogical simulations in political science is part of a broader literature that advocates for active and experiential instructional techniques (e.g., Crossley-Frolick 2010; de Freitas 2006), their efficacy at enabling students to achieve desired learning outcomes has not been comprehensively validated, in part due to the frequent failure to properly align simulations with course learning objectives or assessment regimes (Raymond and Usherwood 2013). As Krain and Lantis (2006:399, 400) have shown, "very few studies confirm our experiences (and convictions) that however, there were no statistically significant improvements in exam scores among simulation participants compared to students who received traditional lectures and assignments.…”

The Challenge of Learning for Networked SMEs to Increase Competitiveness in Virtual Enterprises

“…Duin et al, 2012). The advent of serious games has given rise to the possibility of enhancing the learning (Freitas, 2006) with an increasing number of advocates promoting the use of serious games as a delivery platform (Aldrich, 2005) for education and competence development. This effort has been hampered by the perceived lack of concrete evidence concerning the effectiveness of learning and the fragmentation of the research community raises difficult challenges (Hauge et al, 2010).…”