Game-Based Learning

Students participate in structured simulations, which may be hypothetical UN meetings, mock trials, or business strategy games where player decisions have an impact on outcomes. Simulations often take place over several class sessions and are effective because they immerse students in authentic contexts that require them to apply course information in realistic scenarios. Simulations can work well for environmental science, urban planning, biology topics or any subject matter that encourages problem-solving, collaboration, and experiential learning. 

Students work together to solve puzzles, uncover clues, or complete tasks needed to escape a physical or digital room within a set amount of time. Challenges are aligned with course content and can make course learning memorable and social. Similar to traditional tests and quizzes, escape rooms emphasize content mastery under pressure, but getting the right answers requires effective communication and collaboration with peers. Escape rooms can work with any field, but are particularly effective with STEM subjects, language learning, or medical training where groups must solve content-linked clues to escape. 

Similar to other roleplaying activities, students are assigned roles with specific perspectives, such as historical figures, professional positions, or different ideologies and are expected to engage in a series of real-world debates while remaining in-character. Success depends on how well students research the roles, and can embody particular personas. This activity works best for historical investigations but can effectively be used in any subject where multiple viewpoints are examined. Roleplaying builds transferable skills like empathy, perspective-taking, critical thinking and collaborative problem-solving.

Students work in small groups to design and prototype a board game that teaches something or calls attention to course-related topics like climate change, depletion of resources, or political operations. Students begin by conducting research to better understand the topic, then go about designing a game board, game components, game mechanics and rules, and a box design for the game. Board game design is a fun and creative activity that supports systems thinking, iterative design, and collaborative learning through play. However, consideration must be given to the classroom and whether it can support this kind of activity, and how the students will access a variety of craft supplies needed to make their games.

Based on the make-a-thon model, student teams are given a limited amount of time to design a new and unique product such as a tool prototype, an innovative device, or a product sales pitch. Challenges require students to have a solid understanding of course content and be able to apply these principles to a related problem or contemporary issue. Effective Game Jams have specific constraints that are clearly defined, as this usually sparks innovation and creative solutions. Game Jams foster risk-taking, rapid iteration, and the concept of failing forward to succeed.

Gamification applies game elements such as points, levels, badges, and competition to non-game contexts like completion of coursework and quizzes to increase student motivation. Gamification strategies can enhance engagement through external motivators and progress tracking and are often layered onto other learning activities. There are mixed views on whether gamification belongs in higher education, but many college students do enjoy reward-driven practices and low-level competition with peers.

Students earn points for completing tasks, demonstrating skills, or helping peers and their rankings are tallied and displayed on a class leaderboard which may be digital or physical. Leaderboards highlight peer competition and achievement motivation which can be challenging for some students, but when designed carefully with opt-in, team-based, or anonymous options, they can also boost participation, accountability, and peer recognition. Leaderboards can work well in large lecture courses or during specific times, like review weeks. It is also possible to offer points for students who complete optional challenges or other kinds of non-graded classroom learning activities. 

Similar to leaderboards but requiring more effort, students can earn digital or physical badges for demonstrating specific skills, completing milestones, or modeling behaviors like teamwork or creativity. Badges and other achievement awards can also be used to recognize a wide range of non-graded skills. While leaderboards tend to emphasize external motivators, badges are believed to encourage intrinsic motivation among students and can be effective in supporting differentiated learning goals for individuals and groups.

In a cross between a final exam and a make-a-thon, student groups are asked to complete a boss challenge at the end of a term or instructional unit. Boss Battles are high-stakes, high-reward events that usually involve solving a complex problem, case study, or collaborative quiz. Battles may feature different narratives but will always have a time limit which adds urgency and friendly competition to the assessment. To be successful, students must demonstrate their mastery of accumulated course content and be able to collaborate under pressure, both of which make these battles engaging and memorable.

A gamified approach to grades and grading. Similar to leaderboards and badges, students earn experience points (XP) for completing assignments, participating in class, or optional challenges.  All students begin the term with zero points, and their progress is tracked like a video game, with a level-up system and status indicators ranging from Novice to Mastery. XP Grading is favored by those who feel that traditional grading schema are not the best indicators of learning and believe that students should be able to track their growth along multiple paths to success. XP Grading reframes how grades are earned, emphasizing progress and achievement by promoting mastery and sustained effort.

Gameful pedagogy applies many game design principles to course design, including student agency, failure-as-feedback, story-based narratives and challenges. Gameful pedagogy is believed to promote intrinsic motivation among students by emphasizing personal mastery. Courses and learning activities described here help students to mastery content without requiring formal gameplay. In this way, gameful pedagogy is more game-inspired than game-dependent.

When an entire course is framed as a narrative journey or mission, such as surviving a future world, solving a historical mystery, or participating in a research investigation, all course and learning activities become part of a larger, unfolding story. Story-driven course themes can provide narrative cohesion, relevance, and the kind of motivation that inspires students to feel part of something bigger than themselves which enhances course immersion, ownership of content, and construction of ideas.

Course readings or modules can be structured as branching narratives allowing students to make choices that shape the paths they take and offering multiple outcomes or perspectives. Choose your own reading assignments can be a fun and engaging way to immerse students in foreign language learning, literature themes, sociological theories, or other topics. The format mirrors interactive storytelling, where each part of a reading is built as a separate section and readers are asked to make choices about what they want to do next. Try converting reading tasks into branching narratives using tools like Google Forms or Twine.

When students understand that failing can be a critical part of success, they are more willing to document their progress toward mastery. Playful Failure Journals are used by students to regularly record their mistakes, failed attempts, or unexpected outcomes and to reflect on what went wrong and how they learned from it. Failure Journalling changes the negative connotation of failure and normalizes it as part of the learning process. This kind of reflective, low-stakes journalling can help build resilience and self-awareness in a creative format. Particularly effective for designers, programmers, and other creative subjects. 

Playful pedagogy emphasizes joy, curiosity, and creativity as a critical part of learning by embracing imaginative thinking, social interaction, and playful experimentation. Playful learning activities are not necessarily games, but they can be used to increase student engagement by activating emotion, imagination, and autonomy. Examples from previous sections may also be adapted here.

Students are asked to keep a record of all the ways that play is or can be found in their daily lives. Most students find this to be eye-opening since they are used to being told that play is only for children, but play is an important part of being a healthy adult. Play journalling helps to build conceptual bridges between playfulness, creativity, and learning. More than just a record of playing soccer or video games, students begin to realize that cultivating a playful mindset can help them socially, intellectually, and academically

Often begun at the start of term, students are asked to design a personal avatar, character, or spirit guide representing their learning identity, team role, or alter ego for class activities. This persona often grows or evolves over the term and students may be asked to revisit and modify their avatars at the middle and end of the term. Avatars may encourage self-expression and psychological safety, and for some students adopting a playful identity can reduce performance anxiety and build classroom community.

A mystery box or envelope containing clues, objects, or challenges is presented to groups of students. The mysteries can be the same for all groups who must compete to resolve the problem or can be different for each group.  Mysteries or puzzles are always tied to course content and students work together to unlock the mystery by interpreting or solving what's inside. This activity can help to break up dry or difficult to understand concepts. Combining curiosity, storytelling, and deductive reasoning, students must work together to apply what they know to figure out and solve the mystery, which makes learning fun and memorable.