Games in Education 2017

This session will explore a pilot project to integrate game-based learning simulations from Muzzy Lane Software in two courses at Excelsior College, a non-profit distance learning institution that primarily serves adult learners. HIS350: World War I and HSC403: Nutrition for Wellness each contain single-player decision-making games designed to be integrated with traditional course materials and assessments. In this session, participants will see demos of each game and explore how gaming can improve student engagement and learning in an online course. In HIS350, the games reinforce key historical concepts such as contingency, agency, and historical empathy, and help bring the World War I era to life. In HSC403, the games address the myths and assumptions that often frame student-decision-making on nutritional planning. The nutrition games also highlight environmental, economic and psychosocial barriers people face in nutrition planning.