Designing and Researching Games and Online Communities for Teaching and Learning

Catalog description

This course focuses on historic and contemporary issues relevant to designing and researching games (digital and non-digital), and related media and online communities for learning. The purpose of the course is to provide an overview of relevant literature and timely topics related to games, learning and communities of practice in order to engage in effective research and design for learning and engagement. Drawing on interdisciplinary research, students will examine the history of digital games, research on game play and players, review how researchers from different disciplines have conceptualized and investigated learning through playing and designing games, and what we know about possible outcomes. The course also addresses how games and communities can effectively be designed to be inclusive of learners of different ages, backgrounds and abilities.