The use of gaming in e-Learning - Essay Example

The use of gaming in e-learning. In recent years e-Learning has become quite widespread in a number of organizations, and there is a great variety in the ways that it is applied. The dissertation by Rolf Ahdell and Gottorm Andresen on “Games and simulations in eLearning: how to align eLearning content with learner needs” looks particularly at gaming as a way of making eLearning more effective. A criticism that they found with e-Learning is that it “is often text-heavy with weak interactivity and many users find e-Learning boring” (p. iii). The authors worked in California and Sweden to explore whether games and simulations would resolve these problems and they set up three case studies: two of them were games which involved improving customer relations and sales, while one of them was an action game for designers, teaching them how to use a 3D-design program. It is important to point out the different focus of these two categories because, as the authors note, “it is easier to create relevant content with hard-skills than with soft-skills.” (p. v) Using a design program is a hard skill, with clearly definable outcomes which can be easily measured, but improving sales and customer relations are soft skills which are much more difficult to measure. The dissertation starts with a summary of the research so far on eLearning and it defines eLearning as “Effective and engaging learning anywhere at any time, developed and delivered using information technology.” (p. 6) Its advantages are that it can be delivered to geographically distant employees, at relatively low cost, at high speed, in a personalised way, and with feedback built in so that continuous improvement is secured. Its disadvantages are that development costs can be high, content can be boring, and users often start with enthusiasm but then their interest fades after a short while. The main hypothesis of the dissertation is “that the use of games and simulation is one way of creating engagement.” (p. 8) The timescale for the fieldwork was quite short (3 months) and so the research is based on existing eLearning projects in the three case studies, and the data is qualitative, based on interviews with key staff such as training and Human Resources managers, using software which uses the PC platform in a corporate workplace environment. The study is restricted to CD-ROM products, and this reflects its date of writing in 2001, a time when web-based materials were available, but not widely used, because of problems with low speed connections, inadequate firewalls and general lack of expertise in networking. This dissertation provides a snapshot of the time just before broadband became widely available, and companies started to move into web based e-Learning. Learning theories are discussed, and there is a key quotation on how to create engagement in the user: “Conflict/competition, challenge or opposition is what gets your adrenaline and creative juices flowing, and what makes you excited about playing the game. While not everyone likes head-to-head competition and some people shy from conflict, most of us enjoy a challenge, particularly if we get to choose it and set its difficulty” (Prensky, 2001) Other factors such as the quality of the sound and visual features, and the element of drama in a game influence how well it is perceived by users. One case study, that of the Monkey Wrench Conspiracy did appear to be very popular with users, and to have valuable outcomes for the company who used it. The Case study answered a number of key questions about e-Learning: Will gaming prove to have more interactivity than the normal e-learning provided by organizations? The company had experienced some difficulty in training staff in the use of design software, and this e-Learning program succeeded in persuading staff to solve little interactive puzzles in an imaginary aliens-in-space scenario. The game was loosely linked which means that tasks were set to be completed outside the framework of the game. The challenge of solving the problems did not affect game progress in a direct way, but the game did provide a goal setting and framing structure, with an entertaining narrative, that encouraged users to follow through to the end. Will gaming be more cost effective than other methods? In this case study the game program was free to use, since it had a marketing as well as a training function. The cost of running it was therefore small, but on the other hand the cost of monitoring the results was rather higher, since there was no way of measuring how well users completed the task unless this happened in a separate context outside the game. Since other methods had not been effective, and this one did have increased skill results, we can conclude that it was cost effective compared with the complete failure of traditional learning methods. Will it help to retain staff? This question was not directly addressed by the case study, but it was true that the staff enjoyed the game and learned how to use the design program. This experience of success did not harm staff morale, at the time of the research at least. Will it make staff more knowledgeable and keen to learn more? The results on this front are good. Staff did learn useful skills, and enjoyed the process. Will it actually make staff apply what they have learned to help in their job? Managers reported that there was “a strong correlation between use of MWC and lowered need for support help” (p. 100) which suggests that users became more confident in their own skills, and better at problem solving. The content was pure fantasy, and so there was no expectation that the program would affect day to day tasks, but this evidence appears to show that applying generic skills did take place in the workplace. Enthusiasm for computer design in general increased, and this is a very positive result. The results for the sales and customer service games in the other two case studies, which train soft skills, seem less clear cut, partly because these things are more difficult to measure. Another factor which may have acted in favor of the Monkey Wrench Conspiracy case study is that the participants were mainly young male staff, a demographic group that is well known to respond most eagerly to computer games. Other groups such as women and older staff may not have responded so positively. References Ahdell, R. and Andresen , G. (2001) Games and simulations in workplace eLearning: How to align eLearning content with learner needs. M.Sc. dissertation, Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Read More