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Preliminary Analysis Questions

1. Identify the different barriers Michael encountered when he tried to convince school
district personnel to implement the games in middle school classes. What questions
do you think educational game designers must consider when designing a game for
K-12 contexts?

As Michael tried to convince school district personnel to implement the games in middle school
classes he faced several barriers. One of the more prominent barriers was the decline in eighth-
grade proficiency tests (Ertmer et al., p.12). This barrier shifted the district’s mindset from
innovative learning strategies to teaching what students needed to know in order to pass state
proficiency tests (Ertmer et al., p.12). Another barrier was the length of time it took students to
complete the games, with each game taking over a week to complete (Ertmer et al., p.12).
Because the school district needed to shift their focus, there was not enough time to incorporate
game-based learning in the classroom. Additionally, there does not appear to be identification of
resources or assessments early in the design phase. Early on in the case, it also does not appear
that Michael engaged with the appropriate key stakeholders prior to his design phase. Meeting
with middle school teachers is one stakeholder group, but what about the administration and
students?

Engagement with various stakeholder groups could have provided Michael with multiple
perspectives and voices, potentially breaking down some of the barriers Michael encountered.
Early engagement would have also provided Michael with a better understanding of the student
demographics and learning styles. Most importantly, early engagement with various stakeholder
groups would have provided Michael with more support from the district.

When designing games, educational game designers should consider questions such as:

● What are the district-wide initiatives for the academic year?

● Who are the key stakeholders?
● For each grade level, how much classroom time can be devoted to game-based learning?
● What learning outcomes need to be met?
● Are there any teacher professional development needs to be addressed?

2. What arguments could Michael make to convince school administrators and

teachers about the potential benefits of educational games?

Michael could have made the argument that his educational games incorporated problem-based
learning. Using a problem-based learning approach to educational game design allows teachers
to achieve learning goals while still meeting curriculum requirements (Holland, 2016).
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Additionally, Hirumi et al., (2010) tells us that games employ problem-based learning. Problem-
based learning promotes use of critical thinking and supports student engagement (Hirumi et al.,
2010), this can be seen throughout the Rigglefish game. Once students gather their sample
resources they are provided with a menu that allows them to ask critical questions (Ertmer et al.,
p.14). Supporting student engagement is seen at the beginning of the game, students are
presented with a complex, ill-structured task, requiring students to engage and video instructions
identifying the problem without telling learners what to do (Hirumi et al., 2010). Problem-based
learning encourages students to explore real world concepts (Holland, 2016), this can be seen in
the development of Rigglefish. Students use virtual models of real-world scientific instruments to
collect rigglefish for testing and breeding (Ertmer et al., p.14).

When speaking about the potential benefits of educational games, Michael should focus on and
highlight the learning theories present in the game. By doing so, Michael could make the
argument that traditional teaching methods could be used to provide students with foundational
scientific concepts so that when students engaged in the Rigglefish game there would be some
level of existing knowledge in which the students could build upon (Hirumi et al., 2010). Using a
cognitive approach to learning, Michael could argue that research shows that cognitive theories
are more appropriate for explaining complex forms of learning (Ertmer & Newby, 2013).
Michael’s game is designed to teach students complex concepts such as phenotypes and
genotypes (Ertmer et al., p.13).

3. Why does Michael feel so strongly about not putting the game in an after-school
program? Discuss pros and cons of Michael’s decision.

From what could be gathered from the case, Michael felt so strongly about not putting the game
in an after-school program because Michael’s team had received funding to create an innovative
model that used technology to increase engagement of all students in scientific inquiry in their
science classes (Ertmer et al., p.15). It appears that funding is dependent on the development of a
game-based learning module that would benefit students of varying educational levels. A benefit
to Michaels decision is that he could continue receiving funding for the continuous development
and implementation of the game, Rigglefish (Ertmer et al., p.13). However, Michael’s decision
could lose funding if he is unable to find a school district that is willing to allow their students to
pilot test the game-based learning module. Additionally, as mentioned by Michael’s colleague,
Antonia Fisher, a great way to get districts to adopt new learning innovations is to see their
success in a setting like an afterschool program, summer camp, or homeschool market (Ertmer et
al., p.19). On the other hand, Michael’s confidence and passion for his game design and its
ability to increase student engagement and learning in the classroom environment could arguably
be a pro to his decision to not put the game in an after-school program.
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Implications for ID Practice

1. What characteristics of middle school learners must designers consider when
planning educational games? Provide specific examples.

Instructional designers should consider the learning strategies teachers utilize in middle school.
This will allow the instructional designer to understand and incorporate teaching strategies most
effective for middle school aged students. Equally important, Etmer & Newby (2013) tells us
that a critical component of being an instructional designer is knowing, and fully understanding
the various learning theories, in order to effectively provide a learning solution to address an
instructional problem. Understanding where learning gaps occur in middle school is important
for an instructional designer to know. Therefore, instructional designers should consider the
different learning styles and levels of middle school students. It is equally important that
instructional designers work with teachers to better understand the students' foundational
knowledge so that students are building on existing knowledge when engaging in educational
games.

2. Identify the different contexts in which an educational game might be played and
how those contexts affect design decisions.

There may be challenges at the administrative level in the adoption of educational games in the
classroom. Due to the lack of support by the administration, teachers may find it difficult to
incorporate educational games in the classroom. Likewise, a teacher's expertise or comfort level
in using educational games in the classroom could affect design decisions because this directly
affects the instructional designers ability to gain understanding of what teaching practices are
used in a traditional classroom.

In the context of a learning environment, the setting is different between a classroom and after-
school program. In a classroom room setting, there is a wide student demographic with many
different learning styles. Whereas, in an afterschool program attendance is optional, limiting
student demographics, there is no curriculum to follow, and it serves as more of an open
environment where students choose their activities.

3. How can teachers assess student learning through educational games?

Teachers can assess student learning through educational games by having the students explain
how they came to their conclusions. Also, by asking students to explain their thought process the
teacher can determine if student learning is achieved. Another method of assessment could be the
use of an exit ticket/knowledge check after students have completed the educational game.
Teachers can utilize data collected to determine which areas students struggle in, which would
allow the teacher to focus on learning gaps.
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4. How are the factors affecting the adoption of a game in this case similar to or
different from efforts to introduce other innovations (e.g. problem-based learning,
mobile device) in schools?

Anytime a new initiative or learning concept is introduced it is difficult to change mindsets,

especially if what has been done up to that point is working. In education, this is an ongoing
challenge and one that has to be carefully navigated when attempting to persuade teachers and
administrators to adopt new technologies. As seen in the case study, school districts must
maintain student performance standards, or face consequences (Ertmer et al., p.11). This can
often be a barrier to the adoption of an educational game and other innovative learning practices,
simply because school districts have to make sure that proficiency standards are met. Being that
proficiency standards are the only way districts measure student learning (Ertmer et al., p.17),
instructional designers need to keep this in mind when speaking about the benefits of educational
games or any new innovations in instruction. Another factor that could affect the adoption of
new learning innovations is the change in school personnel.

Conclusion
Instructional designer, Michael Bishop made several mistakes in the early stages of the design
process which resulted in unforeseen barriers, lack of support, and potential loss of a funding
source. Engagement with key stakeholders help instructional designers understand the learning
problems needing to be addressed, potential barriers to the project, and it supports advocacy
among different stakeholder groups. When defending the use of educational games in traditional
classroom environments, Michael needed to highlight the use of problem-based learning in the
game and demonstrate the learning theories utilized. Michael received recommendations to test
his game in afterschool programs, summer camps and homeschool markets; however, due to the
project’s funding source, the game needed to be tested and implemented in traditional classroom
environments. As an instructional designer there are several things that must be considered when
developing educational games, the most important being the students, their learning styles and
levels. Doing so will equip an instructional designer with the information necessary to identify a
learning solution to address the problem.

References

Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (2013). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing

critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance improvement
quarterly, 26(2), 43-71.
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Ertmer, P. A., Quinn, J. A., & Glazewski, K. D. (2019). The ID Casebook: Case studies in
instructional design (5th ed.). Routledge.

Hirumi, A., Appelman, B., Rieber, L., Van Eck, R.. (2010). Preparing instructional designers for
game-based learning: Part 1.

Holland, B. (2016, February 25). Design Thinking and PBL. Edutopia.

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/design-thinking-and-pbl-beth-holland