International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Volume 3, Number 1, January 2009
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“All Work and No Play” Reconsidered: The Use of Games to Promote Motivation and Engagement in Instruction
This study examined the role of games in graduate-level instructional technology courses, where the curriculum includes complex abstract theory and hands-on, practical skills. A qualitative approach was used in the study, relying on classroom observations of student behavior (recorded by digital photographs), informal student verbal comments, formal written feedback, and analysis of student game projects, as sources of data. Participants had the opportunity to serve in one or both roles of ‘educational game player’ and ‘educational game designer’. Issues involved in adapting existing games to classroom use are also discussed. Study findings reveal that games can be very useful in the classroom, helping to stimulate student active participation in the learning process.
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Stephen Gareau
Buffalo State College
Buffalo, New York, USA
gareause@buffalostate.edu
My educational background includes: Ph.D. degree in Education (Instructional
Technology), M.A. degree in Educational Technology, M.Sc. degree in
Civil Engineering, and Bachelor of Commerce degree. Before working in
education, I worked for 12 years as a computer programmer/analyst in
business and industry, and as a multimedia development project manager.
I have taught in instructional technology programs in North Carolina,
Louisiana, and Western New York. I am currently Assistant Professor
and Graduate Coordinator of the Educational Technology program at Buffalo
State College. My research interests include: the design and use of
educational games, the nature of scientific creativity and problem solving
and how it can be infused into math and science education, and service
learning approaches for teaching technology-oriented courses.
Website: http://www.buffalostate.edu/cis/gareause.xml?username=gareause
Ruth Guo
Buffalo State College
Buffalo, New York, USA
guorx@buffalostate.edu
I earned my PhD in Technology Studies at the University of British Columbia, Canada. I have taught courses at the University of Ottawa and at the University of British Columbia in Canada. I am currently Assistant Professor, teaching the following graduate courses in the Department of Computer Information Systems at Buffalo State College: Microcomputer Systems, Instructional Technologies, Authoring for Educators, Integration of Technology in Curriculum Design, and Computer Applications in Educational Administration. I also have over 10 years of experience teaching at Chinese universities. My research interests include: integrating technology into the curriculum, digital divide issues, constructivist pedagogy, video ethnography, multiliteracies, information and communication technology (ICT) literacy, and ICT assessment. I have published research papers and book chapters in these areas.