Let’s face it: most “academic” video games are just lame. But there are important lessons to be learned from the video gaming industry to engage students in learning. PracticeZone.org is putting some of these concepts to work to teach General Chemistry online.
Abstract
In this session, we will identify some of the important reasons why millennial students are captivated by video games, and how we can use these lessons to engage students in online learning for their academic studies. This session will be informative to teachers and professors who use, select or design new online learning tools for their classes.
Using examples from practicezone.org, we will show how the strategic design of online quizzes and electronically graded homework tools can engage students in learning, promote peer instruction, and free class time for discussion. The key is to allow students an unlimited number of attempts to complete their assignments correctly. We will show data and results from large General Chemistry classes that demonstrate an exceptionally high degree of work and commitment by students to their academic studies.
The primary relationship to the conference theme is to demonstrate how the strategic design of online learning tools can promote exceptionally high levels of student engagement.
Presenter
Chuck Wight
Chuck Wight has taught chemistry at the University of Utah since 1984. He currently serves as Associate VP for Academic Affairs and Undergraduate Studies. He is responsible for guiding the development of institutional policies and support for online and hybrid courses, General Education, Continuing Education, and an institutional partnership with Dixie State College. He is the sole owner of the new online learning web site http://practicezone.org.
