Sande Chen, a serious games consultant, game designer and author will be on campus as part of the TEACHxpert Series on February 16, 2018 to talk about games and gamification in the classroom. “Serious Games”, or games designed for a purpose other than entertainment, are a popular topic for Northwestern instructors who wish to use innovative techniques to increase learning and retention in their courses.
Chen will address the question of whether games or game elements can increase motivation, solidify learning objectives and encourage engagement in students. Chen will provide examples of classrooms that have embraced gaming and gamification and will address challenges and issues such as the need for assessment.
Date and Time
Fri, February 16, 2018
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CST
Location
University Library | Ver Steeg Lounge (3rd Floor)
During the session, participants will:
- Learn about evidence-based classroom engagement practices that come from gaming and game elements.
- Analyze and evaluate the impact of games and meta-gaming on learning outcomes.
- Consider the opportunities and challenges associated with gamifying their own classrooms.
This talk is a part of the TEACHxpert speaker series and will have a follow-up event one week later.
About the Speaker:
Sande Chen is the co-author of Serious Games: Games That Educate, Train, and Inform. As a serious games consultant, she helps companies harness the power of video games for non-entertainment purposes. Her career as a writer, producer, and game designer has spanned over 10 years in the game industry. Her game credits include 1999 Independent Games Festival winner Terminus, MMO Hall of Fame inductee Wizard101, and the 2007 PC RPG of the Year, The Witcher, for which she was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award in Videogame Writing. She has spoken at conferences around the globe, including the Game Developers Conference, Game Education Summit, SXSW Interactive, Serious Play Conference, and the Serious Games Summit D.C. Her 5 research reports on educational games written on behalf of the Cooney Center can be found on the website, http://www.gamesandlearning.org/.