Applying Gaming Principles and Open-Source Tools to
Redesign a Graduate-Level Course
Theodore J. Kopcha and Ikseon Choi, Learning, Design, and Technology, University of Georgia
Abstract: There is tremendous potential to incorporate the principles associated with gaming into
the coursework of graduate students. The purpose of this session is to present a course redesign
that was based heavily on key gaming principles, including the use of badges, sub-games and
secret areas, and autonomy over skill development. The course, offered using Google Docs and
other Web 2.0 tools, offered a variety of activities that allowed them to ‘level up’ in the content
areas of mobile learning, Web 2.0, and educational gaming. To date, the course was offered in two
different versions – once with and once without a system of awards and badges. The session will
include an overview of the collaborative efforts to redesign the course, a demonstration of the site
and key activities, and a discussion of student reactions to the course from both versions.
Introduction
In Fall 2011, the Learning, Design, and Technology program at the University of Georgia sought to redesign a core
course in their Master’s and Doctoral curriculum. The course, entitled 6150: Introduction to Computer-Based
Education, was offered entirely online and introduced students to a wide variety of technology integration theory
and practices in K12 and business environments. The course was redesigned in a way that updated the content of
the course while making the activities within the course more appealing to both students within the college of
education and other students outside the college. Thus, the focus of the course has been shifted to helping students
to develop conceptual knowledge and skills in utilizing emerging technologies for their own learning as well as for
their teaching and training.
Gaming Principles to Guide the Course Redesign
To achieve this goal, the course redesign focused on integrating principles of gaming into the course activities. Gee
(2003) and Bonk & Dennen (2005) have noted that incorporating the principles of gaming into learning
environments can be engaging and motivating for students, which can result in positive learning outcomes. Bonk
and Dennen (2005) and Rosario and Widmeyer (2009) present a series of design principles associated with
incorporating gaming elements into learning environments. These were adapted from Gee and present the game
elements that make many Massively Multiplayer Online Games [MOOGs] successful. The six principles that were
most relevant to our online learning environment are described below:
 Achievement – Learners are continuously rewarded for skill mastery and advancing their knowledge
 Distributed – Learners grow and learn through interactions with others, including technology
 Multiple Routes – Learners have more than one way to progress and learn
 Practice – Learners spend time practicing in an interesting context
 Probing – Learners engage in cycles of inquiring, hypothesis building, and ‘doing’.
 “Regime of Competence” – The challenges in the game should push learners outside of their current
comfort zone in an attainable manner
Five Key Elements of the New Course
The revised course content focuses on three main trends in computer-based education – mobile learning, Web 2.0,
and educational gaming. This content is covered in the context of the following five course elements that
incorporate the aforementioned game principles.

Levelling up. Figure 1 shows the four levels that learners achieve in the course, and the major projects during
they must complete to ‘level up’. Each level gradually increases the challenges associated with learning and
focuses the learner more narrowly on one of the three trends. Students negotiate their own learning path and
gradually achieve mastery within one of the three trends. This incorporates the principles of: Achievement,
Multiple Routes, and Practice.



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Awards and Badges. At the conclusion of each level, noteworthy projects or projects that went beyond the
requirements were given awards for excellence. Badges were awarded when students contributed positively to
the course outside of the required activities could earn recognition. Badges were only made available once a
student discovered a ‘secret area’ in the game. Principles: Achievement, Regime of Competence.
Mini-games. The main mini-game in the course was an ongoing trivia game on gaming and technology history
(e.g. What game held the first Easter Egg?). The mini-game was played in synchronous meetings to encourage
students to find the answer on Google and report it. Principles: Multiple Routes, Regime of Competence.
Learning with Technology Jam Sessions. Learners regularly worked in small groups to share recent technology
discoveries and applications in various contexts. Principles: Distributed, Practice, Probing.
A ‘Boss’ Level. Games typically have a final challenge that requires students to use their recently acquired skills
to defeat some sort of ‘boss’. In this course, students were challenged to develop, implement, and evaluate a
learning activity in their area of mastery. Principles: Practice, Probing.
Figure 1. Course learning plan containing depicting the activities associated with each ‘level’ achieved in the
redesigned course, including the gradual increase in expertise as learners advance in levels (i.e. grey boxes), Jam
Sessions, and the ‘Boss’ Level (i.e. Level IV).
Implementation and Discussion
The course was developed for delivery using open-sources tools, including Google Documents and other Web 2.0
tools, rather than our University-wide Learning Management System. Google Spreadsheets were customized to
deliver private feedback to users. The course has been offered in two versions – once with and once without the
Awards and Badges system noted above.
The full presentation will showcase the design and development process, demonstrate course features and mechanics
(see https://sites.google.com/site/ldtedit6150/ ), and offer suggestions for designing and implementing course
elements in other contexts around these principles of gaming. Student evaluations will be shared from both versions
of the course to support ideas for implementation and improvement.
References
Gee, J. P. (2003) What Video Games Have To Teach Us About Learning And Literacy, Palgrave MacMillan, New
York.
Bonk, C. J., and Dennen, V. P. (2005) “Massively Multiplayer Online Gaming: A Research Framework for Military
Training and Education”, Technical Report 2005- 1, Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative, Office of
the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.
Rosario, R. A. M., & Widmeyer, G. R. (2009). An exploratory review of design principles for constructivist gaming
learning environments. Journal of Information Systems Education, 20(3), 289-300.