Researching and evaluating a digital
game for the classroom
Overview of course ...................................................................................................... 2
Learning outcomes ....................................................................................................... 2
The Practitioner Research Cycle .................................................................................. 3
Course information ...................................................................................................... 4
Course schedule ........................................................................................................... 5
Getting started .............................................................................................................. 6
Guide .................................................................................................................... 6
Further resources .................................................................................................. 7
Planning the use of digital games in your classroom ................................................... 8
Supporting teaching and learning with digital games .................................................. 9
Implementing your digital games project .................................................................. 10
Reflection, and evaluation and certification .............................................................. 11
Discussion .......................................................................................................... 12
References .................................................................................................................. 13
Acknowledgements .................................................................................................... 14
1
Overview of course
Computer, digital or video digital games (referred to as ‘digital games’ in this
course) are increasingly being incorporated into teaching and learning as
educational resources or legitimate ‘texts’. Both teachers and researchers believe
there are educational advantages for including digital games in the classroom:





they are a ‘persuasive medium’, which may influence players’ thoughts and
actions
they are popular and motivate players through gameplay alone or with others;
this motivation could be used strategically to support pupils’ engagement
with school-based learning tasks and objectives
they are ideal virtual learning environments (VLEs) where pupils practise
skills through authentic situated learning
they can be played and explored as digital texts for consideration in ‘media
literacy’ and can also be classed as ‘media objects’
they support the development of skills that are important for 21st century
learners such as cooperation, teamwork and problem solving, in both offline
and online environments.
Similar to other texts and media, practitioners need to carefully consider why and
how they want to include digital games in their individual teaching and learning
contexts. The main aim of this course is to develop skills for researching and
evaluating the use of digital games in your own classroom or other setting.
By the end of the course, you should be asking questions of your own, and others’,
practice, such as:

How can digital games (online, console and handheld) be used to make
connections between pupils’ out-of-school use of digital media and
classroom based teaching and learning?
 How can digital games be used to develop learners’ multimodal design skills,
media literacy and problem-solving abilities?
 How can playing, researching or designing digital games be used as a
catalyst for engaging learners in school-based activities to meet standardsdriven benchmarks and outcomes?
 How could digital games be used to make teaching and learning more
relevant to pupils’ engagement with digital media?
Learning outcomes
At the completion of this course, you should be able to demonstrate the following
outcomes:
Professional and reflective practitioner skills

evaluate the relevance of introducing a digital game into your teaching and
learning practice
2

critically reflect on other teachers’ use of digital games to inform your
practice
Practical skills

identify opportunities for the use of digital games (playing, researching or
designing) in your classroom or other setting
 develop a plan and use a digital game to support teaching and learning within
your classroom
Knowledge and understanding

demonstrate an understanding of the possible advantages of including digital
games in your own setting
 become familiar with current digital games research and their educational
relevance
 become familiar with how other practitioners support learning with digital
games in their contexts
Cognitive skills


analyse the role of digital games for your classroom
evaluate and research the use of digital games for teaching and learning.
The Practitioner Research Cycle
Vital Courses are based on the Practitioner Research Cycle as shown in the diagram
below.
You will no doubt already be familiar with the notion of reflective practice, which
typically has four stages:


Identify needs
Plan
3


Do
Reflect.
The Practitioner Research Cycle extends that by adding in two further stages:


Find out
Share.
‘Find out’ involves investigating what the wider education community knows about
how to address identified needs (in order to help learn from other people’s prior
experience and avoid re-inventing the wheel).
In the ‘Share’ stage you pass on what you have learnt to the wider community so
that they in turn can benefit from your experiences and expertise. (This is then
mediated by a process of peer review before becoming an established part of the
education communities’ shared knowledge base.)
This cycle draws on, and develops, personal and professional knowledge bases
(Pers KB and Prof KB in the diagram). The latter is the knowledge that underlies
professional practice in education, and is reflected in the literature, resources,
policies and other materials that are used to inform practice. Throughout the course
icons will indicate the stage of the cycle being addressed.
This course will explicitly follow the stages of the Practitioner Research Cycle,
starting with identifying needs and moving through to sharing your learning
(initially within your course group). Throughout the course icons will indicate the
stage of the cycle being addressed.
Course information
You will need access to:


a computer with a web browser
headphones (microphone and speakers) for online tutorials (a webcam is
optional)
 a class/group of students – groups could be within classes, whole classes, or
groups across classes (e.g. clubs) and schools (e.g. clusters of schools or in
collaborative projects).
The core of these materials is a project that lasts for half a term during which time
you will access online resources.
Duration of the course: 75 minutes per week for eight weeks
Online
hours
Collaborative (timetabled)
4.5 hours
Collaborative (flexible)
Independent study online
30 minutes
3.5 hours
4
Online
hours
Offline
hours
Collaborative (timetabled)
4.5 hours
Sub-total
8.5 hours
Facilitated face to face
0 hours
Workplace: Carrying out a project in the
classroom
Independent study offline: learning journal
Sub-total
TOTAL
Normal classroom
activities
1.5 hours
1.5 hours
10 hours
Course schedule
Stage* Type
Approx time
needed
Needs Online
30 minutes
Activity 2 An introduction to
digital games for learning
Activity 3 Guidance on using
resources and planning for your
project
Activity 4 Mapping the uses of
digital games for teaching and
learning
Activity 5 Confirming plans and
aims
Activity 6 Linking digital games
and learning
Activity 7 Linking digital games
and your teaching
Find
out
Online
tutorial
1 hour
Find
out
Online
30 minutes
Plan
Individual
planning
1 hour
Plan
Individual
Activity 8 Classroom project
Do
Classroom
Activity 9 Reflective journal
Reflect Individual
Weeks Course Activities
1
2–3
4
5–6
7–8
8
Activity 1 Getting to know others
on the course
Plan
Plan
Activity 10 Discussion with course
Share
participants and tutor
Activity 11 Reflecting and
Reflect
reporting back
Activity 12 Extracting our shared
Share
learning
Activity 13 Course evaluation and
certification
5
Online
tutorial
Individual
online
Online
30 minutes
1 hour
30 minutes
No extra time
needed
1.5 hours (30–60
mins per week)
1 hour (30 mins
per week)
Online
1 hour
Online
1 hour
Online
30 minutes
TOTAL
10 hours over 8
Weeks Course Activities
Stage* Type
Approx time
needed
weeks
*Stage in Practitioner Research Cycle.
Getting started
This course looks at how aspects of learning may be supported and enhanced
through the use of digital games. Your starting point is ‘a need’ within your
practice, which you will investigate how to address. This will involve exploring
how other people have already attempted to address a similar need in their practice
(bringing in some theory and practical examples of how particular technologies are
used in schools), before you plan and implement their use in your school and reflect
and discuss what worked and what needs further refinement.
At the heart of your learning is a project that you will carry out in your teaching
and learning setting. You will be carrying out a project with a similar focus to
others, in terms of the phase of education, technology and the curriculum.
In this first part of the course we will introduce ourselves to get a feel for the
contexts we are working in. This may allow for cross-fertilization of ideas in
projects and for supported reflection.
Activity 1 Getting to know others on the course
30 minutes during the first week of the course
The objective of this course activity is to get to know the other participants on this
course and to identify common areas of interest.
Guide
You will find more information on the use of forums in this Forum guide
Your task is to introduce yourself by telling the other course members what you
hope to get out of the course. You will also meet the course tutor and find out a bit
about her or his background.
1. Go to the course forum and the ‘Introductions’ thread. There it will explain
how these introductions will be done.
2. Think about any game that you have played and liked (it doesn’t have to be a
computer game) and explain why you liked it.
3. Go to the course forum and read what others have posted. ‘Reply’ to some of
these messages, identifying areas of overlap with your own
context/objectives/interests/expertise.
End of activity.
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Activity 2 An introduction to digital games for learning
1 hour during the first week of the course
The aim of this course activity is to introduce both a ‘big picture’ view of the role
of digital games and some specific examples of teachers using digital games.
This activity gives you a brief insight into the latest research into the use of digital
games as well as looking at one or two examples of teachers using digital games in
the classroom
Spend 30 minutes looking at one item from each column below. If you have more
time, look at more of the items to give you a broader overview of this area. If you
become really hooked – more resources are recommended underneath the table.
Introduction to the research about
games and learning
Computer Games, Schools and Young
People. A Futurelab report for
educators on using games for learning
(47 pages).
Examples of teachers using games for
teaching and learning
A report of the Digital Leaders project at
Stantonbury Campus, an 11–18 school,
involving the use of games.
Games and learning. A Futurelab
podcast that discusses the use of
computer games in the classroom, and
the benefits and challenges of using
games to enhance the curriculum.
A presentation from the Learning without
Frontiers conference given by Dawn
Hallybone on the use of games in a Oakdale
Junior School supported by an article by
Merlin John on the use of handheld devices
and games.
A European Schoolnet report on the
study How are digital games used in
schools? (145 pages – page 7 offers a
useful definition of games).
A report by Merlin John on the use of
consoles and games in schools.
Further resources

A report based on an interview with Steve Bunce from Vital on the use of
games in schools
 The website for Learning and Teaching Scotland’s Consolarium – a gamesbased learning initiative
 A report from a teacher in an 11–16 school on the use of Kodu to design 3D
games
 Kodu Training Responses and Next Steps: a report from the LTS
Consolarium project on the use of Kodu.
End of activity.
Activity 3 Guidance on using resources and planning for your project
30 minutes over the first week of the course (online)
7
The objectives of this course activity are:



to understand the practitioner research cycle
to review learning to date
to begin to plan for your use of digital games in the classroom, developed
further in Activity 4
 to develop an understanding of the resources available to support your
learning.
Your facilitator, and others on the course, will help to you to plan and refine your
ideas for this project.
Go to the course discussion forum and to the thread ‘Tutorial: Resource and project
guidance’. This will contain guidance on how the tutorial will be conducted. It may
use the Elluminate video conferencing system for which will you need headphones
or a microphone and speakers. A webcam is advantageous. The tutorial will be
supported by discussion in the forum. When you attend the tutorial, online, you
should be prepared to discuss initial ideas for your project.
End of activity.
Planning the use of digital games in
your classroom
In weeks 2 and 3 you will start to plan how you will include and use digital games
in your classroom.
Activity 4 Mapping the uses of digital games for teaching and learning
1 hour during the second week of the course (individual activity)
The objective of this course activity is to map the use of digital games in your
classroom.
For those interested in understanding this approach further, it builds on a ‘Layers of
Influence’ model which can be found on page 16 of Futurelab’s Barriers to
Innovation report.
This activity recognizes that classrooms are complex places and that introducing a
new technology such as digital games can be difficult. During this activity you will
begin to create a map (or planning sheet) of how digital games can be used in your
classroom. This task is designed to support you in thinking about how using a game
fits with your personal, classroom and school-wide objectives.
You need to complete the linked mapping sheet.
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When you have completed this task, save your sheet and share a link with others in
your group. This information will enable your tutor to match appropriate digital
games to your learning aims.
End of activity.
Activity 5 Confirming plans and aims
30 minutes during the second week of the course (online)
The objectives of this course activity are:


to discuss your aims with the course tutor
to be introduced to a number of digital games and practices relevant to your
plan.
Once you have completed the mapping sheet you should discuss it with your
facilitator and others. This will be done in a tutorial using Elluminate. The tutorial
will be supported by discussion in the forum. When you attend the tutorial, online,
you should be prepared to discuss your project plans.
Go to the course forum and to the thread ‘Tutorial: Confirming plans’. Upload your
plan and comment on others’ plans that are there. The thread will also contain
guidance on how the tutorial to discuss plans will be conducted. By sharing your
map and aims with the facilitator and others, you have the opportunity to look at
digital games resources related to your plans and be given some focused feedback
based on aims that you have identified.
End of activity.
Supporting teaching and learning with
digital games
In weeks 3 and 4 you will look out how the digital games you have identified, and
others, can support teaching and learning in your classroom.
Activity 6 Linking digital games and learning
1 hour during the third week of the course (online individual activity)
The objectives of this course activity are to:


review other teachers’ uses of digital games for learning
become familiar with one other online game.
Once you have completed your tutorial, you should review the resources in Activity
1 to identify those which are now most relevant to your practice.
9
Use the form, Reviewing and planning for digital games in your teaching, to review
the practices and examples given – you only need to fill it out once when analysing
the practice you’d most like to develop – but use the questions on the form to help
you mentally analyse the practices.
At this stage just fill out the first column ‘Review’.
Once you have completed the first column of your form, share it online in the
forum. It will be useful to review other teachers’ forms and to support them by
commenting on them.
End of activity.
Activity 7 Linking digital games and your teaching
30 minutes during the fourth week of the course (individual activity)
The objectives of this course activity are to:


evaluate digital games against your own learning aims/outcomes
develop a plan for your own use of a game in your classroom.
The review form used in Activity 6 provided you with a chance to detail the
benefits of one approach to using digital games in the classroom.
Using the second column of the form (marked ‘Plan’) now begin to fill out the form
in relation to the activity you hope to develop. This document will form the basis of
your classroom project. Once completed, share online and comment on at least one
other plan.
End of activity.
Implementing your digital games
project
Now you implement your project, and reflect on and discuss what you have learned
in the process.
Activity 8 Classroom project
To be carried out during weeks 5–6
The objective of this course activity is to carry out your plan for using digital
games in your classroom.
Having developed your plan on how to use digital games in your classroom you
now need to carry out the project. This will last for about half a term. Each week, as
10
you work through the project, you should reflect on what you have learnt and the
impact on your pupils . You should be prepared to share your thoughts and
reflections with others on a weekly basis or more if desired.
It is not intended that, in doing so, you spend any extra time over and above your
normal teaching and preparation time.
End of activity.
Activity 9 Reflective journal
30 minutes to 1 hour during each week of the project (individual activity)
The objective of this course activity is to reflect systematically on what you have
learnt.
Each week you should note down what you have learnt from the project. This
might take the form of reflection on your plans across the activities. These
reflections may be kept in a blog or some other electronic journal. You will need to
use these reflections to inform your responses to the final activities.
End of activity.
Activity 10 Discussion with course participants and tutor
30 minutes to 1 hour during each week of the project (online)
The objectives of this course activity are:



to share and reflect on your learning as the project progresses
to gain support from colleagues on the course
to provide support for others on the course.
Go to the course forum and to the thread ‘Project discussions’. Share how your
project is going, what you are learning and any other resources that you have found
to be of use. You can also use the forum to ask for support and guidance and to
support and guide others. You should check back into the forum regularly – little
and often is probably the best method here (15 minutes every other day is likely to
be much more useful than a one hour block once a week).
End of activity.
Reflection, and evaluation and
certification
11
In these final weeks you will discuss the comments made around the lesson plans
and the course in general, as well as provide feedback and if required, receive
certification for completing the course.
Activity 11 Reflecting and reporting back
1 hour (online) during weeks 7 and 8 of the course.
The objectives of this course activity are:


to share your reflections on the outcomes of your project
give feedback to others as they reflect on the outcomes of their project.
Your task is to discuss and share your reflections with others. Go to the forum, and
the thread called ‘Reflections’ to discuss the following:




the extent to which your intended learning aims were achieved
the evidence you have for this
the ways in which you shared your project with others in your setting
key reflections on how you think you could use other digital games in your
classroom.
The use of technology in learning and teaching will provide you with evidence that
may be useful when considering the Professional Standards for Teaching. You will
have collected evidence from planning through to your notes and evaluation to
discussion in the forum. Such evidence may be useful to you when demonstrating
ways in which you have met the standards.
Depending on the stage of your career, certain TDA standards may be more
relevant than others. Click the ‘Discussion’ button to reveal a possible set of
standards. If appropriate, you can reflect on these standards as part of your
feedback for this activity.
Discussion





C7: Evaluate their performance and be committed to improving their practice
through appropriate professional development.
C8: Have a creative and constructively critical approach towards innovation;
being prepared to adapt their practice where benefits and improvements are
identified.
C27: Design opportunities for learners to develop their literacy, numeracy,
ICT and thinking and learning skills appropriate within their phase and
context.
P10: Contribute to the professional development of colleagues through
coaching and mentoring, demonstrating effective practice, and providing
advice and feedback.
E2: Research and evaluate innovative curricular practices and draw on
research outcomes and other sources of external evidence to inform their
own practice and that of colleagues.
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
E14: Contribute to the professional development of colleagues using a broad
range of techniques and skills appropriate to their needs so that they
demonstrate enhanced and effective practice.
End of discussion
End of activity.
Activity 12 Extracting our shared learning
30 minutes to 1 hour (online) during the eighth, and final week of the course.
The objectives of this course activity are to discuss and to develop a common
understanding of what we have learnt as a group.
Go to the course forum and, in the Discussion called ‘Shared Learning’, post the
key learning points that have emerged for you during the course.
End of activity.
Activity 13 Course evaluation and certification
30 minutes to 1 hour (online) during the eighth, and final, week of the course
The objective of this course activity is to complete an evaluation form and, if you
wish, print a course completion certificate and rate and review the course.
Your task is to complete the evaluation questionnaire, which can be found on the
course page. There are also links there to print a certificate and rate the course. The
certificate will be ‘released’ by your facilitator.
End of activity.
References
Clark, B (2010), Kodu training responses and next steps, Glasgow: Learning and
Teaching Scotland, [blog, online] available at
http://ltsblogs.org.uk/consolarium/2010/05/12/kodu-training-responses-and-nextsteps/ accessed 15/11/10
European Schoolnet (2009), How are digital games used in schools? Final report,
Brussels: EUN Partnership ASL [online] available at
http://games.eun.org/upload/gis-full_report_en.pdf accessed 15/11/10
Futurelab (2007), Games and learning [online] available at
http://media.futurelab.org.uk/podcasts/becta_talks/games/ accessed 3/11/10
13
Hallybone, D, (2008), Learning without frontiers, [presentation, online] available at
http://www.slideshare.net/LearningWithoutFrontiers/dawn-hallybone accessed
15/11/10
John, M, (2009a), Games consoles for learning reaching critical mass? in Merlin
John online, 8/5/09 [online] available at
http://www.agent4change.net/innovation/innovation/327-games-consoles-forlearning-reaching-critical-mass.html accessed 15/11/10
John, M, (2009b), The revolution will be Tweeted, Bristol: Futurelab [online]
available at http://www.futurelab.org.uk/resources/publications-reportsarticles/web-articles/Web-Article1259 accessed 15/11/10
Kirkland, K and Sutch, D (2009) Overcoming the barriers to educational
innovation: A literature review, Bristol: Futurelab [online] available at
http://futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/lit_reviews/Barriers_to_Innovation_rev
iew.pdf accessed 15/11/10
LTS (undated), LTS and game based learning, Glasgow: Learning and Teaching
Scotland, [online] available at
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/usingglowandict/gamesbasedlearning/consolarium.asp
accessed 15/11/10
Papert, S and Harel, I (1991), Constructionism, New York: Ablex Publishing
Corporation
Ridout, S (2010), Stantonbury Campus Digital Leaders, Milton Keynes,
Stantonbury Campus [online] available at
http://digitalleaders.co.uk/2010/03/12/stantonbury-campus-digital-leaders/ accessed
15/11/10
Stucke, D (2009), Kodu Game Lab – 3D Games Design for School [blog, online]
available at http://www.mrstucke.com/2009/08/26/kodu-game-lab-firstimpressions/ accessed 15/11/10
Thomas, K (2010), The Vital role games play in learning, Bristol: Futurelab
[online] available at http://www.futurelab.org.uk/resources/publications-reportsarticles/web-articles/Web-Article1721 accessed 15/11/10
Williamson, B (2009), Computer games, schools, and young people: A report for
educators on using games for learning, Bristol: Futurelab [online] available at
http://www.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/project_reports/becta/Games_an
d_Learning_educators_report.pdf accessed 15/11/10
Acknowledgements
This course has been developed in collaboration with Futurelab. For more
information about Futurelab and to access a range of related resources, please visit
www.futurelab.org.uk
14
Author: Dan Sutch
Reviewers: Joy Hooper, Pete Bradshaw and Christopher S. Walsh
Editor: Matthew Driver
15