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Building A “Choose Your Own
Research Adventure” Game
Jessica Long & Jennifer Hicks
Miami University Middletown
How Do You Provide Library Instruction?
Four Categories:
• Face-to-face one shot course
instruction sessions
• Embedded librarianship through
the learning management system
• Video tutorials posted on our
library website
• Optional 200 level two credit
Research Skills and Strategies
course that is offered for students
in both the Fall and Spring
semesters
Image shared under Creative Commons http://tinyurl.com/ormueqr
Developing Something Interactive
• Research process issues in classes
• Faculty questionnaire = video tutorials
of the research process
• Template for helping online courses
• Increased student participation
• Effectiveness of interactive tutorials
Game Play in Library Instruction
• Trivia games
• Role playing games
• Casual games
• Games that mix physical and virtual
elements
• Alternate reality games
• Social games
Broussard (2012)
Image shared under Creative Commons http://tinyurl.com/Olejniczak-pursuit
Desire to “Choose Your Own Adventure”
http://thequeenbeesbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/CYOA11.jpg
Building “Choose Your Own Research Adventure”
Formatting Ideas
• Video game
•
•
•
•
Role Playing Game (RPG)
Different software
Time
Learning curve
• Website building
• Storyboard/script
• Ease of access
• Screenshots & video
• Video idea
• Story flow
• Cartoons, live action, screencasts
Image shared under Creative Commons
http://tinyurl.com/k9qmpv5
Storyboard
Things to consider
• What do we include?
• 7 steps of the research process
• How long is each chapter of the story?
• Long enough to make our point, not so long that we
lose the reader
• Not too many missteps within the process
• How do you keep student interest?
• Topic selection
• Image and video assistance
The Story
• Story Topic – Legalization of Marijuana
• 7 Steps = 7 Chapters
• Chapter 1: Choosing a Topic
• Chapter 2: Finding Background Information
• Chapter 3: Finding Books
• Chapter 4: Finding Articles
• Chapter 5: Finding Digital Media
• Chapter 6: Evaluating Web Resources
• Chapter 7: Citing Sources
• 28 Stages Total
• Right answers, misleading answers, an introduction, and a
conclusion.
Story Models – Google Sites
Pros
Cons
• Free hosting
• Restricted layout
• Easy to build if you know
Google
• Menu or links the only
way to progress,
cannot move from one
chapter or video
without them
• Easy to update
• Good menu options if we
want them to start at a
specific stage of the
process
Version 1: Surviving the Research Process:
A Choose Your Own Research Adventure
https://sites.google.com/a/miamioh.edu/choose-your-own-researchadventure/
Story Models - Twine
Pros
Cons
•
Open-source
•
•
Still online based, but not a
website
Must save or lost if you clean out
browser history
•
Built for choose your own format
in mind
No menu option if you want to
start at a later chapter
•
Had to search for information to
add images and videos, not
intuitive, HTML tags were needed
•
•
Can easily access online as it is
browser based or downloadable
•
Useful community to help with
questions about color change or
video and image insertion
•
Suggested hosting for stories
which counts visits
•
HTML output if you want to post
on your own website
Version 2: Blueprint
Version 2: HTML File View
Version 2: Choose Your Own Research Adventure
http://www.mid.miamioh.edu/library/chooseyourown/
Story Models - Adventr
Pros
Cons
• Video and screencast focus
• Links are limited with the amount
of words due to space
• Built for “Choose your Own” style
• Builds links to pages at end of each
video
• Easy to upload and use
• Provides analytics
• Lots of videos to record and update
(not an Adventr con just a video
con)
• No back button or menu
• Have to wait for account to be
accessible
Version 3: Drag, Drop, and Connect
Future Hurdles and Developments
Two Questions:
Assessment Plans:
• Are students going to use these
tutorials?
• Small focus groups
• And will they be able to successfully
complete research process tasks
after watching or reading them?
• Embedded course surveys
Questions?
Jessica Long longjh@miamioh.edu
Jennifer Hicks hicksjl2@miamioh.edu
References and Links
• http://sites.google.com/
• http://twinery.org/
• http://www.adventr.tv/
• https://www.muvizu.com/
• Broussard, M. S. (2012). Digital Games in Academic Libraries: A Review of
Games and Suggested Best Practices. Reference Services Review, 40(1), 75-89.