Given the new Accessibility for Ontarians with Disability Act (AODA), it is important to ensure your eLearning is accessible for all learners. At Pathways, we have created this Accessibilty Process document to help our instructional designers and programmers produce eLearning that meets AODA standards. We are sharing this document with you, in the hope that it will help others to understand how to create 100% accessible AODA compliant eLearning in the future.
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WHAT GAME-BASED LEARNING AND GAMIFICATION CAN (AND CAN’T) DO
Lumos Labs, the maker of a suite of so-called brain-training games called Luminosity, has recently been ordered by the Federal Trade Commission (U.S.A.) to pay $2 million in damages. The reason? Lumos Labs’ aggressive marketing strategy is built around the false claim that its games promote brain health and can reduce or delay the impact of brain diseases such as dementia. There is no valid or reliable evidence – qualitative or quantitative – to support the claim that Luminosity causes improved brain health. And anecdotes, as compelling as they may be in advertising, are not evidence.
So what can game-based learning and gamification actually do?
Multitasking
There is some evidence to support the claim that gaming may improve our ability to multitask.
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco have studied the cognitive ability of older adults, aged 60 – 85, as they complete sessions in a driving simulator called NeuroRacer. The complexity of the simulation increases as gameplay continues thus forcing players to multitask the more they play. The study has demonstrated that with practice, players can improve their ability to multitask and the effects can be felt in subsequent NeuroRacer sessions months after game-play.
It is unclear if these skills can be transferred to the real world.
Strategizing
A European study of 152 participants (of which 80 were female, 72 were male and the average age was 14) found a “robust positive association” between gameplay and physiological changes in the brain – these changes are related to higher-order activities such as decision-making, prioritizing and strategizing.
What does this mean? We may be able to leverage games and game elements to promote the development of complex decision-making processes that involve sorting through and prioritizing mass amounts of information.
Focus
Flying in the face of popular and often vocal alarm about video games and shrinking attention spans, a Bristol University study used neuroimaging to see gaming brains at work and found they remained focused throughout gameplay. How did they do this? Researchers had participants study in the conventional way (reading notes and reviewing sample questions) while viewing their brain activity. Then they had participants complete a gamified, competitive study session while viewing brain activity as before. The result? Learners were much more focused when study was gamified.
Implications for adult learning
So what does all this mean for Instructional Design and adult learning?
Do, not tell: Science does support the claim that we retain information better if we’re able to apply it immediately. Games and gamified learning, if designed well, can provide learners with genuine opportunities for application and feedback that would support the retention of new information and set learners up for knowledge transfer.
Remember your audience: Digital natives are, obviously, more familiar with games and game elements than those of us who were introduced to digital life via the Commodore 64 or the Atari. Using games and game elements for digital natives means you can streamline or dispense with cumbersome text-based instructions.
Design a fun experience: Learning solutions that incorporate game elements or adopt the game form should be fun. And if the learning is fun, odds are, you’ll find higher engagement, retention and completion rates. Capture and interpret the data and share the results.
If Luminosity has taught us anything, it’s that we must learn to be critical of grand claims about the effects of games on the brain. Yet despite the abundance of misinformation about the cognitive effects of gaming, it’s clear that games and game elements can be used to support learning. They’re powerful tools, not magic bullets.
GAME-BASED LEARNING VERSUS GAMIFICATION
Game-based learning and gamification are terms that are frequently used interchangeably so there’s little wonder that there seems to be confusion in the learning world about both, not to mention how to leverage them to build innovative and engaging learning.
So what’s the difference between game-based learning and gamification?
Game-based learning
Game-based learning is just that: Learning through games. These are fully-formed games, not game elements as you’ll see with gamification below. In other words, the game is the engine, or method of delivery for the learning. This is a great option for content that requires a high level of interactivity and can be shaped into a strong narrative structure.
Game-based learning can be linear or non-linear, tech-intensive or simple. What remains constant across all game-based learning solutions is its high dependence on learner activity and engagement.
What does game-based learning look like? I am eagerly awaiting the release of No Man’s Sky, a fully immersive simulated universe that encourages deep learning through experimentation and exploration. For a more linear example, Typing for the Dead teaches keyboarding skills so you can key your way to zombie annihilation.
Gamification
Learning is gamified when game elements are adopted to heighten learner engagement and build genuine interest in the content. Elements that encourage competition between learners (think of leader boards, trophies and badges), heighten curiosity and buy-in (locked and unlocked levels or hidden worlds), or encourage autonomy (exploration and non-linearity) are all game elements that can be adopted to gamify learning.
Despite common misconceptions, there are no technological requirements to gamification. Remember when your teacher put a gold star by your name when you got the highest grade on that quiz? That was gamification and it wasn’t tech-intensive!
What does gamification look like? Duolingo is my current favorite example. With badging, progress bars, opportunities for application, assessment and feedback, the learner establishes a solid foundation in a new language in ways that are challenging and fun.
Next steps
Inspired to adopt game elements in your next eLearning project? Or are you considering building an entire game to support it? Both game-based learning and gamification are fantastic ways to enliven your course and inspire your learners.
TOOLS FOR ACCESSIBLE ELEARNING
AN INTRODUCTION
Accessible eLearning is often something that’s overlooked when designing a program that’s reaching a mass audience. Many times there are people with varying needs or learning styles that would learn the lessons you’re trying to convey in many different ways. Once of the ways we can help to make eLearning more accessible, is by accommodating your content for a screen or document reader. These are programs that will dictate and describe on-screen elements with text-based cues.
WHAT’S OUT THERE?
A couple of popular options available are Kurzweil, and JAWS (Job Access With Speech) reader. Beginning with Kurzweil, this software will use a source document that contains a complete text-based transcription od the content in order to dictate the material. Alternatively, Kurzweil is able to read content from your web browser along with a long list of other features available such as translating phrases and exporting the dictation for later use. JAWS reader performs many of the same functions, though not as capable as Kurzweil, will provide a braille output for use later. Additionally, JAWS doesn’t have a mobile app as an accompaniment in the same way that Kurzweil does with firefly.
Either one of these packages will provide value for your eLearning course, and more information can be found on their respective websites:
Kurzweil 3000 + Firefly: https://www.kurzweiledu.com/default.html
JAWS Reader: http://www.freedomscientific.com/
It’s also worth noting too, that neither software is free, but Kurzweil offers a more flexible trial package with a consistent 30-day period. JAWS, however, will only provide a short time of functionality per session of use which can be very inhibiting.
WRAPPING UP
If you would like to explore more about gamification, mobile learning and eLearning, take a peek at our company website: Pathways Training and eLearning, at http://www.pathwaystrainingandelearning.com/. We always look for fresh ways to engage learners and to make the learning experience as fun as possible!
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