New JISC Report on Learning in Immersive Worlds: a review of game-based learning

The JISC, have released an interesting new report on Learning in Immersive worlds.

Please take the time to check it out, its a very interesting read

The JISC-commissioned report finds that computer games could have an important role to play in learning but that for learning to take place, games must be related to learning outcomes and be relevant to real world contexts of practice. Factors that influence learner motivation include, the report suggests, the player’s sense of challenge, the realism of the game, opportunities to explore or discover new information and learner control.

Author of the report Sara de Freitas says that using game-based learning effectively means that the research community will need to continue to explore both the use of commercial games in learning contexts and the development of proprietary games. ‘In both cases,’ she says, ‘there needs to be an emphasis upon embedding games effectively and in accordance with sound pedagogic principles.’

A copy of the full report of Learning in Immersive Worlds: a review of game-based learning is available from: www.jisc.ac.uk/eli_outcomes.html

Blended Learning Article

Well some good news,

Dave snow and myself have had an article published this month in the Training Journal.

I have included the abstract below and if any students want to read the full article , I believe that you can access it through the John Rylands Library using the Athens Authentication Service.

Tech Trends

Stefano Ghazzali and David Snow

Stefano Ghazzali and David Snow explore the use of blended learning to improve student success at Manchester Business School

While traditional teaching methods have the advantage of continuous face-to-face interaction and support, they require physical infrastructure, academic availability, and structural curricula. Online learning, on the other hand, enables students to learn at their own pace, irrespective of locality and time. They can feel isolated and unmotivated, however, due to the lack of any face-to-face contact, or interaction with peers. A blended learning approach offers the best of both worlds with face-to-face tutoring support, and the ability to work with the content and to communicate with one’s peers online.

I welcome any comments