Using Groups and
Games in Moodle
Group Activities Can Build
Collaborative Skills
• Group projects can help students develop collaborative
skills that are increasingly important in the professional
world, such as:
• tackling more complex problems than they could on their
own;
• delegating roles and responsibilities;
• sharing diverse perspectives;
• pooling knowledge and skills;
• holding one another (and being held) accountable;
• developing new approaches to resolving differences;
• establishing a shared identity with other group members;
• developing their own voice and perspectives in relation to
peers.
http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/design/instructionalstrategies/groupprojects/index.html
Group Activities Can Build
Learning Skills
• Positive group experiences have been shown to
contribute to student learning and retention
• Group projects can reinforce skills that are relevant
to both group and individual work, including the
ability to:
• break complex tasks into parts and steps;
• plan and manage time;
• refine understanding through discussion and
explanation;
• give and receive feedback on performance;
• challenge assumptions;
• develop stronger communication skills.
http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/design/instructionalstrategies/groupprojects/index.html
Designing Group Activities
• While the potential learning benefits of group work are
significant, simply assigning group work is no guarantee that
these goals will be achieved.
• In fact, group projects can – and often do – backfire badly if
they are not designed, supervised, and assessed in a way that
promotes meaningful teamwork and deep collaboration.
• See
http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/design/instructio
nalstrategies/groupprojects/benefits.html for a great resource
on how to design, supervise, and assess group activities.
Using Games and
Simulations in Learning
• The goals of the game must match the instructional
goals/outcomes
• A student might seem active while playing a game, but they
could be lacking the psychological activity needed to achieve
the instructional goals
• Games must be designed in ways that promote the learning
you want to occur – don’t use games just to keep your
students busy!!
• Don’t overload working memory with add-ons that might be
entertaining, but do not lead to learning
Principles of Using
Games/Simulations
1.
2.
3.
4.
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6.
Match game type to the learning outcomes (the goals and
activities in the game must align with the desired learning
outcomes).
Make learning essential to the progress of the game (objectives
should be built into the game so the training material is relevant
to the progression of the game).
Build the game with proven instructional strategies (audio
narration, explanatory feedback, relevant visuals, chunking, etc…)
Build in guidance and structure (avoid discovery learning, provide
visual support and instructional explanations)
Manage the complexity of the game (move from simple to
complex, align the pace to learning outcomes)
Make the game relevant (the game is not meant to be
entertainment, it does not need to be set in a fantasy world!)
References/Resources
• http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/design/instructio
nalstrategies/groupprojects/index.html
• http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/coopcollab/i
ndex_sub3.html
• http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/archive/cl1/cl/story/middlecc/TSC
MC.htm
• Clark, R.C., & Mayer, R.E. (2011). E-learning and the science of
instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of
multimedia learning. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
• Clark, R.C., & Kwinn, A. (2007). The new virtual classroom:
Evidence-based guidelines for synchronous e-learning. San
Francisco, Pfeiffer.