It’s always been a false dichotomy but the framing can still be a useful awareness raiser to steer people from tech determinism and lead into simple descriptive frameworks like TPACK etc.
Staff workload is a thorny one. We have a spectrum of tools for developing immersive content. Some simple ones available at whole-institution level to very specialised kit used by our small digital sim team. We encourage staff to identify quick, high-impact wins with scope for adaptation and reuse.
The MDA framework is a solid place to start: users.cs.northwestern.edu/~hunicke/MDA..., then there are related but more descriptive frameworks on specific aspects of game design, such as "8 Kinds of Fun" worth checking out and considering through a pedagogic lens.
Thanks for the lively and stimulating chat everyone at #LTHEchat!
I think the added value becomes clearer when dealing with topics that require the development of so-called "soft skills". VR is a great empathy builder, for example, and also brilliant for easing learners into more complex, authentic environments.
Starting small and combining a study of impact with the project can help to lay the groundwork for change
*HE
Showing before telling is often the best approach I've found. Working in he that often means curating or creating examples that will resonate and inspire academic teams from different domains.
Q6: I think introducing some basic game design concepts can be useful in training academic colleagues. Things like the MDA framework, for example: Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics. #LTHEchat
I've realised that a lot of freedom and confidence to try new things comes with chunky funding grants 🙂
A well designed simulation is a good way to help students hit the ground running on any form of practice placement or live brief project. They provide a safe, repeatable space for learners to fail quickly, learn from mistakes and then try again.
Controversial for someone in my role, but I still think that VR headsets are not ready for deployment at scale. They're great for small, intense boutique experiences.
*LDs
We quickly realised that LTs and CDs often didn't have the necessary skillset for all aspects of immersive content development, so we hired from the gaming industry to complement our team.
There is a lot (a LOT) of trial and error involved in discovering what works in practice vs theory! Managers need to understand that there is a lot of discovery and that this is not wasted time
That's a great observation. Creative people with the overlapping skills of understanding pedagogy and technology affordances while also possessing some media production skills should be treasured!
In the training we provide for academic teams, we now try to introduce some elements of game design literacy, such as design frameworks.
At ARU, we've found that the bottleneck often sits on the academic side (due to lack of experience in writing for interactive media). After that, it's often been software over hardware.
We're also looking at how OSCEs (Objective Structured Clinical Examinations) might work in the immersive rooms, combining real equipment with digital surroundings, sounds and distractors
Developing these kinds of experiential materials is a very multidisciplinary endeavour
That's what we aim for, but it can be tricky to do in practice. Many of my academic colleagues are much more comfortable with PowerPoint and LMS-based digital materials. Moving to immersive approach can be quite a learning curve.
I totally agree. Once you get to know the affordances of the technology you can make informed decisions as to when it's best to use it or take a more traditional approach.
That sounds incredible. Very impressed. The technological challenges of managing VR headsets and content on that scale are huge!
I agree. I think a well designed role play is a good example of low/no-tech immersive learning. The technology can build on that by providing a lot of visual/situational context to bring the activity closer to real-world situations outside the classroom
Humans are very expensive, but we still use actors to play standardised patients, for example. The initial investment of time and money for digital content development is more long term, as you can often use the same resource hundreds of times over several years.
It's tough from a pedagogic standpoint to make sure every learner is actively and meaningfully engaged, though perhaps easier in some ways that with headsets as you can design for a lot of peer interaction.
Not so much with games, as I work mainly in healthcare scenarios where we have to be careful not to trivialise what could be life or death (at least for a virtual patient). We have used the immersive rooms for things like assessing and building resilience for operating department practitioners.
Hi fidelity immersion could just involve actors and some props (as I see quite often in social work scenarios)
Hi Nathalie. Paul joining from (finally) sunny Bury St Edmunds (Suffolk)
person in front of waterfalls with double rainbow during daytime. Text outlining LTHEChat arrangements overlaid
2 days to go before the #LTHEchat this week!
This week we will feature @pauldriver.bsky.social who will discuss
Immersive Learning
Check out the blogpost for more details: lthechat.com?p=7196
