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This is the syllabus for the Fall 2006 offering of TC848.
About
Through the process of play, we (humans) can learn and problem solve. Further, play invokes powerful emotions in players that provide incentive, motivation, and engagement not found in most other forms of learning. While many prescribe play as solely a childhood activity, it has powerful application for learning well into adulthood. This notion can be found in the recent "serious games" movement.
In this course, students will explore the potential spectrum of games for learning, from mini-games to massively multi-learner simulations to principles for the integration of game-like features into online learning ecologies.
Course objectives include:
- To apply pedagogical principles and research findings to design and evaluation of games, simulations, and other high impact learning objects, including embedding assessment, scaffolding and distributed cognition.
- To accommodate context-appropriate audience characteristics while consider issues such as age, gender, digital divide, and accessibility considerations.
- To explore different approaches to designing elements of gaming in interactive learning experiences.
Prerequisites:
This course is for masters students, particularly those interest in game design, interactive media, and learning. However, the course is open to non-major graduate students and advanced undergraduate students as space allows.
There are no set prerequisites for the course. However, the course is by application only.
Philosophy
This course may be different from those you have taken in the past. You may view my teaching philosophy for more details.
Contact Information:
Brian Winn
Email: winnb@msu.edu
Office: 420 Comm Arts Bldg.
Phone: 353-5497
Usually the best way to reach me is through email. I prefer that all questions relating to class materials be ask either in person or through email.
Office Hours
Office hours will be held during the following times:
To Be Announced.
Computer Lab Hours
| Sunday |
12pm to 10pm |
| Monday |
8am to 10pm |
| Tuesday |
8am to 10pm |
| Wednesday |
8am to 10pm |
| Thursday |
8am to 10pm |
| Friday |
8am to 5pm |
| Saturday |
12pm to 10pm |
Check the for open hours to see when no classes are in the lab.
Please note the Acceptable Use of MSU equipment and services.
Course Web Site
The primary method of out of class communication is the course website/blog. The instructor will use it to post reminders, announcements, and other information. It is your responsibility to check the regularly (daily if possible) for lecture and lab announcements.
Reading and Reference Materials
The following books will be used throughout the course for required reading assignments:
Digital Game-Based Learning
by Marc Prensky
ISBN 0071454004
Publisher: McGraw-Hill
Additional reading and reference materials will be distributed in class or available on the web.
Other Course Materials
In addition to your student AFS storage space, it is highly suggested that you have an additional method of storing your course work. Availabe storage methods in the lab include:
- iPod or Portable Firewire Hard Drive
- USB Flash Drive
- CD-RW (650 MB)
- DVD-RW Media (5GB)
The storage media is available from several computer and office stores around town. You can also purchase them from online store, such as Amazon.com.
Attendance
Class Times:
Wednesday 5:00-6:50p (CAS 242)
Attendance is required on all class days. There are no makeups. If you must miss a class, check the Web pages for what you have missed and ask a friend in the class. The class includes lecture, discussion, demonstrations, and work sessions.
If you already know the material that is being covered, please participate in the teaching process, rather than leaving or sitting there feeling bored. Let us know of your expertise as we go along and we will include you as an expert.
Religious Observance: If you wish to be absent from class to observe a religious holiday, make arrangements in advance with the instructor.
Missing Class to Participate in a Required Activity: To be excused from this class to participate in a required activity for another course or a university-sanctioned event, you must provide the instructor with adequate advanced notice and a written authorization from the faculty member of the other course or from a university administrator.
Assignments
Grading: All assignments will be graded on a 4.0 scale. While each assignment may receive fractional grades (ex: 3.78), the final class grade will be rounded to the nearest 0.5 increment (ex: 3.0, 3.5, 4.0).
For each assignment, we will layout the guidelines of what we will be grading on. In general, we will be looking for well thought out work with attention to detail, as is expected of graduate students. The grading standards are based on an industry-quality measure.
We will provide a base-level of feedback on our grading. Additional feedback will be available by request.
Policy on Late Work: Assignments must be turned in sometime during the day they are due. We may begin grading them as early as 8am the next morning. Assignments that are one day to one week late will be marked down one full point (i.e., if it was a 4.0, it is a 3.0, etc). Assignments that are more than one week late will be marked down an additional full grade point. If the assignment is not turned in by the end of finals week, you will receive a 0.0 on that assignment.
You must make every effort to submit your assignments on time. However, we recognize that technology problems can get in the way of submitting a project on time. And we recognize that multimedia design always takes longer than one expects.
With this said, there are at least three good reasons that you should turn assignments in on time:
- There is a lot of work in the course, if you procrastinate on assignments, you will not be able to catch up.
- The assignments are not just busy work. By doing the assignments, you will be gaining valuable knowledge and skills. Further, each assignment builds upon the knowledge and skills of the previous one.
- We will have time to provide feedback to you on how to improve your work, which you can apply to your future assignments.
The one exception to this rule is in class presentations. You must be ready to present on the date you are assigned to present. The presentation will be rescheduled only in extreme circumstances.
Academic Honesty
Academic Honesty: Article 2.3.3 of the Academic Freedom Report states that "the student shares with the faculty the responsibility for maintaining the integrity of scholarship, grades, and professional standards." In addition, the Department of Telecommunicatoin adheres to the policies on academic honesty as specified in General Student Regulations 1.0, Protection of Scholarship and Grades, and in the all-University Policy on Integrity of Scholarship and Grades, which are included in Spartan Life; Student Handbook and Resource Guide.
Plagiarize: Copying material and claiming it as your own is considered plagiarism. Make sure you cite all of your sources and give credit where credit is due.Students who plagiarize may receive a 0.0 on the assignment or fail the course.
Copyright: Most material developed by others is protected by the Copyright Act. There are guidelines available for "fair use" of copyrighted material for education. Make sure you adhere to these fairly restrictive guidelines. And once again, give credit where credit is due.
If you plan to use your project outside of the class setting, make sure you receive permission from the copyright holder for all copyrighted material.
Submitting Work from Other Classes: The Digital Media Art and Technology courses in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences are creative courses. It is not acceptable to turn in the same creative assignment to more than one course. (If you wish to do a larger project that counts for two different courses, please ask permission of the instructors.) It is not acceptable to turn in the same creative assignment in two different semesters. DMAT faculty talk to each other often, and outstanding projects are shown at the annual DMAT Student Showcase. If we discover the same assignment being turned in to more than one course without prior instructor approval, the project grade will revert to 0.0.
Classroom Courtesy
The classroom is a community, and, as such, the instructor requires that the students must follow several basic guidelines:
Cell Phones: The instructor has a strict no cell phone policy (this includes pager’s and PDA phones) during class time. If you have a cell phone, be absolutely sure that it is turned off during class. If any student engages in a phone discussion during class, they will be immediately asked to leave.
Late Arrival: The instructor understands that there are often unpredictable events that prevent students from arriving to class on time. If this is the case, please be respectful of others, and enter the class as quietly as possible.
Departing Early: It is extremely rude and oftentimes disruptive to both fellow classmates and the instructor when students leave early without a genuine reason. If you know in advance that you are going to be forced to leave the class early, be absolutely sure that you take a seat as close to the exit as possible so that when you do leave, your departure will cause a minimum of disruption. You should also notify the instructor at the beginning of class of your early departure.
In Class Talking: It is extremely important that all students respect their peers (as well as the instructor) and refrain from any unnecessary disruptive talking during class. The instructor encourages an open environment in which everyone has a right to express their own opinions and ideas. However, everyone should be able to do so without having to talk over any of their peers in order to be heard.
Portable Music Devices: Under no circumstances are students allowed to use portable music devices (MP3 players, CD Players, etc.) during class. You come to class to learn. If students are observed using portable music devices when the class starts, they will be asked to put the device away. If they persist on using the device, they will be asked to leave the class.
Portable Video Game Systems: Under no circumstances are students allowed to use portable video game systems (GameBoy, etc.) during class. If students are observed using a portable video game system when the lecture starts, they will be asked to put the device away. If they persist on using the device, they will be asked to leave the class.
Accommodations for Disabilities
Students with disabilities should contact the Resource Center for People with Disabilities to develop reasonable accommodations. For an appointment with a counselor, call 353-9642 (voice) or 355-1293 (TTY).
Course Assignments
General (40%)
| Assignment |
Percentage |
Assigned |
Due Date |
| Class Participation |
10%
|
Wed, Aug 30 |
Throughout the class |
| Analysis of Learning Games |
25%
|
Wed, Aug 30 |
Throughout the class |
| Design Diary (Blog) |
5%
|
Wed, Aug 30 |
Final on Wednesday, Dec 13
|
Project (60%)
| Assignment |
Percentage |
Assigned |
Due Date |
| Overview |
see below
|
Wed, Sep 13 |
Wed, Dec 6 |
| Treatment |
5%
|
Wed, Sep 13 |
Wed, Oct 18 |
| Early Prototype and Playtesting |
5%
|
Wed, Sep 13 |
Wed, Oct 25 |
| Late Prototype and Playtesting |
5%
|
Wed, Sep 13 |
Wed, Nov 15 |
| Project Delivery and Presentation |
25%
|
Wed, Sep 13 |
Wed, Dec 6 |
| Design Document (iterative) |
10%
|
Wed, Sep 13 |
Tue, Dec 12 |
| Peer Review |
10%
|
Wed, Sep 13 |
Tue, Dec 12 |
Weekly Calendar of Events
| Topic |
Reading |
To Do: |
| Week 1 (Monday, August 28 thru Friday, September 1) |
|
|
Topics:
|
Read:
|
Assigned:
|
| Week 2 (Monday, September 4 thru Friday, September 8) |
|
Topics:
- Discuss readings
- Choosing games for analysis
|
Discuss Reading:
|
|
| Week 3 (Monday, September 11 thru Friday, September 15) |
|
Topics:
- Discuss readings
- Design brainstorming: Learning
|
Discuss Reading:
|
Assigned:
|
| Week 4 (Monday, September 18 thru Friday, September 22) |
|
Topics:
- Discuss readings
- Design brainstorming: Storytelling
|
Discuss Reading:
|
Due:
|
| Week 5 (Monday, September 25 thru Friday, September 29) |
|
Topics:
- Discuss readings
- Design brainstorming: Gameplay
|
Discuss Reading:
|
|
| Week 6 (Monday, October 2 thru Friday, October 6) |
|
Topics:
- Discuss readings
- Design brainstorming: User Experience
|
Discuss Reading:
|
Due:
|
| Week 7 (Monday, October 9 thru Friday, October 13) |
|
| No Class (Future Play) |
|
Due:
|
| Week 8 (Monday, October 16 thru Friday, October 20) |
|
Topics:
- Discuss readings
- Team meeting
|
Discuss Reading:
|
Due:
|
| Week 9 (Monday, October 23 thru Friday, October 27) |
|
Topics:
- Discuss readings
- Early playtesting
|
Discuss Reading:
|
Due:
- Early Prototype and Playtesting
|
| Week 10 (Monday, October 30 thru Friday, November 3) |
|
Topics:
- Discuss readings
- Team meeting
|
Discuss Reading:
|
Due:
|
| Week 11 (Monday, November 6 thru Friday, November 10) |
|
Topics:
- Discuss readings
- Team meeting
|
Discuss Reading:
- Winn, B., Heeter, C. Resolving Conflicts in Educational Game Design Through Playtesting. Innovate. In Press.
- TBA
|
|
| Week 12 (Monday, November 13 thru Friday, November 17) |
|
Topics:
- Discuss readings
- Late playtesting
|
Discuss Reading:
|
Due:
- Late Prototype and Playtesting
|
| Week 13 (Monday, November 20 thru Friday, November 24) |
|
|
No Class (Thanksgiving)
|
|
|
| Week 14 (Monday, November 27 thru Friday, December 1) |
|
| Topic:
|
|
|
| Week 15 (Monday, December 4 thru Friday, December 8) |
|
|
Activity:
- Semester Project Final Presentation
- Class wrap up
|
|
Due:
- Project Delivery and Presentation
Assigned:
- Peer Review
- Design Blog Final Entry
|
| Finals Week (Monday, December 11 thru Friday, December 15) |
|
|
Tuesday, Dec. 12 - No class
|
|
Due:
- Peer Review
- Design Blog Final Entry
- Final Design Document
|
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