Picture it: someone at a networking event asks you to describe your job.

What words come to mind? If you answered “fun!” first, count yourself among the lucky few.

Most of us take our professional responsibilities seriously and seek out opportunities that challenge us. However, pursuing our serious dreams often results in roles that fundamentally lack fun.

When was the last time you had fun during a mandated training event?

This loaded question plagues instructional designers and facilitators alike. Stakeholders know that training impacts overall organizational performance, making upskilling employees a high-stakes game. 

Gamification and game-based learning have become commonplace in modern learning instructional design. 

The flexibility and adaptability of gamification and game-based learning has made it useful for instructional designers working on many different programs, including new hire orientation, compliance training, and technical skill building.

The millennial workforce has grown up with technology. They are comfortable with all tech things and can easily adapt to new functionalities and devices.

They practically do all activities on their mobile devices.

Imagine asking them to go through a two-hour long training sitting at one place! 

May 15, 2018

Instructor: Andrew Hughes 

Many people in the e-learning realm are attempting to use gamification and serious games to spark employee engagement and drive learning retention. Everyone is working to make the best serious game that will enhance the learning objectives and retain learning.

The biggest setbacks for some of these serious games and gamified learning experiences have been little-to-no planning, tough to pinpoint metrics, little-to-no implementation strategy, and insufficient or nonexistent post-deployment support.

The notion might defy standard logic, but having fun while learning is a good thing. It's evidence-based: enjoyment heightens engagement and retention - an excellent reason to include gameplay in our blended learning campaigns.  

Game-based learning and gamification must be thoughtfully designed, drawing on the psychology of play and its usefulness as a learning strategy.

May 23, 2017

Instructor: Dr. Stephen Slota

This workshop will provide hands-on experience with gamification, the application of game mechanics and design processes in traditionally non-game contexts. Skillfully done, this can foster more engaging, informative, and/or cooperative educational, recreational, political, and business environments.

We will focus on design elements that are broadly useful across content areas and contexts with emphasis on the following:

• How and why people play games.
• Differences between games and simulations as well as fun and engagement.
• The function of rulesets and how they bound play-game-designer interaction.
• Models for design and development.

July 19, 2016

Instructor: Dr. Stephen Slota

This interactive presentation will have participants discuss the current and future role of games in classroom and corporate education, review the instructional game design process, and deconstruct various learning games currently in use across the United States. These activities will bridge what we know about the act of play with contemporary , research-driven perspectives on digital storytelling, gaming as a pedagogical approach, and the nuts and bolts of implementing educational game designs as the basis for teaching/training. Participants who complete the workshop will: 1) be positioned to utilize games in their respective instructional environments; and 2) will be able to design basic-level instructional games of their own.