Would you be more willing to take a class if it involved video games?
Western Connecticut State University (WestConn) students who took part in Chin-Wen Huang’s finance 100 class last semester had that opportunity when they stepped through the doors on the first day.
While the video games used weren’t the prototypical games that students spend hours playing each day, these games, which promote learning, can be a great asset for students, if used properly.
During a WestConn Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) workshop on Dec. 1, Huang spoke about what she learned during her class and how she felt it would benefit the students. The workshop was open to the public and was attended by WestConn professors from several programs including Political Science and Communication.
Huang made it known that this style of teaching will not work as a stand-alone method.
“The class should be designed to supplement, rather than being the core instructional method,” Huang said.
Huang compared the results of two classes, with the only variable being the use of video games. Class times and the material taught were the same, but the class that used video games to supplement the material did drastically better than the class that did not. While it is a small test group, it showed Huang that if instructors are willing to take the time to figure it out, it could be valuable.
One of the aspects that Huang put a lot of emphasis on was that this is not something that everyone can use.
“Suitable games are hard to find,” she said. “Creating the curriculum for this type of class is more time consuming than a regular class, as the instructor will need to play the games to learn how they work.”
For some instructors, that may be a hard sell, but for some majors, such as finance, it could be worth it.
Huang said that 65% of college students play video games and even 30% have admitted to playing during class, making it an easy sell for some students. However, it still needs to be done the right way.
“Students may like to play games, but they may not like to play your games on their time,” she said, meaning that instructors should look into activities that can be done during the class period, rather than at home.
MaryAnn Murtha, visiting assistant professor of communication, one of the WestConn professors in attendance expressed that video games may have a home in her classroom someday.
“Recent data suggests that video games can be more effective than some traditional methods of teaching,” she said. “So, of course, I would love to use them. Why not have fun while we learn?”
The purpose of the CELT program is to enhance the WestConn community with formal and informal opportunities to increase their knowledge of best practices. The program calls for student assessments on these types of classes, and if the 95% of students in Huang’s class enjoyed adding video games to their workload, it may be the next craze to hit WestConn.
- Hobson Lopes
Staff Writer
