Effective Use of Educational Games and Simulations

1. Enhancing Learning

1.1. Gamification helps create an environment safe for academic competition where my students feel both successful and celebrated. The combination of rewards and intrinsic motivation, keeps students engaged and focused on goal-setting.

2. Reaching Students

2.1. Games allow me to connect with students who struggle with traditional instruction and assessment strategies. While I will most likely never view games as a replacement for paper and pencil activities, I do value them as supplements. For some students, the game at the end is reward for the "other stuff."

3. Reviewing

3.1. Games are a fun and effective tool to help students review content before an assessment. I find that the best use of review games it to keep the action moving, keep the rounds relatively short, and to choose question-and-answer combinations that, while challenging, are not too difficult for the majority of my students.