Power, Play and PBL in Postsecondary Learning: Leveraging Design Models, Emerging Technologies, and Game Elements to Transform Large Group Instruction

As higher education institutions seek to improve undergraduate education, initiatives are underway to target instructional methods, reexamine curricula, and apply innovative technologies to better engage students with content. This proposal discusses the findings of an exploratory study focused on a course redesign that embedded game elements, problem-based learning methods, and 3-D communications tools in an introductory computing course. Some of these findings included an appreciation for how the technology skills gained in the course applied to the world of work, an understanding of the significant role that interpersonal communications play in learning and in career success, a sense of empowerment fostered by access to resources, and an increased willingness to play, explore, and experiment with tools, content, and design processes.