Playing around, but seriously: using games in the classroom

Jessika Richter¹, Ester Barinaga², Mirjam Glessmer³, Matthias Lehner¹, Steven Curtis⁴, Terese Thoni⁵, Léa Lévy⁶

¹ International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics

² Dpt. Of Business Administration, Lund University School of Economics and Management

³ Center for Engineering Education (CEE), LTH

⁴ Division of Higher Education Development, Lund University

⁵ Sustainability Forum, Lund University

⁶ Division of Engineering Geology, LTH

Serious games are games or activities with game-like elements used for the purpose of enhancing learning and education (1). They include a large number of different interventions used explicitly for learning, e.g., board games, card games, role playing, simulations, escape rooms, among others, which may be technology-enhanced using mobile phone applications, web interfaces, software, or computer simulations (2, 3). Often, the topics are serious and complex, and the game interactive, where reflection is an important part of the game-playing process (2). As such, serious games are well-suited to facilitate learning about sustainability, as they facilitate exploring real-world issues, decision-making scenarios, or applying theoretical concepts. However, their application is suitable in many degree programmes, including political science, business administration, management, engineering, healthcare, etc. (3).

Over the last decade, serious games have become increasingly popular learning activities because they don’t easily provide right and wrong answers, but rather are a means to explore a complex reality and allow individuals to question their perspective. In explaining the pedagogical merits, Boragine (2) suggests serious games: 1) facilitate advanced problem-solving and systems-thinking skills-development, due to their immersive nature; 2) support understanding of complex problems, reflecting Kolb’s theory of experiential learning; 3) respond to changing student preferences and expectations; and 4) enhance student motivation and engagement. In the specific case of teaching sustainability, serious games allow working with key competencies: collaboration with fellow students, system thinking and compassionate communication (4). Using serious games effectively can be dependent on pedagogical factors, game factors, and contextual factors (5). Thus, educators shall take into account these factors when selecting a ready-made game, adapting a ready-made game, or designing a self-made game. 

Implementing games in teaching sustainability, and generally, is not without its challenges. These include ensuring sufficient depth and quality of reflection, and designing games that are flexible enough to accommodate diverse opinions and sensitivities while still achieving educational objectives. Finding the right balance between customization for specific educational goals and maintaining broad appeal and accessibility can be challenging. 

This contribution is developed among members of the Teaching for Sustainability community of practice at Lund University. Within this configuration, we are a self-organised group of teachers who have the shared goal of reflecting on the use of serious games in our teaching, where we meet regularly to explore and play different types of serious games together. In a workshop format, we reflect on the literature of using serious games in higher education, our experience implementing them in several different courses and disciplines teaching sustainability at Lund University, as well as our efforts to support teachers to use them. We will also play a short example of a serious game to encourage and share with the wider LU teaching community..

References

1. Lameras, P., Arnab, S., Dunwell, I., Stewart, C., Clarke, S., & Petridis, P. (2017). Essential features of serious games design in higher education: Linking learning attributes to game mechanics. British Journal of Educational Technology, 48(4), 972–994. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12467
2. Boragine, L. H. (2023). Roll the Dice: Using Game-Based Learning to Teach Sustainability in Higher Education. In Educating the Sustainability Leaders of the Future (pp. 59–73). Springer.
3. Hallinger, P., Wang, R., Chatpinyakoop, C., Nguyen, V.-T., & Nguyen, U.-P. (2020). A bibliometric review of research on simulations and serious games used in educating for sustainability, 1997–2019. Journal of Cleaner Production, 256, 120358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120358
4. Redman, A., & Wiek, A. (2021). Competencies for advancing transformations towards sustainability. In Frontiers in Education (Vol. 6, p. 785163). Frontiers Media SA. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2021.785163
5. Daoudi, I. (2022). Learning analytics for enhancing the usability of serious games in formal education: A systematic literature review and research agenda. Education and Information Technologies, 27(8), 11237–11266. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11087-4