Gaming for Grades
Adapting to the 21st century, professors from the Strome College of Business have edged up their teaching effectiveness using tactics that are both educational and entertaining. Seeing a lack of engagement amongst students often challenges and inspires professors to create new ways to engage them. Faculty in the Strome College of Business have recognized that in a technology driven society, empowering students using gaming innovations is key to improving student outcomes.
Learning his teaching strategy from his mentor, Walter D'Lima, assistant professor of finance, uses games in his classes to engage his student audience. He developed a game called the "Mortgage Underwriting Game" to demonstrate the dynamics of economic incentives in the real world. Learning how to navigate scenarios of banks and loans, students are given the tools to make real life decisions in the banking world.
D'Lima states, "When teaching a topic through a presentation format, the entire class may not be engaged. In contrast, games directly ensure that the entire class participates on an individual level. Students learn the underlying principles while making decisions during the game." Commenting on the feedback he has received, he adds, "In general, I have received a very positive response from students as they are able to comprehend the underlying economic principles and apply it to the real world. When grading, I notice that questions based on concepts learned through classroom games tend to be correctly answered by the majority of my students."
Stimulating brain activity and engaging strategic decision-making objectives, Andrew Cohen, lecturer of finance, challenges his students with a stock trading card game that keeps the players on the edge of their seat. His game "Future Traders" established in 2018, started with a deck of cards and an excel spreadsheet. Now two years later, Cohen successfully implemented a fully online version into his fall 2019 courses.
"I wanted to increase student engagement and make my classes more fun and exciting. Using games also helps simulate the feel of real-world trading and leverage theoretical concepts into practical application," said Cohen. Creating an online space adapts to the technology of this time while also opening students to the investment industry. By enriching realistic exposure to the basics of stocks, bonds, crypto currencies and commodities, student engagement and the learning curve has increased. Receiving positive feedback from students, Cohen hopes to add advanced levels and eventually form a competitive tournament at Strome.
Karen Eagle, lecturer of management, uses games each week that help students understand the fast-paced unpredictable world of entrepreneurship by tackling product pitching, disruption, public speaking and even the harsh reality of failure. For example, in one exercise, students build and brand a paper airplane that must fly a dollar worth of coins. They, then, must pitch their plane and convince the class that they have the best plane. However, once the students go outside to fly the plane, they see that the student who had the best pitch, doesn't always have the best performing design. Being able to present oneself with confidence and potentially be rejected helps build perseverance. Eagle states, "Most students come in taking the class as a general elective and have no plans to be entrepreneurs, but they leave realizing they can be creative and do things within their field that are entrepreneurial." Eagle continues to explain her purpose in creating this course, "Real world jobs want candidates that have real hands on experience, not a test or theory. Play helps students to grow and adapt."
Finding exciting new ways to connect students and create dialogue can come from many outlets. Eagle points out, "A lot of people learn kinetically, or visually and the idea is how do you feed that?" Professors at Strome are seeing this dynamic happen and are adapting to this change by implementing games to their teaching strategy.
Story by Dai'mon Grate
