“All Work and No Play” Reconsidered: The Use of Games to Promote Motivation and Engagement in Instruction

Abstract

This study examined the role of games in graduate-level instructional technology courses, where the curriculum includes complex abstract theory and hands-on, practical skills. A qualitative approach was used in the study, relying on classroom observations of student behavior (recorded by digital photographs), informal student verbal comments, formal written feedback, and analysis of student game projects, as sources of data. Participants had the opportunity to serve in one or both roles of ‘educational game player’ and ‘educational game designer’. Issues involved in adapting existing games to classroom use are also discussed. Study findings reveal that games can be very useful in the classroom, helping to stimulate student active participation in the learning process.