By Kim Grady, M.Ed., MATEC Instructional Designer

Faculty and trainers who use the MATEC modules know that that we often use games to help students master content and to practice critical thinking and troubleshooting skills. Here's why.

Research tells us that games are excellent teaching tools. Games provide high engagement and stimulate accelerated and effective learning.

Engagement can come though emotion, relaxation, and especially through fun.

Once learners are engaged, a number of elements can accelerate learning and make it more effective. They include creating an
environment where questions and mistakes are part of the learning process, feedback and reinforcement come in many forms and from many sources, and challenge and expectation for success is high.

Theory Behind the Fun
When introducing new and difficult technical material, instructors and trainers can begin with a quiz-like game.

In games no one is expected to have all of the answers yet, and they are motivated to ask questions and investigate so they can improve their scores. While playing a game, students can be encouraged to ask each other for clues, make decisions about information they are receiving, and work together to get the highest score. According to social learning theory, this freedom to make mistakes and need to rely on each other for information results in critical thinking and teamwork skills.

From behavioral learning theory we know that feed back and reinforcement are important. Here is how this can be applied in games. Gamers often come up with a "best guess," hoping they are right. Fellow gamers can point out
weaknesses and strengths in their guess. This feedback improves the gamer's understanding and score if they are allowed to alter their guess before the answer is revealed.

Many aspects of a game can be motivating. Obviously attaining the highest score is one aspect. Add to that levels of achievement and you can create an exciting, energized environment where learners want to continually improve. A game can be concluded for the day, but the challenge comes when points are accumulated over time and gamers try to improve their score each day to win the "top tech" spot.

What Content Works for Games?
Content suitable for gaming must be carefully selected. At MATEC, we are looking closely at technical content in automated systems, statistical process control, and troubleshooting. We want to identify the content that best suits our game format. We are looking for content that can be built on through what instructional designers call hierarchical learning or scaffolding. We also look for content that can be paired with other stimuli such as pictures and diagrams. Accelerated learning theory tells us that pairing words and images helps learners master content faster.

To find a game format you need look no further than your local newspaper or favorite TV game show. At MATEC, we have been examining a wide variety of games and puzzles to identify key elements such as scoring and levels of play. Basically all games have a "quiz" flavor, and we brainstorm other elements-like providing clues in the form of a partial picture/diagram-that we can add to the game to make it more learning valuable.

If you have a learning game to share for semiconductor or manufacturing courses, send it to grady@matec.org. We'll share your most effective games on the MATEC Web site.