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GameDesk
About | Methodology | Evaluation | People | Contact
About
The USC GameDesk educational program is a
collaboration between the Viterbi School of
Engineering's Integrated Media Systems Center
(IMSC) at the
University of Southern California
(USC) and the
Los Angeles Unified School District
(LAUSD).
This innovative program targets schools in the
Los Angeles Unified School District's High
Priority/Program Improvement Schools (Title I
compliance schools). For theses schools, the
problems are many; lack of student engagement,
graduations rates of 50% or below, drop out
rates at 50% or above, poor teacher retention,
and lack of standards-based instruction and
assessment.
The GameDesk program offers a revolutionary new
approach to addressing student cognition and
engagement through combining active
project-based learning and the excitement and
cultural relevance of games.
The USC GameDesk Program provides a student
centered learning model that creates incentive
and reward through the development of
entertainment and educational
games. Often, a student's lack of
engagement and ownership of classroom material
is directly attributed to the student’s
perception that the material is not relevant
to their lives. Leveraging on its knowledge
and expertise in Serious Games, USC has
created a state standards-driven, games-based
curriculum designed with evaluative
goals aiming to instill in students; a
sense of ownership, reward, and contextualized
learning around core curriculum areas.
Methodology
Embedding Curriculum as Tools for Game-Making
GameDesk takes standards-based curriculum that
is traditionally taught in lecture to a passive
group of students, and transforms it into a
series of engaging game tools that students use
to create exciting and fun games. In a physics
class, for example, an equation on collision is
traditionally introduced by the teacher in the
form of lecture, where students complete
exercises and homework and are ultimately tested
in exam form. In GameDesk, they make CAR
CRASH DERBY! learning the collision
equation as a game-tool to build the game.
The goal is to not force the subject on the
students but have the students want to learn
these standards as a way to achieve their goals
of making fun games. In the first semester,
students learn how to make several different
types of games, each one having embedded
standards within the games design and tutorial
process. Math standards such as fractions,
algebraic equations, and percentages are part of
such a process.
Identifying and Developing Strengths in Individual Students
Game-making is a collaborative art form,
requiring various degrees of focus and
specialization. Such specialization is directly
proportional to emerging strengths that students
develop over the course of making games in the
program. Some will excel visually and
artistically, while others will excel in math
and programming. Some will find they are problem
solvers, while others find leadership and/or
organization as their strength. In GameDesk,
cognitive strengths are identified after an
initial process of building several individual
small games. Students are evaluated and
integrated into game teams, each equally
balanced according to identified strengths. In
game teams, strengths are further identified and
supported, as students become leaders and
organizers, key problem solvers, and artistic
visionaries.
Translational Learning
Additionally, GameDesk utilizes translational
learning as a methodology to help students learn
actively, passionately, and with context. In the
second section of the program, game teams work
with assigned content teachers (math, physics,
history, geography, etc) to build a fun
educational game. As opposed to learning WW2
history in lecture and through textbook,
students learn WW2 history to make a WW2 history
game. In order to translate knowledge into a
game, one must know the content. By translating
information to game form, the art or translation
becomes a vehicle for engagement in study. The
goal here is to motivate learning and to empower
students to take charge of the information.
This translation process gives immediate purpose
and function to the pedagogy as students find
they must know the educational content in order
to make the game exciting and engaging.
Evaluation
An initial GameDesk pilot was launched at David
Starr Jordan High School in August 2008; a second
program was launched at Crenshaw High School in
January 2009; and USC is currently in discussion
with a third High Priority High School for a
scheduled program launch in September 2009. By
academic year 2010 the Game Desk Program will be
launched in approximately 1/3 of the district’s
34 schools identified as “High Priority/Program
Improvement Schools.” In its inaugural year, the
Game Desk Program will expose approximately 90
at-risk students to its innovative Engage, Learn,
and Do curriculum.
People
Jim Baker, Ph.D. − Director,
Integrated Media Systems Center, USC Viterbi
School of Engineering, and Program Director for
the GameDesk Project.
Sylvia Rousseau, Ph.D. − Professor and
Urban Scholar, USC Rossier School of
Education. Interim Director, Greater Crenshaw
Educational Partnership. Dr. Rousseau’s research
focuses on the relationship between culture and
cognition in promoting learning for all students;
and deepening understandings of literacy
acquisition in urban schools.
Victor Lacour − Associate Director for Game
Research, IMSC and Lecturer, Department of
Computer Science, USC Viterbi School of
Engineering. Lacour’s courses include History of
Game, Survey of digital games, Serious game
development, and Advanced game projects. Lacour is
an independent filmmaker and game developer.
Erin Shaw − Research Computer Scientist,
Information Sciences Institute, USC Viterbi School
of Engineering, and Lead Investigator for GameDesk
Evaluation. Shaw’s research focuses on assessing
student knowledge in science and mathematics.
Luciano Nocera, Ph.D. − Senior Research
Associate, IMSC. Dr. Nocera’s research focuses on
assessing learning through computer games.
Scott Spector − Priority Staffing Program
Advisor at Crenshaw High School and GameDesk
Liaison to the Los Angeles Unified School
District. Spector directs scheduling, staffing and
training for GameDesk studies at Crenshaw High
School.
Contact
Dr. James Baker, Director
Integrated Media Systems Center
University of Southern California
Kerckhoff Hall
734 West Adams Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90089
Phone: 213.743.2314
Email: jimbaker@imsc.usc.edu
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