School is a Game... But is it a Good Game?

We want our students to be deeply engaged in their learning. We want them to work hard and take on intellectual challenges. We want them to take risks and try new things. And perhaps most importantly, we want students to be resilient in the face of failure. So why it is that the design of our educational system - including colleges and universities - encourages exactly the opposite behaviors? I propose that our grading and assessment systems are the heart of the problem.

This talk discusses the deep-seated problems with traditional grading systems, and proposes an approach called gameful learning as a solution that supports deep engagement. This is not about learning by playing games. Rather, this talk posits that learning in school is already a kind of game, but a poorly designed one. The goal is to design a better game, and a better system.

Barry Fishman is Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Learning Technologies in the University of Michigan School of Information and School of Education. His research focuses on: video games as models for learning environments, teacher learning and the role of technology in supporting teacher learning, and the development of usable, scalable, and sustainable learning innovations through design-based implementation research (DBIR), which he helped establish.