Comments on: Intro to Open Education – “The Game” http://opencontent.org/blog/archives/680 pragmatism over zeal Fri, 18 May 2012 23:17:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Michael Peters http://opencontent.org/blog/archives/680/comment-page-1#comment-42800 Michael Peters Fri, 02 Jan 2009 01:29:51 +0000 http://opencontent.org/blog/?p=680#comment-42800 Check out the new book Open Education and Education for Openness Edited by Michael A Peters & Rodrigo Britez Sense Publications Check out the new book

Open Education and Education for Openness
Edited by Michael A Peters & Rodrigo Britez
Sense Publications

]]> By: Lynda Deckard Ramos http://opencontent.org/blog/archives/680/comment-page-1#comment-42639 Lynda Deckard Ramos Sun, 30 Nov 2008 09:29:22 +0000 http://opencontent.org/blog/?p=680#comment-42639 This looks like a very interesting class. How can I sign up to take it so that I can translate the experience into something I can use for my EFL classes. It sounds like a lot of fun. Please send me enrollment infor. Thanks!! This looks like a very interesting class. How can I sign up to take it so that I can translate the experience into something I can use for my EFL classes. It sounds like a lot of fun. Please send me enrollment infor. Thanks!!

]]> By: Jay Pfaffman http://opencontent.org/blog/archives/680/comment-page-1#comment-42630 Jay Pfaffman Fri, 28 Nov 2008 13:03:47 +0000 http://opencontent.org/blog/?p=680#comment-42630 This is a fantastic idea. In working on moving my how-to-manage-computers course online, my student who's been helping got the idea to reframe the course as a game. I hadn't quite thought it through. You did. I have copied your syllabus to my course and will, with my student's help, go through and change the characters (though they may be pretty close to what I need) and quests to fit my content. (Right now it's still your stuff. -- http://wiki.ubiquity.utk.edu/Courses/WIT566_Fall_2009). I still don't quite get this whole "open content" thing, but I'm getting closer. Perhaps next spring I'll teach your Intro to Open Education course for credit at my university myself. They say that the best way to learn something is to teach it. This is a fantastic idea. In working on moving my how-to-manage-computers course online, my student who’s been helping got the idea to reframe the course as a game. I hadn’t quite thought it through. You did.

I have copied your syllabus to my course and will, with my student’s help, go through and change the characters (though they may be pretty close to what I need) and quests to fit my content. (Right now it’s still your stuff. — http://wiki.ubiquity.utk.edu/Courses/WIT566_Fall_2009).

I still don’t quite get this whole “open content” thing, but I’m getting closer. Perhaps next spring I’ll teach your Intro to Open Education course for credit at my university myself. They say that the best way to learn something is to teach it.

]]> By: Lynn Taylor http://opencontent.org/blog/archives/680/comment-page-1#comment-42624 Lynn Taylor Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:48:21 +0000 http://opencontent.org/blog/?p=680#comment-42624 Outstanding approach! Very intriguing. I have a question/suggestion on grading. Since most RPGs (MMO or otherwise) use an experience point (XP) system to track progress, have you considered grading the same way? This would be simple to accomplish by translating a percent grade into some XP number. For example, 92% becomes 1840 XP, where 2000 XP would be the max available for a particular quest. When a participant reaches a certain XP threshold, they "level up." There are several advantages to this approach. 1. A participant could take on a higher-level quest before reaching the equivalent level, but the inherent implication is that they may not be "ready," lacking mastery of the lower-level skills necessary to accomplish the quest. 2. If a participant is behind in XP due to poor performance in a particular section, they could have the option to garner additional XP through additional "side-quests" which would bolster their ability in whatever they are lacking. 3. This would allow a more flexible final grading approach. Rather than the final grade being based on completion of quests of a certain level (0-4 = C), participants would be graded on the final level they achieve. If a participant barely skated through all six quests and gained XP (grades) to only achieve level 4, they would receive a grade of C for the course. Those participants who performed stellar work throughout and accomplished all quests would gain enough XP for an A. 4. Who doesn't like to get XP? The trick would be scaling the XP to accomplish the intent of the course. This should be a relatively simple matter of weighing the importance of each quest (assignment) and assigning points accordingly. Then take a step back and see how it all fits together, evaluating how failure to complete one section would impact the rest, both in terms of preparation/skill acquisition and XP gain. It looks like a wonderful and potentially fun approach to education. I look forward to seeing how it works! Lynn Outstanding approach! Very intriguing. I have a question/suggestion on grading. Since most RPGs (MMO or otherwise) use an experience point (XP) system to track progress, have you considered grading the same way?

This would be simple to accomplish by translating a percent grade into some XP number. For example, 92% becomes 1840 XP, where 2000 XP would be the max available for a particular quest. When a participant reaches a certain XP threshold, they “level up.”

There are several advantages to this approach.
1. A participant could take on a higher-level quest before reaching the equivalent level, but the inherent implication is that they may not be “ready,” lacking mastery of the lower-level skills necessary to accomplish the quest.
2. If a participant is behind in XP due to poor performance in a particular section, they could have the option to garner additional XP through additional “side-quests” which would bolster their ability in whatever they are lacking.
3. This would allow a more flexible final grading approach. Rather than the final grade being based on completion of quests of a certain level (0-4 = C), participants would be graded on the final level they achieve. If a participant barely skated through all six quests and gained XP (grades) to only achieve level 4, they would receive a grade of C for the course. Those participants who performed stellar work throughout and accomplished all quests would gain enough XP for an A.
4. Who doesn’t like to get XP?

The trick would be scaling the XP to accomplish the intent of the course. This should be a relatively simple matter of weighing the importance of each quest (assignment) and assigning points accordingly. Then take a step back and see how it all fits together, evaluating how failure to complete one section would impact the rest, both in terms of preparation/skill acquisition and XP gain.

It looks like a wonderful and potentially fun approach to education. I look forward to seeing how it works!
Lynn

]]> By: John Hilton III http://opencontent.org/blog/archives/680/comment-page-1#comment-42620 John Hilton III Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:38:20 +0000 http://opencontent.org/blog/?p=680#comment-42620 i was hoping to be a wizard...but given the choices i'm thinking i'm going to be to be a bard. i was hoping to be a wizard…but given the choices i’m thinking i’m going to be to be a bard.

]]> By: Rob Barton http://opencontent.org/blog/archives/680/comment-page-1#comment-42609 Rob Barton Thu, 27 Nov 2008 04:50:56 +0000 http://opencontent.org/blog/?p=680#comment-42609 Somehow the Death Knight got left off the syllabus. Somehow the Death Knight got left off the syllabus.

]]> By: Stian Haklev http://opencontent.org/blog/archives/680/comment-page-1#comment-42606 Stian Haklev Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:13:08 +0000 http://opencontent.org/blog/?p=680#comment-42606 This is very exciting! Intro to Open Ed 2007 was a seminal experience for me, and I have no doubt that this will rock a lot of worlds as well - I am forwarding to some of my friends, who might benefit. It is a bit unclear in the curriculum how open participation will happen, for example there are a lot of mentions of "oral exam" - are those restricted to people in the paying cohort? Is there a place for people to sign up who want to do this independently? Is this based in WoW or another MMORPG? Keep innovating! Stian This is very exciting! Intro to Open Ed 2007 was a seminal experience for me, and I have no doubt that this will rock a lot of worlds as well – I am forwarding to some of my friends, who might benefit.

It is a bit unclear in the curriculum how open participation will happen, for example there are a lot of mentions of “oral exam” – are those restricted to people in the paying cohort? Is there a place for people to sign up who want to do this independently? Is this based in WoW or another MMORPG?

Keep innovating!
Stian

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