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I adopt Jane McGonigal's framework of "epic scale" to talk about elements of epic learning in and through the teaching of writing (Reality is Broken, 2011). It may be that no writing course can ever match the intensity of a campus wide tournament of Humans vs. Zombies or the sheer scale of World of Warcraft, but the language helps us think through ways that we use game design, paired with writing and writing pedagogy, both to make large class spaces feel intimate and to encourage small classes to feel empowered over their learning. This talk shares the design and success of two large "epic," game-based college experiences: the design of a "jumbo" writing class that infuses game design and play within the activities and structures, and an augmented reality, quest-driven, adventure game created for incoming freshmen called Early Start: EPIC. Data drawn from these game-based course designs show that the spaces provide contexts for action as a form of service to larger, shared goals, encourage wholehearted participation, and provide mechanisms for the exchange of expertise.
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Composing Play: EPIC Composing Play: EPIC Learning in Literacy Learning in Literacy
SpacesSpaces
Composing Play: EPIC Composing Play: EPIC Learning in Literacy Learning in Literacy
SpacesSpaces
Composing Play: EPIC Composing Play: EPIC Learning in Literacy Learning in Literacy
SpacesSpaces
Dr. Kim JaxonDr. Kim JaxonCalifornia State University, ChicoCalifornia State University, Chico
Dr. Kim JaxonDr. Kim JaxonCalifornia State University, ChicoCalifornia State University, Chico
Dr. Kim JaxonDr. Kim JaxonCalifornia State University, ChicoCalifornia State University, Chico
@drjaxon@drjaxonhttp://kimjaxon.com http://kimjaxon.com
Dr. Kim JaxonDr. Kim JaxonCalifornia State University, ChicoCalifornia State University, Chico
@drjaxon@drjaxonhttp://kimjaxon.com http://kimjaxon.com
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“the term participation describe[s] the social experience of living in the world in terms of membership in social communities and active involvement in social enterprises”
--Etienne Wenger
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Jean Lave & Etienne Wenger
Etienne Wenger
Learning as Social, as Learning as Social, as Participation Participation
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Theoretical Frame Theoretical FrameSocial Cognition/Situated LearningSocial Cognition/Situated Learning
Attention placed on: Identity, Participation, Attention placed on: Identity, Participation, Material ConditionsMaterial Conditions
Learning occurs in participation and social Learning occurs in participation and social relationships, not relationships, not ““in the heads of individualsin the heads of individuals””
(Hanks qtd. in Lave & Wenger, 1991)(Hanks qtd. in Lave & Wenger, 1991)
Provides a framework for studying and Provides a framework for studying and understanding how individuals shape, are shaped understanding how individuals shape, are shaped
by, and learn from, the communities in which by, and learn from, the communities in which they participatethey participate
Shifts the unit of analysis away from a focus on Shifts the unit of analysis away from a focus on the individual mind and towards social and the individual mind and towards social and
material conditions that influence learning and material conditions that influence learning and meaning makingmeaning making
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“knowledge and cognition is distributed across objects, individuals, artifacts, and tools in the environment”
--Ed Hutchins
Distributed CognitionDistributed CognitionDistributed CognitionDistributed Cognition
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“And the chance to do something you’re good at as part of a larger project helps students build real self-esteem among their peers”… “Not empty self-esteem based on nothing other than wanting to feel good about yourself, but actual respect and high regard based on contributions you’ve made.”
(McGonigal, Reality is Broken, p. 130-31).
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Questions that guide course design:Questions that guide course design:
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• What would an epic writing course look like?
• How could the structure force us to consider taken-for-granted roles and identities between writing teacher and student?
• How might we highlight the work of students and make the instructor less central to the work of the course?
• How might we make the connections between more capable peers and students even stronger?
Key Key StructuresStructures
Key Key StructuresStructuresSmall Research Teams:Small Research Teams:
Permanent groups of five who establish norms Permanent groups of five who establish norms togethertogether
Mentors:Mentors: ““More capable peersMore capable peers”” (Vygotsky) (Vygotsky)
Wide Variety of Participation Structures:Wide Variety of Participation Structures: Use of social media and digital platforms as a way to Use of social media and digital platforms as a way to
open up participation and support community open up participation and support community buildingbuilding
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Small Working Small Working Groups Groups
10 Students + 1 10 Students + 1 MentorMentor
Further Divided into Further Divided into Permanent Group of Permanent Group of
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They see me rollin
they hatin
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For the past 20+ years, the pass rate in CSU, Chico’s first-year writing course has been between 89-92%. The jumbo classes follow this trend:
Total Students Enrolled (12 sections): 1080
93% pass rate
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http://www.calstate.edu/acadaff/EarlyStart/
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Our goal: Make it not teh suck.
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Too early for hard findings, but we know a few things:
• More than 2000+ Facebook posts made by 251 students in a 2 week period. More than 80% had comments.
• Faculty evals were high: 4.47/5.00• Students were asked to complete enough Quests to earn 150 points: all students went well beyond this minimum. 90+ students earned more than 300 points and 12 students earned over 1000 points.
• Students have stayed connected to their peers.
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