#7 Blog Active and Passive Learning: Game-Based Learning

How do Game-Based Learning and Gamification use active learning?

Active learning refers to a broad range of learner-centred instructional strategies. In general, active learning is an instructional approach in which students are actively engaged in course material through hands-on skill-building, discussion, problem-solving, reflective writing, case studies, and other methods, as opposed to active learning, which is more based on learners reading textbooks, watching videos, and attending traditional lectures through learning techniques. The benefits of active learning for learners include more active participation in learning, opportunities for more effective learning experiences through scientific methods, active participation in experimentation, application, and analysis, and the ability to synthesize knowledge based on prior learning to create their understanding and personal meaning. Examples of active learning experiences include discussions, debates, group work, presentations, project-based research and reflection, etc.
In the active learning paradigm, game-based learning can increase learners’ interest in learning. In most cases, the main reason we do not do well in learning is that we encounter challenges in learning. Breaking through these challenges requires challenging work, much time spent researching the topic, and a lot of instructional videos and reading materials make learners feel exhausted. On the other hand, if gamification is applied to active learning, it increases the interest of the learners and, at the same time, increases the efficiency of learning more effectively. By actively doing some exploration through some gamification software and putting the main content of learning into the gamification technology, learners can combine the usual learning materials with the game by participating in the game and reviewing the learning materials when completing the game, which avoids the tedious and passive learning and at the same time allows learners to remember and use the learning materials better.

Examples you have been a part of in your classes of Game-Based Learning

I was asked to complete many different types of assignments, including Quiz, during my studies. When I was completing these assignments and reviewing before the exam, I would only use the slides and class notes provided by the teacher to review the content, which was relatively dull and numerous. The result was that I could not finish my homework very efficiently, and it was not easy to memorize all the knowledge points clearly when I was revising. I was introduced to an online study tool called Quizlet by a friend. I could search for many study materials related to my major, including summaries of keywords and some practice problems similar to my homework. Most of the content on this site is presented in the form of flashcards. Compared to my review, each critical word and its explanation is separate. I can study through their memory to explain the meaning of the word, then click on the flashcard, and the correct interpretation will be displayed to compare my answer is correct. In this way, I can check how well I have completed the content and whether I have clearly remembered the meaning of the essential words.
On this site, in addition to using the Flash Cards, I can also switch the main content of each chapter to a quiz game. The quizzes are a way to check my completion, and I can collect the critical content by bookmarking it and reviewing it at the end. Reviewing through this gamified learning site has made my learning more efficient, reducing my time and allowing me to complete assignments and review content more effectively than reading the material myself. The site includes economics content and contains a library of questions for each major, so no matter what subject you are studying, you can find something that works for you on the site and test yourself through flashcards and games. This gamified approach has helped me to study efficiently.