1. Engaging Students in Class Activities Through Games to Increase Participation
Fernando Paniagua
Community College of Baltimore County

2. 2015 Cengage Learning Computing Conference
Introduction
The idea of using games to engage students in the process of active learning is not new.
Over the past years, educators have been increasingly incorporating various games into their teaching curriculum in an effort to create a fun and engaging learning environment for students.
I have conducted several games with my students as a means to review previously taught material and to prepare for tests.
I have noticed that most of my students tend to enjoy hands-on activities in my courses; however, I wonder sometimes when we play games or do activities if they are grasping the content of the material in the process.
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Background
MacKenty (2006) states that, “it’s the act of problem solving that makes games so engaging… devoid of challenge or risk of failure, games really aren’t all that much fun” (p. 46).
Tom Schrand (2008) discusses the powerful capabilities of interactive multimedia games (or activities) where students work together as a class to categorize information in charts by moving facts so they rest in the appropriate labeled columns (p.81).
Schaller (2006) states that iteration, or repetition of the process, is critical to “support the learning process by encouraging experimentation, hypothesis testing and synthesis” which are all higher level thinking skills.
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Background (cont.)
Regardless of the format of the game, students can simultaneously build their problem solving skills while having fun throughout the process if an instructional game is well-designed (MacKenty, 2006, Harris, 2009).
According to Franklin, Peat & Lewis (2003), when students work cooperatively on a gaming activity, “games foster group cooperation and typically create a high level of student involvement that makes them useful tools for effective teaching” (p. 82).
It is important to remember that games are supplement teaching tools and instructors need to be actively involved for games to be truly effective.
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Background (cont.)
The subjects in this study were students of my CSIT 101 (Introduction to Computers) class. [Fall and Spring 2013]
CSIT 101 focuses on
Computer concepts (Lecture sessions).
MS Office 2010 (Labs sessions).
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6. Objectives of the Pedagogical Intervention
To increase students’ participation in the class.
To decrease the percentage of absenteeism.
To motivate and engage students in class.
To create a fun and engaging learning environment for students.
To put students at the center of the learning experience.
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Hypothesis
Incorporating games in the classroom, will increase student participation and attendance during the lecture sessions of the class providing active learning opportunities and reinforcing topics previously learned in the classroom.
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Methodology
Pedagogical Intervention
This intervention took place in the lecture sessions.
For each one of the chapters covered in this course, I designed a dynamic activity aimed to:
increase student participation and engage them while in class.
encourage attendance to the lecture sessions.
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Methodology (cont.)
Curricular Intervention
This intervention took place in the lecture sessions. There was a total of 250 points which was assigned to the dynamic activities designed in the pedagogical intervention. Students could earn those points only if they were present in the classroom and actively participating in the dynamic activity.
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10. Some of the Dynamic Activities Used
Family Feud
Mystery Box
Mind Speed
Jeopardy
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11. Data Collection (Male – Female – Total)
Number of students
Percentage of absenteeism
Grade average
Success rate
Pedagogical intervention survey
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Data Analysis
No apparent pattern
Average: 21 students SD: 1.5
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Data Analysis (cont.)
No apparent pattern
Percentage decreased about 10%
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Data Analysis (cont.)
Three last semesters: grade average 63%
Percentage increased 10%
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Data Analysis (cont.)
Three last semesters: success rate average 68%
Percentage increased 22%
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16. Survey Data Analysis (33 responses)
97%
90%
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17. Survey Data Analysis (cont.)
88%
100%
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18. Survey Data Analysis (cont.)
88% %
61% %
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19. Survey Data Analysis (cont.)
79%
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Conclusions
Results reveal that incorporating games into the lecture sessions increased both attendance and participation.
An additional effect that this study brought was an increase of the student success rate.
Students felt that the classroom was a welcoming environment were all could participate and their voice was heard.
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