Group activities and game-based learning to keep students connected to their academic communities

Abstract


 
 
 
 Challenges experienced by students with online teaching include maintaining connectivity to the academic community. To overcome students feeling ‘silo-ed’ and to maintain their motivation, the faculty at Butler University enhanced group activities with game-based learning. Group activities included problem-based learning exercises and students working together to expand concept maps. These provided the opportunity for students to interact with the content, to interact with their peers and to interact with faculty. Students found these group activities effective ways of applying their knowledge in a timely manner. Game-based learning platforms that were utilised included quizzes that took place in-class as well as during review sessions. These enabled students to keep abreast of the material they were learning in class and identify gaps in their comprehension. The quizzes generated dynamic class discussions which enabled students to learn from each other.