Lessons Learned from Implementing a Serious Game in Higher Education – A Student and Trainer Perspective

Abstract

Serious games (SGs) have shown great potential as student-active learning tools in education, as they enable experimentation with practice-related work environments and systems that may otherwise be challenging and/or impractical to facilitate in an educational institution. However, existing instructional design models are limited in use when it comes to how to implement and integrate SGs within the existing curricula. Furthermore, the trainer perspective is often neglected in literature about serious games. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of both students and trainers after the implementation and use of a SG in a master level course in project management (PM). Data was collected using six focus group interviews (FGIs) comprising 38 students. In addition, trainers’ experiences were gathered as written comments to the results from the FGIs. Data was analysed using inductive content analysis. Results identified several issues related to the implementation and use of the SG that can be summarized through the following main- and subthemes; 1) Integration (introduction, facilitation, feedback and debriefing) and 2) Usability and gameplay (user interface design, learnability and use, immersion and satisfaction). Results showed that when adopting an existing SG to a course it enhances the need for a good implementation process, especially when it comes to provision of information, instructions, and feedback from trainers. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to share some of the experiences, issues and important lessons learned from the implementation to inform trainers on what to focus on when considering implementing SGs in their program.