The Concept of Using Educational Computer Games in Teaching Legal Disciplines: A View from Russia

Aleksey Anisimov,Agnessa Inshakova

doi:10.30935/cedtech/11808

Abstract

The use of educational computer games in the context of the coronavirus pandemic is becoming increasingly popular in the educational process when studying a variety of disciplines. And if practical steps have been taken in this direction in technical, pedagogical, and some other sciences, then there is a doctrinal and practical gap in the teaching of legal disciplines that needs to be filled. The purpose of the study is to argue the prospects for the use of educational computer games at law faculties, which makes it possible to more effectively assess students’ knowledge, as well as increase their motivation to actively participate in the educational process. In the course of the study, methodology involved the theoretical and practical experience of developing educational computer games in various academic disciplines was summarized, the scientific literature and the existing practice of their use were analyzed, and the possible effect of introducing educational computer games into the educational process at law faculties after the development and implementation of such games in practice, including the first-generation educational computer game developed by the authors, was modeled. The research findings indicate formulation of a doctrinal concept of the use of educational computer games, identifies three of their generations, and shows the features of the development and application of each of them, including the author’s experience in developing a training computer game by right of the first generation. The authors analyzed the technical problems associated with the development of educational computer games and suggested ways to solve them. The authors’ proposals can be used by universities in any country to interact with game design studios to develop educational games.

Highlights

The coronavirus pandemic which has caused huge human losses and serious losses for the economies of most countries of the world has spurred long-standing discussions about the ways and means of digitalizing education
The main outcome of the pandemic has been the continuation of the discussion of the strategy for the development of higher legal education in the following aspects: 1. Even before the pandemic, the digital technologies for drawing up certain types of civil contracts began to be implemented in Russia, which led to a discussion about the possible death of the legal profession
The discussions among experts inevitably intensified about what new digital technologies are required for distance learning of students, what their efficiency is, and how to further improve them. One of these technologies is the development of educational computer games in the field of law, which in Russia is still at the very first stage of development

Summary

Introduction

The coronavirus pandemic which has caused huge human losses and serious losses for the economies of most countries of the world has spurred long-standing discussions about the ways and means of digitalizing education. The essence of this problem is significantly broader than the issues of preserving the health of students or solving the technical issues of organizing training on various Internet platforms (Zoom, Teams, etc.). “the percent of Russian parents who want to send their children to universities has fallen by half in ten years. When asked where their children will continue their education after school, one in five parents (21%) said that this will be secondary vocational education. In 2021, 43% of the parents said that their children would

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