Game-Based Learning

Gamification - Are you playing with me?

Ask a student if they would rather come and play a game or join a working lecture. The choice seems obvious, but did you know that both have more in common than you might think? Both games and working lectures involve social interaction, discovery and purpose. And let's not forget that it's okay to make mistakes and learn from them.

No wonder, then, that more and more lecturers are looking for ways to combine these two worlds and ‘gamify’ the learning process. But what are the benefits of this? How does it affect students' motivation, engagement and study success? And what role does the lecturer play in this?

Can gaming be the entry point for connection, safety, trust and freedom in education?

Ellis Bartholomeus investigates motivation versus non-motivation in education. She looks at the ways in which game elements and gamification can be used to help teachers and students get a grip on their own role in education, as well as the path of exploration, risk-taking and experiencing progress.

From Play to Practice: Integrating Megagames into Higher Education

Megagames are live, large-scale interactive games in which players immerse themselves in complex problem-solving scenarios. The megagame format creates a context where participants come together to explore alternative solutions and make different perspectives visible.

During this Food for Thought session, Sonia Palha and Karel Millenaar introduce the MEGA project, which investigates the use of megagames in higher education to enhance teaching and learning about global issues.

Using examples of existing megagames, they will discuss key features of megagames and invite participants to consider how to integrate these ideas into educational contexts and teaching practices.

Additionally, Sonia and Karel will share details about the first megagame session, which will be held on July 3rd!

About the speakers

Ellis Bartholomeus, operating under the name ‘ellis in wonderland’, has been intrigued by the value of play throughout her career. After years of developing interactive and playful products, she researched games and play as a Play Alchemist.

Ellis wrote ‘Play the Game’, which has since been translated into four languages. She teaches (previously also at the AUAS' CMD programme), lectures and facilitates workshops on the value and power of play and how to effect change while designing and encouraging intrinsic motivation.

Sonia Abrantes Garcez Palha is associate professor in mathematics education at the Faculty of Education from the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. She teaches Mathematics Pedagogy and Learning with Technology and she is investigator in the Sciences and Mathematics research group and Smart Education Lab. Her research interests are collaborative learning, game-based learning and pedagogy and digital technologies.

Karel Millenaar is game designer and visual designer with more than 11 years of design experience. With his company FourceLabs, he has designed games and playful interactions for large commercial companies like Philips and Corio, as well as for cultural institutions like the University Museum Utrecht.

His design experience ranges from playful installations to board games and video games and everything in between. At the research group Civic Interaction Design (Centre for Applied Research FDMCI, AUAS), he uses his experience to extend research projects with designs and prototypes.

He also teaches design-related courses and occasionally supervises project groups at ICT.

Loes Wernsen acts as moderator during this Food for Thought session.

She is a versatile education professional with a background in concept development, branding and creativity. Loes works as a lecturer-researcher and education advisor at the AUAS and previously at HKU.

Within COCB (Communication & Creative Business) education, Loes developed an ‘educational game’.

She is also involved in various projects, including the Megagames project.

At the Education & Research team of the DMCI faculty, she fulfils the role of educational advisor.

Civic Interaction Design

Want to know more about the Civic Interaction Design research group at the Centre for Applied Research FDMCI? Then take a look at this portal.

Centre of Expertise Creative Innovation

If you are curious what exactly the CoE Creative Innovation does, you can find more information on the website.