Postgraduate Course: Digital Education: Play (EDUA11473)
Course Outline
| School | Moray House School of Education and Sport |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course will introduce participants to the application of digital games and play in educational settings. As this is a developing field, with more potential than current manifestation, an inclusive definition of game-based learning will be used. The course will consider actual and potential application of existing commercial games in educational settings, games that have been specifically created with educational objectives in mind, and a wider array of practices in experiential learning that can broadly be described as game-informed. In parallel with this practical emphasis the course will provide a theoretical context for the relationships between games, play and the psychology of learning.
Students from outwith the Digital Education programme wishing to enrol for this course or take it on a 'class only' basis must liaise directly with the course organiser before enrolling.
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| Course description |
How can educational experiences be more motivational, more engaging and more useful for learning? What can games and play tell us about creating experiences for our learners that feel meaningful, immersive and that sparks their curiosity and drive to keep learning?
This course offers a creative and supportive environment to explore the relationship between play, games, and psychological concepts related to learning. You will explore the potential application of commercial games in educational settings, games that have been specifically created with educational objectives in mind, and a wider array of practices in experiential learning that can broadly be described as game-informed and playful.
In parallel with this practical emphasis, the course will provide a theoretical context for the relationships between games, play and learning. You will have the opportunity to focus on those concepts that are most relevant to you, choosing from potential topics such as ethics, flow, identity, motivation, narrative, scaffolding and transfer.
The course activities and assignments will encourage you to synthesise your theoretical and experiential insights and apply them thoughtfully to your own professional context, culminating in your development of an innovative and engaging playful design.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2025/26, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
196 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
There are three assessments in this course:
Critical review (20%):
You will review a digital game and evaluate how it might inform learning in a formal, informal or non-formal educational setting (equivalent to 1000 words).
Position paper (30%):
You will write a critical reflection on your chosen course theme, relating this to your own education experiences (equivalent to 1000 words).
Playful design (50%):
You will design a game or game-informed playful activity (with or without dependency on digital technologies) directed towards the promotion of your chosen learning outcome (equivalent to 2000 words). |
| Feedback |
Feedback comes throughout the course in formative activities such as forum discussions, synchronous tutorials and virtual field trips to shared gaming spaces. Feedforward is explored through group assignment preparation and peer feedback. Finally, individual tutor feedback on assessed activities is given. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand the characteristics, terminology and categorisation of games, play and related psychological concepts.
- Critically evaluate a range of games and game environments through theoretical perspectives, direct experience and immersion.
- Evaluate and critically assess the relation between play, games and learning in formal and informal settings.
- Design, describe and evaluate your own original approach to game-informed or playful learning in your own educational context.
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Reading List
Indicative readings are:
Sicart, M. (2014). Play matters. MIT Press. Chapter 1: Play Is. pp.1-18
Juul, J. (2013). The art of failure : an essay on the pain of playing video games. Cambridge, Mass., MIT Press.
Whitton, N. (2022). Play and Learning in Adulthood: Reimagining Pedagogy and the Politics of Education. Springer Nature.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Games-based learning,Games-informed learning,Play,Psychology,Experiential learning |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Ms Clara O'Shea
Tel: (0131 6)51 6116
Email: clara.oshea@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Annemarijn Huizinga
Tel:
Email: ahuizing@ed.ac.uk |
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