New Design Lab Will Develop Games to Engage Students, Measure Learning
New Design Lab Will Develop Games to Engage Students, Measure Learning
The Institute of Play, a nonprofit video game, learning, and research organization, has announced the establishment of the Games, Learning, and Assessment Lab (GLASS Lab), which will research and develop innovative video games that engage students and evaluate their attainment of core skills deemed critical for college and career readiness.
With $10.3 million in funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur and Bill & Melinda Gates foundations and additional support from Electronic Arts and the Entertainment Software Association, GLASS Lab aims to integrate state-led content standards and measure student learning by modifying popular video game titles as well as creating original mini-games, which will be made available to middle and high school students, school districts, and families at little or no cost.
Announced at the Aspen Ideas Festival last Thursday, the project is based on the idea that video games and simulations can validate learning and provide ongoing feedback to teachers and parents on students' progress toward set goals. GLASS Lab also will research the effectiveness of digital games with a strong simulation component as learning environments; the efficacy of game-based assessments in terms of capturing learning in environments where it occurs; and the ability of game-based assessments to provide valid, reliable measures.
"We need projects that will work with students and speak to them in their native language — digital media," said Robert Torres, a senior program officer at the Gates Foundation. "Through game-based learning, students will be challenged, and teachers and parents can get real-time feedback on student progress."
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