Game Based Learning (GBL) Faculty Interest Group (FIG) – Notes from Meeting

Friday, Apr 24, 2020, 1pm, Virtually using Zoom

Grace Axler-DiPerte, Facilitator

 Participants:    Grace Axler-DiPerte (BIO), Christina Colon (BIO), Eric Conte, Tyronne Johnson,

Elizabeth Mulligan (BIO), Liljia Nielsen (BIO), Kathleen Offenholley (BMCC), Mary Ortiz (BIO), Raluca Tuscano

Meeting began at 1:02pm.

1. Grace welcomed everyone.
2. Last time we spoke about using PPTs and Discussion Boards.
3. Grace tried Kathleen’s idea in the Chat Forum using 123 Go to answer questions. It really helped things seem real.  All the students answered at once.  It gave them all a chance to answer, and it was easy to do.  Beth tried 123 Go also.
4. Christina will give students a task in Ecology using a phone app that has them inventory all nature in their environment. It’s competitive.  For example, they can report a flower pattern on their bedspread or plant patterns on the floor.  Christina asked for input on how she can give rewards.  Grace mentioned that you could give certificates on Blackboard (ex. HMS Beagle Award).  Another suggestion was that maybe if a student finds 6 things, they get to choose the funny hat the professor wears to the next session.  Beth mentioned she gives stickers out if a student scores ≥80 on a quiz.  The students really like little things like this.  You can also set up badges on Blackboard.  The students love it.  Liljia uses smiley faces – it was incentivizing.  Christina mentioned a citizen science app.
5. Grace mentioned the Badgr website.  Mozilla had a badge backpack.  Awards could be for the most items found, the most creative, etc.  Beth asked Christina to clarify her assignment.  Christina explained the students could go into their veggie bin in the fridge, look out the window, mention their cat, etc.  The NY Botanical Gardens has a virtual tour.  Maybe the students can do a scavenger hunt on line.  Mary suggested asking the students to identify plants in stuff around the house.
6. Grace talked about giving riddles to her students. (Ex. I am a conifer that…)
7. Eric asked if other departments are using synchronous learning and/or discussion boards. Beth and Liljia are using asynchronous, and Liljia is also using discussion board. Beth records lectures on Blackboard (1 hour limit).  Christina records in Blackboard Ultra and gives the option to give oral reports.  Grace does trivia questions.  Many of Beth’s students don’t use cameras.
8. Tyronne shared it’s hard to get feedback from students. We discussed issues with getting student feedback online.  All students answering at once is a problem.
9. Grace uses Kahoot.
10. Kathleen has been doing online synchronous learning. She also has 5-minute videos and prefers Flex.  She uses Venn Diagrams (ex. wear glasses, long hair) to let students tell her where they are in the Venn Diagram.  Grace – if things are more personal, the students get more involved, and thinks the Venn Diagrams are a great idea.  Discussion took place on this.
11. Christina shared she does GBL without realizing it. She uses a trophic pyramid and asks students where they are on it.  This uses role-playing.  Grace shared she used role-playing, too.  For example, “You’re the ultimate pathogen”.  Christina also uses 20-questions, and Grace asked how you can personalize that.
12. Eric mentioned Big Wind Blows and that it works well in Behavioral classes. Discussion followed.
13. Beth and Grace discussed Kahoot. Beth will try it next week with her Anatomy students.  There is a picture bank with types of tissues (ex. epithelial), and it is easy to set up.  Grace uses the picture bank to also give silly clues (ex. for Western Blot, she uses a cowboy with a hat for the word, western).  Christina said there are data to back up use of humor and tries to incorporate it into here lessons.  Find the “weirdest”…it’s fun, personal, and allows for critical thinking.  Another ex. Find the freakiest parasite.  Grace will ask the students to look for the freakiest protest next week.  Beth mentioned using blue-footed boobies dancing for blue hospital booties – the students remember this.  Tyronne expressed he was glad he joined the meeting for the ideas presented.  Discussion followed.
14. Kahoot premium is free right now. Sign up via a college account.  Eric said he used Kahoot as a result of learning about it in the GBL FIG.  Kathleen said she would try using Kahoot.  Grace offered to help anyone with Kahoot.
15. Grace used some PPT slides to share: Boards, PPTs, How to Make Discussion Boards More Engaging. (inspired by Joe Bisz’s Complex Mechanic Game Cards) She shared several examples:
    1. Which literary character would want this informatin?
       1. Garlic toxic level
       2. Blood type diet
       3. John Harker” Real Estate

Ans: Dracula

1. Which pathogen’s bookshelf is this?
   1. Have students make up riddles and guess each other’s riddle.
2. Two truths and one lie
3. Spot the fake headline
   1. Make up your own headlines
   2. Which is more credible?
   3. Which is more attention getting?

1. FACTITIOUS game
   1. Spot the fake news by looking at sources and the way the article is written
   2. Which is real and which is false?

Discussion followed.

15. Beth gives her Microbio students a conspiracy theory and they have to debunk it. Origin of HIV…where, how, when?  You can post this in discussion board and ask a question or ask them to create a hypothesis.  Discussion followed.
16. Grace mentioned in microbiology about old and new classifications for taxonomy. Discussion followed on how to deal with this in class.
17. Grace thanked us for coming and said that we will have one more meeting this semester in May. She asked that we “try something new” or come with ideas.  Grace will send out a Doodle for our next meeting on Zoom at the end of April 2020.

Meeting ended at 2:13pm.

Notes respectfully submitted by Mary Theresa Ortiz, KCC Bio

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