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

Wednesday, May 19, 2021, 1:30pm via Zoom

Grace Axler-DiPerte, Facilitator

Participants:    Grace Axler-DiPerte (KCC BIO), Amy Haas (KCC BUS), Olga Kagan (SPS CUNY),

Alex Mulligan (KCC BIO), Mary Ortiz (KCC BIO)

Meeting began at 1:30pm.

1. Grace welcomed everyone.
2. Amy shared her experience at the TATYC (Teachers of Accounting in Two Year Colleges) Conference. She shared using escape rooms in accounting. One presenter (Leslie Van Wolvelear at Oakton in Des Plaines, IL) did the whole semester as an escape room.  Amy will meet with Leslie and subsequently share with us.  This was creative and keeps the class engaged all semester.  Grace asked Amy to invite her to our meetings in the Fall 2021 semester.
3. Amy also went to the meetings Joe Bisz had and shared her experience. The CUNY Games network has been hosting monthly to semi-monthly sessions. You can find out more about it at: https://games.commons.gc.cuny.edu/ .
4. Grace spoke about the CUNY Games network and what it is. We discussed the CUNY Games Conference.  It is held at different CUNY locations with different formats.  They do brain-storming sessions.
5. At the last meeting, Grace showed us how to set up an escape room.
6. Grace asked how any game or activity we tried this semester went.
   1. Alex spoke about switching the grading format to a 1000-point grading system for the semester (# points earned / # points graded).  With this new system, fewer students asked about grades.  It was like a game (“gotta get points”).  Alex asked how to handle extra credit points in BlackBoard.  Amy gave some pointers on how to do this.  Discussion followed.
   2. Amy shared keeping things easier the first week of the semester so as not to bombard the students. Give the basics.  Discussion followed.  Consistency is important.  Grace shared how she organizes materials.
   3. Amy and Grace shared Kahoot experiences. Grace said students do it over and over to beat her score.  This tricks them into studying the material.  We discussed putting in silly answers to make it fun.  Adding pictures also makes it fun.
   4. Alex emphasizes to students that assignments are studying.
   5. Grace had students select a fungus on iNaturalist and research it. Maybe will have students look for particular fungi next time for points in a Scavenger Hunt.
   6. Mary encourages her Biostatistics students to look at problems as puzzles to solve.
   7. We discussed “Two truths and a lie”.
7. Grace and Alex did Up Goer Five. We discussed it and Grace demonstrated using it.  With this game you must explain something technical without using technical language.  You use the 1,000 most common words in the English language.
8. Next meeting will be in Fall 2021. We are not sure yet of the format (online, in person).  Next semester we will ask Kathy to share Mad Libs.  Grace asked us to let her know what we would like to do next semester.
9. We discussed CUNY Games Network Academic Commons. Notes from the “openspace” during workshops and conferences provide a lot of resources, and one example can be found here.
10. Meeting ended at 2:30 pm.

Notes respectfully submitted by Mary Theresa Ortiz, KCC Bio

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

Wednesday, Apr 28, 2021, 1:30pm via Zoom

Grace Axler-DiPerte, Facilitator

Participants:    Grace Axler-DiPerte (KCC BIO), Olga Kagan (SPS CUNY), Lorraine LaPrade (KCC LIBR), Mary Ortiz (KCC BIO), Raluca Toscano (KCC Math)

Meeting began at 1:30pm.

1. Grace welcomed everyone.
2. Grace showed how an Escape Room works.
   1. She started with a demo slide show on How to Make an Escape Room.
   2. Start with a Google Slide (Bitmoji, Background, Instructions, Links). You can then post a link to Google Docs.
   3. With each step you can get a word and at the end get a key to unlock the door to escape. For example, “test” “always” “room” “your” becomes “Always test your room.”
   4. When you complete the room, you get “You’ve escaped”. The students can upload the photo of this to show they did it.
   5. Put the slides in viewform.
   6. The slides can give feedback.
   7. Discussion followed.
   8. You can search Google Images with selection for “Free to Use” for images.
3. Grace showed how to set up an Escape Room.
   1. For each Escape Room set up a folder on Google Drive with a Google Forms document and a Google Slides document.
   2. Use “edit” mode to create your slides.
   3. Grace went through her Virtual Gram Stain set up in Goggle Forms.
   4. Grace went through the anatomy of a single question. If students get the question wrong, you can tell them why, let them go back to do the question again.
   5. Make every question required so that they cannot skip ahead.
   6. Keep track of where the questions are.
   7. Use the “two bars” to add a section.
   8. The process of setting this up will take less time as you do it more (from about 5 hours the first time you do it, to 1.5 hours once you have done it several times).
   9. Grace used Google Chrome and showed how to set up a room 9need Google Forms and Google Slides).
   10. Instructions should include how to play the game.
   11. Share the game but do not let anyone edit it.
   12. Then put in an Escape Room slide. Insert the link.  Paste it.  Then test it.
   13. Next, write a branch decision pathway.
   14. Grace showed how to create a question. Multiple choice questions are easier to work with.  You can make and remove options.  Use “go to section” based on the answer.  Then do branching decisions.  Link sections to answers.  Grace showed how to make, do, and edit sections and make them required.  You can force making the right choice.  Discussion followed.
   15. Test every choice to see where it goes. Make sure it goes where you want it to.  Check to see it sends you back to correct sections.  Test it.  Use preview.
   16. Create a flowchart or map before you create the Escape Room to stay focused.
   17. Sections update automatically when you change/add a section.
   18. Grace went through a series of setting up questions with options/answers/links. Discussion took place.

4. Next meeting will be 5/19 /2021 at 1:30 pm on Zoom.  Grace will send out log in info.
5. Meeting ended at 2:30 pm.

Notes respectfully submitted by Mary Theresa Ortiz, KCC Bio

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

Wednesday, Mar 24, 2021, 1:40pm via Zoom

Grace Axler-DiPerte, Facilitator

Participants:    Grace Axler-DiPerte (KCC BIO), Joe Bisz (BMCC ENG), Christina Colon (KCC BIO), Amy Haas (KCC ENG), Lorraine LaPrade (KCC LIBR), Tom Lavazzi (KCC), Alex Mulligan (KCC BIO), Kathleen Offenholly (BMCC MAT), Mary Ortiz (KCC BIO),Michael Ortiz (KCC BEH)

Meeting began at 1:50pm.

1. Grace welcomed everyone.
2. Joe discussed having an event every two months; rapid ideas (variation on “What’s Your Game Plan?”). There will be an event next month on a theme.  Grace will put in a plug to the GBL group.
3. Grace shared experiences at the 2021 Gaming Conference.
4. Grace shared flippity.net . It has a Randomizer.  Grace walked us through this showed us how it works with a demo.  She also showed us a Randomizer she created for General Microbiology on bacterial growth and selective and differential media.  You create and can give students the link to spin the wheel. It is not hard to use.  It has a template that is easy to edit for customization.  This is free.  It has templates.  There is also a Flashcards feature (like the quiz show Jeopardy).  The Randomizer requires you to File, Publish to the Web, then Publish (must do this to get the link), then Get the Link to give to students.  Grace also demonstrated Manipulations in flippity.  This is nice because it is open ended, and you can change the background.  Students find it fun and engaging.  Amy shared how she could use this in Accounting.  Alex shared the possibility of using flippity for diseases in Microbiology with symptoms, drugs, etc.  Tom said we could use it for Concept Values in Marketing.  Grace mentioned there is a Memory Game on flippity that could be used for review.  Much discussion followed with Q&A.
5. Grace mentioned canva.com . It helps you design with a color palette and fonts.
6. Grace shared Google Jam Board with background, sticky notes and how to share it. She recommended making copies for students.
7. Alex had an idea to have students design a flier about a disease because many have stated they want to go into public health. Grace shared there are templates for pamphlets.  Students can use a template to create pamphlets so they can concentrate on the content.  They can download the file as a PDF or JPEG.
8. Christina shared that she plans to have the student do role playing in Ecology.
9. We discussed trying one new thing each semester to see if it works or not.
10. Alex discussed a “1000 point” grading system. It makes the whole class a game.
11. We discussed how to manipulate the Grade Center in BlackBoard (ex. hiding the weighted total).
12. At the next meeting Grace will share how to create an Escape Room.
13. Grace will send out the beginning of semester survey. Please fill it out and return.
14. Next meeting will be Wed, 4/28/2021 at 1:50pm on Zoom. Grace will set out log in info.
15. Meeting ended at 2:58pm.

Notes respectfully submitted by Mary Theresa Ortiz, KCC Bio