Eric Sanchez

Classcraft: from gamification to ludicization of classroom management

In this article, we discuss the concept of gamification, based on a literature review and preliminary feedback from teachers using Classcraft, a role-playing game supported by a digital platform and a mobile application that were developed to answer high school teachers’ classroom management needs. Our results come from two experiments in France and Quebec and also from an online survey that was made available on the Classcraft platform. These results promote a model of gamification that consists of considering the experience of the students, rather than the game itself, and they confirm that a game is consubstantial to its player. Therefore, we argue for the use of the term “ludicization” to emphasize that transforming a situation into a game does not consist of using elements that have a game-like aspect, but rather of a non-essentialistic vision of play, generating a metaphor around the situation to build a reflexive space where the nature and meaning of interactions are modified.

Competition and Collaboration for Game-Based Learning: A Case Study

This chapter is dedicated to discuss how competition and collaboration for playing have an impact on the learner’s strategy and the learning process. We examine what kind of effects can be expected when competition and collaboration are used as instructional techniques. This is done through a discussion about how these concepts are defined and through a brief overview of the literature dedicated to competition and collaboration in game-based learning contexts. We also discuss the results obtained with an empirical study carried out with Tamagocours, an online multiplayer Tamagotchi-like game dedicated to teach preservice teachers how to follow the legal rules that should be applied for the use of digital resources in educational contexts. In this chapter, we consider that playing encompasses two dimensions: an individual and conflictual play with an antagonist system and a collaborative play which is based on cooperation with the game (to accept to play) and/or with teammates. Game-based learning is thus coopetitive and results from conflictual interactions and epistemic interactions when players collaborate.

Toward a Play Management System for Play-Based Learning

This position paper is dedicated to describing a preliminary model of an integrated system, called Play Management System (PMS). PMS is designed to support both players and teachers to deliver, use, manage and track play situations. This PMS model results from a design-based research methodology. Our approach focuses on (1) the learners and the situation that emerges when they play the game, rather than the system dedicated to play and (2) the teachers who want to manage a game-based learning situation. Thus, we argue for a shift from a game-based to a play-based perspective. 1 Introduction Within a context marked by the development of alternative pedagogies, this position paper aims to describe a model of an integrated system, called Play Management System (PMS), dedicated to support players and teachers to deliver, use, manage and track play situations. The purpose of this article is to propose an innovative approach for implementing a play-based learning approach by (1) focusing on the learners and taking into consideration the situation that emerges when they play rather than the artifact dedicated to play (play vs game) and (2) focusing on the teachers who want to implement and manage a play-based learning situation in their classroom (play management vs game design). Thus, we address the issue of teachers requirements for the orchestration of a play situation within an educational context. In the first section of this paper, we advocate for a player-centered approach for game-based learning. The second section presents a game developed during the project and the design-based research methodology adopted for designing this game. The third section describes

Exploring Competition and Collaboration Behaviors in Game-Based Learning with Playing Analytics

This paper draws on an empirical work dedicated to understand how the interplay between competition and collaboration influences play-based learning. We analyze the strategies performed by 242 pre-service teachers trained with Tamagocours, an online multiplayer tamagochi-like game. The study is based on the collection, analysis and reporting of data about players (playing analytics). The factorial analysis shows different classes of players. These classes differ in terms of how students perform competition and collaboration. The results also show the evolution of the player’s strategies. We conclude on the need for a shift from a game-based to a play-based perspective for conducting research into the use of games for educational purposes.

Social Engagement in a Digital Role-Playing Game Dedicated to Classroom Management

Classcraft is a role-playing game for classroom management in high schools. Teachers can create teams and assign an avatar to students, as well as points and ‘powers’ as rewards for desired behavior. Classcraft aims to foster players’ social engagement. We conducted a preliminary study on classrooms from Switzerland. The objective aims to characterize the social component of players’ engagement. Our approach is based on the identification of engaged-behaviors. This work is grounded on the idea that players’ engagement encompasses four components (environmental, social, self-component and action). We developed a methodology based on playing analytics to monitor players’ behavior. The detection of socially engaged-behaviors is based on the collection and analysis of players’ digital interactions with kTBS4LA, a playing analytics tools. Different categories of players emerged in terms of social engagement. The data collected shows that social engagement varies across time, classroom or gender. This variation seems linked both to specific game features.

A praxeological perspective for the design and implementation of a digital role-play game

This paper draws on an empirical work dedicated to discussing a theoretical model for design-based research. The context of our study is a research project for the design, the implementation and the analysis of Insectophagia, a digital role-play game implemented in secondary schools. The model presented in this paper aims at conceptualizing researchers’ and practitioners’ relationships with the notion that knowledge development takes place at a meta-didactical level when the participants develop a shared practice and a shared discourse on practice (a common praxeology). This is done through collaboration and teacher-centered design of innovative learning settings. This model emerges from a double approach: (1) a literature review on collaborative research in education and, (2) an analysis of the verbal interactions of practitioners and researchers involved in the project. The study emphasizes the development of knowledge among participants. It also emphasizes the importance of knowledge brokering for filling the gap between research and practice and thus, for the adoption of digital technology by practitioners.