ABSTRACT
In their first year at university in Canada, students are likely to experience large lecture style classes where the instructor stands at the front of the room and gives a talk about a particular topic relevant to the learning outcomes of the course. While students in these lectures may complete various in-class activities or participate in small group discussions, they are unlikely to get significant opportunities to communicate with their peers. From a pedagogical perspective, it has been suggested that a lecture style approach promotes passive learning, which is not always ideal for student engagement or empowerment. Further, students often find lectures ‘boring’ and have difficulty maintaining focus for several hours. In an attempt to encourage communication, stimulate learning, and provide an entertaining environment for students, a course was constructed that used board games as tools for learning. In three different weeks, a board game was used to ‘teach’ a particular course concept, specifically intercultural negotiation, cross-cultural business, and cultural wellness. The rationale for this study was to determine whether students could apply what they had learned in the games to the theories from the course textbook. An assessment was created consisting of multiple choice and short answer questions to determine the impact of the games on students’ understanding. Findings from the study suggest that students were able to draw connections between the game outcomes and the course content, indicating that using board games in the classroom was not only enjoyable but a sound pedagogical strategy. Completion of this study adds additional evidence to the body of literature that suggests that game based learning can offer benefit in the university setting.
KEYWORDS
Game Based Learning, Assessment, ELL Students, Higher Education