Assignment: Preparing for Pilot of Final Playtest

Due Tuesday, May 2

In class, plus GORP submission

At your final playtest, on May 4, you need to test your complete game , including any scaffolding.

That is, you need to test the game itself with any supporting material or activities, as described in the notes for April 25.

To prepare for this, you should have the game and supporting materials ready for in-class pilot testing on May 2. You must also post the supporting materials, with an accompanying analysis as described below, to GORP .

Exactly what you will prepare and submit depends on the nature of your game, as follows.

1. Self-contained game. For some of you, there may be a convincing argument that your game is playable without supporting instructions outside the online game itself, and that players are likely to attain your learning goal with no additional materials or activities needed. If this is the case, your final playtest will consist of asking students to play your game, WITHOUT INTERVENTION FROM YOU, followed by a brief interview in which you try to determine whether your learning goal has been achieved. You can also make observations of player actions as part of your determination. Therefore, this is what you will do in your pilot test on May 2. If you haven't already done so, you will post to GORP your argument that playing your game, with no supporting materials or activities, is sufficient for players to reach your learning goal. Include in your posting the interview questions you will use to probe whether the learning goal has been reached.

2. Game requiring supporting materials, but no teacher. If your game requires a worksheet or an instruction sheet that is not included online, prepare these and include them in your GORP submission. Bring printed copies for use during pilot testing in class May 2 (and for the final playtest). Your GORP submission will also include your analysis of these materials, in the form of an argument that these materials are adequate to ensure that most players will reach your learning goal, and the observation checklist and/or interview questions you will use to determine whether the learning goal has been reached.

3. Your final playtest will consist of asking students to play your game, WITHOUT INTERVENTION FROM YOU, apart from giving the students the supporting materials, followed by a brief interview in which you try to determine whether your learning goal has been achieved. You can also make observations of player actions as part of your determination. Therefore, this is what you will do in your pilot test on May 2.

4. Game requiring teacher intervention. If your game relies on a teacher to introduce the game, and perhaps set goals for the students that are not built into the game itself (for example, "try to find a best strategy for playing the game") you need to prepare teacher instructions and include these in your GORP submission. Your GORP submission will also include your analysis of these materials, in the form of an argument that these materials are adequate to ensure that most players will reach your learning goal, and the observation checklist and/or interview questions you will use to determine whether the learning goal has been reached.

5. In your pilot test, and in your final playtest, you will ask ANOTHER STUDENT to use your teacher materials. You will act as an observer, and one of your roles will be to judge, from watching the players and/or from a brief interview after they play, whether the learning goal has been achieved.

6. Game requiring discussion, competition, or other group activity among the players. Since there will not be large numbers of playtesters available, in class or in the final playtest, plan your group activity so that it can be carried out with 3 or 4 players. As for the case just mentioned, you need to prepare teacher instructions for this activity, and submit them to GORP , including an analysis and argument for their sufficiency, and the observation checklist and/or interview questions you will use to determine whether the learning goal has been reached. Also, as in that case, you will ask ANOTHER STUDENT to play the role of teacher during playtesting, while you act as observer.

Checklist for GORP Submission

1. Supporting materials, if applicable. => GORP: Teaching and Learning:Activities

2. Teacher instructions, if applicable. => GORP: Teaching and Learning:Activities

3. Argument that your game, with applicable supporting materials, is adequate to ensure that most players will attain your learning goal (if you have not already posted this analysis.) => GORP: Teaching and Learning:Activities

4. Observation checklist and interview questions to be used to determine whether your learning goal has been met. => GORP: Teaching and Learning:Learning Objectives (add as bullet list)