Low Tech Games for Teaching and Learning

Session Goals

• Play an orientation game for student nurses to familiarize them with their pediatric oncology rotation.
• Post mortem on actual play
• Discuss design considerations

Pediatric Oncology Game: The Rules

• Each table represents a key location in the pediatric oncology ward, and serves as the home base for some nursing students.
• Each table will also be competing for points.
• You’ll score one point for each task your table successfully completes. A task is completed when the appropriate Table Boss signs off on it.

More Rules

• The game ends when one table completes every task or when 30 minutes have elapsed.
• The team that has completed the most tasks wins!

The Table Boss

• One person at each table is the Boss, who is in charge of that location’s scoring.
• Each table: You have 10 seconds to choose someone to be the Boss. Go!
• Bosses, you have a scorecard that tells the correct answers for the tasks student nurses will bring to you. Sign task sheets.

The Table Character

• One person at each table is the Character, who represents a person on the ward student nurses need to know and is in charge of providing resources.
• Each table: You have 10 seconds to choose someone to be the Character. Go!
• Characters have an informational card about the real person on the ward you are portraying.
• Characters have cards and documents that you must give out if a student nurse requests them.

Bosses and Characters

• You guys are there for all the student nurses, including those on your own team.
• Bosses and Characters, stay at your table throughout the game unless told otherwise.
• Watch this screen for occasional surprises!

The Rest of You (Student Nurses)

• You are the ones who will move around the ward accomplishing tasks to earn points.
• Student nurses always travel in pairs. Bosses, anyone trying to accomplish a task without a partner is violating hospital rules.
• Other than traveling in pairs, be as creative as you like about accomplishing tasks.
• Be fast and efficient if you want to win! And watch the screen for surprises!

EXAMPLE

• Here's a sample task...

QUESTIONS?

• Do you know what you should be doing?

BEGIN

• You have 30 minutes. Maybe less!

BONUS POINT

• Jason wants to play, too! Bring him A TOY.
• First three teams only!
• Time is limited!

BONUS POINT

• Jason would like to meet A CELEBRITY.
• First three teams only!
• Time is limited!

BONUS POINT

• Jason would like to recycle -
• Bring him FIVE UNIQUE HANDOUTS.
• Time is limited!

GAME OVER DUDE

• Which table did the best?
• What factors resulted in success?
• Which tasks were the most difficult?

Pediatric Oncology Game: Design Parameters

• (For ILN) Table arrangement and cohorts
• (For UNC) Student anxiety
• (For UNC) Compressed orientation schedule

Pediatric Oncology Game: Design Concerns

• The play space
• The social space
• The learning space

Design Concerns: The Play Space

• Competition
• Currency

Design Concerns: The Play Space continued

• Relationships
• Speed, usability, physical constraints
• Limiting the possibility space and making it scale

Design Concerns: The Social Space

• Engagement and/or fun
• Discrete roles and the tyrrany of balance
• Group problem solving and emergent play

Design Concerns: The Social Space continued

• Clear win conditions...
• ...even if winning if fictive.
• Assume rules will be subverted, bent, broken - did you cheat?

Design Concerns: The Learning Space

• Themes, whimsy, fantasy, attention-getting
• Content delivery - discrete and social
• Experiential

Thanks!

• I'm jason_morningstar@unc.edu
• Tell me what you think!