Video Games as Culminating Tools?

January 22, 2018

Every Additional Qualification course I've ever taken has always talked about giving choice in assessment.  Recently, I completed a Special Education AQ, and this was emphasized with respect to accommodating and modifying for exceptionalities.  Our Geography Culminating project was a perfect example of why giving choice in assessment is so important.

As I've been working on Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) in my classes, the culminating revolved around these concepts.  I don't think I realized how engaging some students saw AR and VR. Students had to create a sustainable and liveable community using Google Slides with links, SimCity, Minecraft, or creating a model with QR codes.  One student in particular stands out.

This specific student hadn't been particularly engaged for most of the semester, but he got very excited when learning that he could use his favourite video game, SimCity, to demonstrate his understanding.  He created an incredible community which was well thought-out in terms allocation, development, management, and sustainability of resources. He explained his use of industry, commercial, and residential location in his model and discussed his plans to deal with urban sprawl.  Furthermore, he made connections with the social, political, and economic impacts of his sustainable community model. By giving him a choice which he found engaging, this student was committed to the project and able to demonstrate his thinking in a way that I don't believe he would've otherwise.