Video games are no longer just an excuse to skip class, sit in front of the TV and beat a high score. Across the country, college professors are engaging their students by incorporating video games and augmented reality into the classroom. Here’s a look at how universities are implementing gaming into their curriculum:

1. Northern Illinois University- Professor of engineering Brianno Coller invented a video game where students must complete the necessary formulas and algorithms to successfully maneuver a video game car around an oval track. Coller’s educational technology has been deeply incorporated into the curriculum in two engineering classes and is used for regular homework assignments, and even the final exam.
2. University of New Mexico- Assitant professors Christopher Holden and Julie M. Sykes created Mentira, an augmented reality game used in Spanish classes at the University of New Mexico. Students play the game to enhance their conversational skills by solving a fictional murder mystery. Students are equipped with university-provided iPod Touches and travel to Los Griegos, a nearby Albuquerque neighborhood to begin their detective work. When they enter their location into the wireless handheld devices, they find a clue or a virtual character who converses with them in Spanish about a suspect.
3. Saint Norbert College- Professor Paul Waelchli of Wisconsin’s Saint Norbert College has integrated video games into his coursework to study the correlation between gaming behaviors and learning behaviors. Waelchli plans his lessons to incorporate group work centered on video games and the strategies included in such games. The games featured vary over a wide spectrum of options; sports-based games cover topics like franchise management and data construction, while Grand Theft Auto helps with problem solving and critical thinking.
4. MIT- The MIT Scheller Teacher Education Program has been working with augmented reality technology to engage people in simulation games. Players use handheld computers that set them in real-world locations to collect simulated field data, interview virtual characters, and collaborate to investigate artificial scenarios. These games encompass a variety of subjects; for example, Mystery at MIT is a game about environmental health and Timelab is a game based on the local impact of climate change. This new educational technology creates fun and effective location-based learning games.

It’s clear that video games, a long time favorite of college students, are developing into great, engaging academic tool. With the continued support from professors and universities, it looks as if the future of gaming, augmented reality and new media as an educational resource will be further integrated into the traditional learning environment.