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.

Tweeting, posting, streaming, chatting, and digging--social media has become a part of our everyday lives, including our academic experiences. Two weeks ago, we highlighted the eSchool News article “Class in 140 Characters or Less” describing the presence of social media in the classroom.  Given the impact social media has on our lives…we thought this topic deserved an additional post.

As pointed it out in “Class in 140 Characters or Less”, the rapid decline of student engagement in academia is forcing teachers and universities alike to take the initiative to engage their students through social media. Whether it is tweeting or blogging, here is how some universities are benefiting from the newest teacher’s aide:

1. University Of Texas: One of the biggest advocates for social media in the classroom is University of Texas at Dallas. To smash classroom shyness, Dr. Monica Rankin decided to use an alternative route for student discussion; Twitter. Nicknamed the “Twitter Experiment,” Dr. Rankin allowed students to tweet questions or responses via laptop or cell phone to increase class participation.
2. Purdue University: Purdue University has used a similar method to the “Twitter Experiment” by allowing its students to Tweet questions specific to the classroom lecture and has see an increase in student engagement.
3. Miami University: Miami University is utilizing social media in the classroom by having its journalism students use methods such as tweeting, blogging to gather research on current events or class experiences.
4. Northwestern University: Journalism students at Northwestern students have created the “newsmixer” which pulls stories from local, national and global news from a variety of stories. Students then take these stories and use Facebook as collaboration technique to discuss stories with peers.
5. City University of New York: Journalism students at the City University of New York are deepening their engagement with classroom concepts by actively using Twitter and blogs to discuss course concepts.

I also had the chance to speak with Kathleen Ryan, Associate Professor at Miami University as well as Bridget Fogarty, a senior at Miami University and here is what they had to say about social media in higher education:

“Throughout their journalism courses, students’ blog about their classroom experiences and activities; Teachers are able to see direct feedback and track class participation through student blogging.  Journalism students can use their multimedia skills through Facebook and Twitter to update their story progress and collect research on current events to report and write news stories.” says Kathleen Ryan, Associate Professor at Miami University.

“Blogging is a really great way for students to engage in a classroom. It is hard for everyone to talk during class discussions yet so much of our grade depends on participation,  It really is great because teachers know what I think on an issue and I didn’t have to raise my hand.” says Bridget Fogarty, Miami University senior.

Despite the many benefits of Social Media in academia, academics are still grappling with the usability of this medium for educational purposes.

“There is a challenge for professors to have a comfort level with new media technology,” states Ryan. “We have to be “early adapters” so to speak, not being afraid to experiment with the various new social networking platforms.”

Ryan’s remark along with, a CDW-G survey cited by eSchool News that states only 14 percent of instructors believe there is educational value in using social networking sites highlight an important issue- It seems that the future of social media in the classroom will not reach its fullest potential until we can bridge the divide between new media and traditional academia.