With many employees "working from home" during the pandemic, professional development programs are being challenged to create meaningful and engaging opportunities for adult learners, despite the physical distance.
This session explores an online pilot course in leadership and soft skill development using Dungeons and Dragons, a popular role-playing game (RPG) to engage adult professional learners. By using an RPG as a foundational context, this course offers an innovative educational experience and engages participants to apply the knowledge and skills they have gained in a meaningful context.
The pilot used both game-based learning and gamification as a foundation. This methodology focuses on motivating learners to develop new skill sets, change behaviors, or drive innovation via tangential and experiential learning through interaction with other "players" in a familiar RPG game context. When applied effectively, gamification offers a substantial opportunity to develop new and original professional development programs while keeping learners motivated and engaged.
Upon the completion of the session, attendees will be able to: - Identity the differences between Gamification, Games-Based Learning, and Game-Inspired Design. - Explain how educational gamification can engage and motivate adult professional learners - Determine what types of game design and/or game elements could be used within professional development programs.
