The “serious” video game Innov8 introduced by IBM is an educational game to help students and young professionals develop information technology and business skills, and over 30 universities have already incorporated it into their programs.
IBM created Innov8 after determining that education and a shortage of qualified applicants would be the issues that would have the greatest impact on their own business in future years.
Although Fairfield is not yet one of the universities to employ this technology, professors are continually looking for ways to engage students.
Fairfield professor of information systems and operations management Vishnu Vinekar said he has not had a chance to play the game yet but has used other activities in class to get students involved. He has not tried video games because he has not yet found one that is “conducive to teaching and conducive to learning.”
Vinekar said the activities he generally has students participate in make them “better able to grasp concepts. Innov8 is an excellent idea and since it is free, I would give it a try at least once.”
The 3-D educational game is a business simulator, according to the IBM Web site. IBM representatives said in a press release that this type of serious gaming has emerged as a successful way to train employees and help them develop certain skills in the business world.
“IBM has established itself as a pioneer in serious gaming by enabling universities to educate students using the gaming medium they understand, enjoy and embrace,” said David Rejeski, director of the Serious Games Initiative housed at Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., in a press release.
Students agree that these “games” are a good way to get the class involved and keep them interested.
Christine Dunkley ’09 said, “I think that a lot of people enjoy playing games, especially guys, and if you can incorporate something you like into class, it is a very productive way of learning. I think an interactive game would be a good change from a boring lecture or slide show.”
Students have also recognized that professors at Fairfield do already use techniques that allow students to actively participate in learning.
“We do simulations of trading stocks and bonds on a program called Reuters, and it is our whole class competing to see who can make the most money,” said Dunkley.
The Innov8 game uses simulations that have the look and feel of a game but correspond to non-game events or processes.
According to the Apply Group, a video game marketing consulting firm, by the year 2012, between 100 and 135 of the Global Fortune 500 companies will have adopted gaming for learning, and the United States, United Kingdom and Germany are leading the way.
Information systems and operations management professor Winston Tellis agreed that teachers have already taken up activities in classes at Fairfield to engage students.
“You tell students something, they do the game where they are actively involved, and they think, ‘Look at what I came up with,’ and it changes the picture. Retention is increased when they are involved,” said Tellis.
Thomas Lugo ’09 agreed.
“Students often have an easier time understanding a topic that is more hands-on and enjoyable,” he said.
When looking at games such as Innov8 and determining whether they will be productive in the classroom, professors agreed that content is the most important factor and must be looked at despite the attractive nature of the game.
Tellis said they are forced to ask, “Is it entertainment or education factor? We have to draw the line.”
IBM said that MBA programs are often based on projects that reflect teams’ need to interact in the real world. Innov8 allows students to step into a real, dynamic business environment.
This aspect was appealing to some students.
“It’s got to be beneficial. It is an extra advantage for students,” said Nick Gliozzo ’10.
Although he has not yet used the game, Gliozzo said he believes it would “give its users a way to have some sort of insight into what a business would be like prior to working there.”
Lugo agreed: “It probably wouldn’t be a game I would play for fun. However, it seems like a valuable tool to look at real world projects within companies and how they would go about solving them, a change from the normal textbook problem.”
Thousands of universities now have access to IBM’s “serious game” Innov8, which is available to them for free.
Although Fairfield has no definite plans of incorporating Innov8 into its programs, it is something the University may look into. Fairfield always “wants to excite the process of critical thinking,” said Tellis.
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