By Renée Belhumeur, Isabelle Chartrand-Dubois, Thierry Djungu-Sungu et Chantal Picard,
Consortium d’apprentissage virtuel de l’Ontario (CAVLFO)
At the Consortium d’apprentissage virtuel de l’Ontario (CAVLFO), we’re passionate about making online learning stimulating, motivating, and interactive. We want students to gain a solid understanding of complex concepts and develop lifelong skills that empower them to succeed in today’s rapidly evolving world. So, how do we plan to achieve this ambitious goal? We ventured into the realm of video games, embracing gamification as an approach to enhance retention, problem-solving abilities, and overall knowledge acquisition, all while making the learning experience enjoyable and highly effective. Let’s dive in and explore how we plan to achieve this!
The CAVLFO, entrusted with the responsibility of developing and offering online courses to all French-speaking high school students in the province, has embarked on a groundbreaking initiative to integrate video games into select courses, starting with science, and social sciences. Guiding us on this quest is Jason Lepine, founder and CEO of XPGaming, who generously shared his expertise in game development. Jason Lepine has not only become our mentor, but also a key collaborator in bridging the gap between education and gaming. As we delve deeper into the world of gaming, we have discovered surprising similarities between the art of teaching and the world of gaming, emphasizing the importance of creativity, adaptability, and personalization, which are key elements in both domains.
To ensure success of this project, we are adhering to the gaming industry standards, including a rigorous validation and testing phase. In partnership with Affordance and Relish video games studios, CAVLFO will be visiting high schools across the province to gather valuable information from students. This feedback will include various facets of the games we are creating, ranging from gameplay and customization options to visual aesthetics and interactivity. Our ultimate objective is to implement games that not only make learning enjoyable but also foster profound comprehension of concepts and skill development.
We are just beginning this exhilarating adventure with our partners the Ontario Ministry of Education, XPGaming, participating schools, Affordance Studio and Relish Studios. We are confident that we can achieve the following goals in this new journey:
● Learning through gamification
● Capturing student voice in validation
● Introducing students to the video game industry
Curious about the gamification of education? Don’t miss out on Engaged Learning magazine issue, focusing on integrating game elements into elementary and secondary teaching to enhance motivation and, consequently, learning. Explore the innovative strategies that are reshaping classrooms and making education an engaging adventure! Available in digital and print version.
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