2. Overview
• What is an Epistemic Game
• What is an Epistemic Frame
• Assessing Learning in the 21st Century
• Epistemic Games and Resources
3. What is an Epistemic Game?
• “Authentic Professionalism”
• “Explicit instructions to specific contexts and
situations”
• Include Communities of Practice, reflective
practice, and epistemic frames
Source: Shaffer, D.W. (2004). Epistemic games. Innovate.
4. What is an Epistemic Frame?
• Includes targeted community’s
practice, identity, interest, understanding, and
epistemology
• Different communities have different
epistemic frames
• Must embody the targeted affinity group
Source: Shaffer, D.W. (2004). Epistemic games. Innovate.
5. Affinity Group
• “A group of people associated with a given
semiotic domain” (p. 27)
• Examples: Lawyers, Educators, Gamers, WoW
players, Olympians,
• Can be large or small
Source: Gee, J.P., (2007). What video games have to teach us
about learning and literacy. Palgrave McMillan, NY.
6. Cross Functional Team
• Gee video:
– Each person must have deep expertise in one skill
set, but understand the big picture. They retain
expertise but must integrate with the other
different skill sets to be successful.
– http://spotlight.macfound.org/blog/entry/jim-
gee-on-the-use-of-video-games-for-learning-
about-learning/
8. Assessing Learning in the 21st Century
• Epistemic Games change the focus of
assessment to mastery of:
– Skills
– Knowledge
– Identity
– Values
– i.e. the Epistemic Frame
Source: Shaffer, D.W., (Paris juin 2011) Epistemic Games. at
http://www.slideshare.net/thomasconstant/david-williamson-shaffer-epistemic-
games-paris-juin-2011
9. Assessing Learning in the 21st Century
• How well does the student’s performance
match the community of practice?
• How well does the student role play their
chosen profession? (Levasseur 2012)
• Qualitative v. Quantitative Variables
Source: Levasseur, A. (February 6, 2012). Epistemic games are the future of learning, letting
students role –play professions. Retrieved at:
http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2012/02/epistemic-games-are-the-future-of-learning-
letting-students-role-play-professions037.html
10. Assessing Learning in the 21st Century
• Assessment might also include:
– Performance in Cross Functional Group (Leadership?)
– Performance in Affinity Spaces (Game, guild
site, forums, etc.)
– Depth and Duration of Immersion
– Reflection of Experience
– Level of Change in Post Experience Activities
– Justification of Actions / Decisions
– Others
12. Epistemic Games and Resources
• American Institute for Certified Public
Accountants – only students have access
• http://www.startheregoplaces.com/
– Need to create a student account
• Scroll to the bottom and click on simulations
• Create your faux student profile make sure you click
Community College instead of high school and use 2012
as your anticipated graduation date.
13.
14. Epistemic Games and Resources
• World of Warcraft
– Cross Functional Teams – Dungeons and Raids
– Epistemic Entrepreneurship – Crafting and Auction
House
17. Simulation
the ability to interpret and construct
dynamic models of real-world
processes
Ludic Fallacy
18. New Media Literacies
• Play — the capacity to experiment with one’s surroundings as a form of problem-solving
• Performance — the ability to adopt alternative identities for the purpose of improvisation
and discovery
• Simulation — the ability to interpret and construct dynamic models of real-world
Processes
• Appropriation — the ability to meaningfully sample and remix media content
• Multitasking — the ability to scan one’s environment and shift focus as needed to salient
details.
• Distributed Cognition — the ability to interact meaningfully with tools that expand
mental capacities
19. New Media Literacies
• Collective Intelligence — the ability to pool knowledge and compare notes
with others toward a common goal
• Judgment — the ability to evaluate the reliability and credibility of
different information sources
• Transmedia Navigation — the ability to follow the flow of stories and
information across multiple modalities
• Networking — the ability to search for, synthesize, and disseminate
information
• Negotiation — the ability to travel across diverse communities, discerning
and respecting multiple perspectives, and grasping and following
alternative norms.
20. Events This Week
• WED 7 pm MST (Denver) TweetChat
#gamemooc
• THU 7 pm MST/ 6 pm SLT
Beverly G. MacArthur – Human Mosaic
• SAT 9 am MST/8 am SLT
Intro to Machinima
