1. The ‘Ecology of Implementation’ for
Immersive Games in Teacher Education:
Practices to support Integration for Impact
ANNA ARICI, SASHA BARAB, LEE MCILROY & ADAM INGRAM-GOBLE
CENTER FOR GAMES & IMPACT
MARY LOU FULTON TEACHERS COLLEGE
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY

2. www.quest2teach.org
Quest2Teach is a series of 3D game-infused teacher education curricula and
a socio-professional network, to immerse learners in help bridge between
educational theory and practice.

3. Learning scientists, Designers, Innovators
Game designers, publishers
Donors, domain experts, educators, faculty
Multi-Stakeholder
Collaboration

4. • Based in Dewey, Piaget & Vygotsky, and supported by modern
learning scientists
• ‘Learning by doing’ isn’t new, but technology is giving educators
around the world unprecedented access and avenues to engage
their students’ in meaningful ways.
“a communicative action or
activity involving two
parties or things that
reciprocally affect or
influence each other—
changing both.”
Transactive Learning
John Dewey

5. Videogames as 21st Century Curricula
Videogames as a learning context offer ….
• entire worlds in which learners are central,
important, active participants;
• a place where the actions one takes has a
significant impact on the world;
• and a place in which what you know is directly
related to what you are able to do and,
ultimately, who you become.

6. Transformational Play
an experiential state that involves:
(a) projection into the role of a character who,
(b) is recruited into a partly fantastical problematic
context,
(c) must apply conceptual understandings,
(d) to transform the context,
(e) and, ultimately, oneself.
It involves positioning …
• Person With Intentionality
• Content With Legitimacy
• Context With Consequentiality
(Barab, Gresalfi, & Arici, 2009
Barab, Gresalfi, & Ingram-Goble, 2010)

7. Dance of Agency
“invitation as contract”

8. Games for Impact – Meta Research
Serious games have been found to be more
effective for learning than conventional
instruction methods, especially
• when the game was supplemented with other
instruction methods,
• when multiple facilitator training sessions
were involved,
• when players worked in groups, and
• when game structures were designed with a good
match between the game mechanics and the
learning goals.

9. Games for Learning aren’t software, they’re curricula …
Or, Tech-Enabled Services
• Lean Startup Movement
– Agile Development
– Iterative Release Cycles (DBIR)
– Product Development  Customer Development
• Customer/learner as Consumers Producers
– Who we are  What you can be
• Minecraft- Not what Mojang developed, but what the players developed with their software.
• NIKE - Shoes and other Products -> How Customers use our products.
• INTEL – Tagline was “Intel Inside”, New - “We make amazing experiences”
Quite a different focus for a chip company.
• Raises a very new question: Where does the fidelity lie?

10. Atlantis Remixed: Mystery of the Taiga River

11. In-Game Tools: Taiga
• Game technologies allow us to
provide simulations and play out
future outcomes, based on the
current water quality indicators
• Field Notebook tracks their data
collection, interviews, water samples, etc
• The Logic model collects their evidence
into chains of scientific inquiry, to see
which theories are supported by data.

12. The Mystery of the Taiga River

13. Taiga Comparison Study
• 2 week Science Unit in
Quest Atlantis
• Game condition vs
Traditional Class
• Same Teacher for all
classes/condition
• Equivalent curriculum &
tasks, both inquiry-
based
• Context and role (active
vs passive) differed
A B C
Turbidity 6 27 22
Dissolved
Oxygen
5.5 4.5 4.0
Temperatur
e
17.5 22.5 22.0
Nitrates 3.15 0.96 2.08
Phosphate
s
3.6 1.7 3.1
pH 6.6 7.0 7.3

14. Teacher’s Prediction:
Which group do you think learned more?
“It depends on how you measure learning. I think that if
you look at ‘facts’ and being able to take a multiple
choice test, I think the traditional classroom kids will
score a little better.
In terms of learning things like social commitments, being
able to understand the relationship between actions
and consequences, real science, those kind of things,
the QA kids would have a higher score.

15. Comparison Study Results
Quest Trad QA
Interested in Task 4 42
To get a good grade 52 24
Teacher told me to 22 5
Quest Trad QA
Extra Credit 3 39
No Extra Credit 52 13
Percentage 4% 74%
Learning Gains:
[F(1,115) = 6.53, p < .01]
Delayed Posttest:
[F(2,88) = 14.78, p < .001].

16. Results: Role of the Teacher
• The teacher did not scaffold the QA classes to the extent of
his Traditional classes.
0:00:00
12:00:00
24:00:00
36:00:00
48:00:00
60:00:00
Day 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
MinutesofTeacher
GuidanceinClass
Day of Unit
Amount of Teacher Guidance & Structuring:
Time Spent on Introduction, Framing, & Closure of Material
QA
Traditional

17. Teacher Dashboard

18. In Quest2Teach, students create a professional avatar, play out roles, solve
complex problems, fail safely, and see the impact of their decisions while
gaining fluency in theories-in-action. Pre-service teachers evolve their
professional identity in a variety of narrative-based 3D role-playing
scenarios, each with a particular theoretical focus, and embedded within a
larger experience-based curricula and network.

19. Awards and Accolades
• The Joan Ganz Cooney Center (Sesame Workshop) chose
Quest2Teach as the first in their documentary series of the
Top 5 innovations in Teacher Education.
• Presidential Award for Innovation at ASU
• Top 3 at Games Learning Society’s International game
competition
• Documentary on the Games & Learning website
• Featured innovation at New Media Consortium
• Featured curriculum at Institute of Play
• Featured curriculum at Game.Play.Learn.

22. Protagonist in a nuanced
and authentic Narrative

23. ‘Diving into Data’ game: 3DM
• slide 7
• 20 seconds

24. • In-game tools
help learners
interrogate
and interpret
the scenarios
and theories
• No single ‘correct’
game interpretation
• Players can flag and
question the game
scores
• Means for deeper
discussion of the
theories

26. Small “g” games
Our ‘video games’; self-contained and
completeable; optimized to engage learners in a
particular educational theory in a safe, simulated
and structured environment.
An open-ended, flexible ‘meta-game’ structure
and affinity spaces that foster locally-driven
extensions and adaptations in support of real-
world goals and outcomes.
• Data and Analytics Dashboard
• Social Communities/Affinity Spaces/Network
• Learning trajectories and gamification layers
• Smart/Modding Tools
Big “G” game
(A distinction from CGI co-founder Jim Gee)

27. Q2T Socio-Professional Network

28. Network Reflection
• Write your Post
• Pay it forward with Props

29. Matriculation: New Students Enter the
‘Nexus’ 3D Hub

30. Curricula for Each Game

31. Teacher Toolkit & Dashboard

32. Quest2Teach International Network
for Pre-Service Teachers
Mary Lou Fulton
Teachers College, ASU,
Arizona
Dublin City University,
Ireland
University College
Copenhagen,
Denmark
University of Bari,
Foggia, Italy
The Joan Kanz
Cooney Center,
NYC

33. DBIR Research Cycles
• A series of multiple Design-Based Implementation Research (DBIR)
cycles over 4 semesters
• Three Q2T games and the network were engaged by faculty and over
800 pre-service teachers in intact classrooms.
• Research cycles alternated with design cycles, with the research
findings informing the design iterations, as well as the ecology of
implementation.
• Our results over the 4 semesters consistently showed significant
pre/post learning gains on targeted concepts.

34. From Outputs to Outcomes
• Our goal in this work, however, is to shift from
targeted outcome scores to larger identity shifts
and transfer of ideas from theory to practice.
• To get these kinds of outcomes we have found
the Ecology of Implementation is essential.

35. Demographic Findings
Our Teachers College demographic data showed:
• Most common use of computers was for
homework or social networks.
• Only 9% reported that they played video games
1-5 hours/week. (Compared with 70%
nationally, across all majors)
• Only 5% described themselves as a ‘gamer’
Digital natives are Not always Gamers
N= ~800 pre-service undergraduate students

36. Positive Results
• In addition to learning gains and increased engagement:
• Nearly two-thirds of students (62%) reported that the game
helped them to see themselves as a professional teacher
more than they did before playing it.
• 45% of students reported that the games helped increase
their level of confidence in their future teaching ability.
• 52% of students
indicated that the
games helped increase
their commitment to
future teaching.

37. Comparison Findings: Professionalism Game
Regular class setting
• “This unit made me more aware of my actions”
• “It taught me about a lot of different professional situations”
Summary: learned ‘about’ professionalism, and became ‘aware’
Game-infused class
• “This game allowed me to practice how to be respectful in a disagreement,
it gave me skills in interpersonal relationships and how to work better with
others.””
• “This experience gave me the language to approach new and challenging
situations in my professional career.”
Summary: learned ‘skills’, ‘language’, active rather than passive voice
first-person protagonist in learning new skills

38. Other results
• Comparison study showed active learning as 1st
person protagonist, learning ‘skills’ and ‘language’,
rather than passively ‘learning about’ the theory.
• Students appreciated the ability to play out roles,
solve authentic problems, fail safely, and see the
consequences of their individual decisions and
trajectories.
• Felt it was more real than the role play scenarios
with classmates.
• Many felt better equipped to handle difficult
interactions in the real world.
• Shift in identity from student to professional

39. Findings: Ecology of Implementation
Network was redundant
with their own
• They already had a (more
divergent) network
created in Facebook
• We needed to brainstorm
alternative network
services we could provide
to meet actual needs.
Instructor influence
• Instructors welcomed and embraced the innovation
• The few with negative attitudes passed those on to students
• Teacher support and training is essential, and they are eager for it.

40. Findings: Ecology of Implementation
Some students initially need more support with Technology
• Reframing the Q2T as a ‘simulation’ (instead of a video game) went far.
• We built in explicit supports in the 3D worlds, with tutorials initiated
through player inactivity, and guidance from in-game characters, but they
quickly became adept.
Scope and Sequence in Program: ‘Just-in-Time’ vs. ‘Just-in-Case’
• Very different reactions from students in their 1st semester vs Student
teachers when playing the Professionalism game.
First semester student: “I would never have a
conflict with my mentor. I’m just going to roll
over and do whatever she says.”
Student Teacher reaction:
“I don’t think if we played this last semester or
last year, any one of us would have taken it as
seriously, but now we know, this is for real!”

41. Two years later…
• The same students who found the Professionalism game largely
irrelevant early on in their program were given the same game
curriculum in their student teaching course two years later. These
students expressed how vastly different the experience was now that
they were experienced professionals about to enter the field.
• “The last time I played, I have to admit, all the choices all looked the
same. I was like, ‘I guess I’ll just click this one and see what happens!’
But this time I was like, ‘Wow! This is really common sense!’ I could tell
I had grown as a professional, it was so second nature.”
• “The first time I played the game and my mentor (NPC) didn’t like my
lesson plan I quickly backed down and said, ‘Oh, I’m sorry! I’ll change it,
or just go with yours’. This time around though, I had the confidence to
stand up for myself, and even the experience to say how I felt the
students were learning well with my plan. I was able to chose
professional ways to support my own plan.”

42. Shifts in Thinking
ROLES POSITIONING INNOVATION
• Protagonist vs Observer:
Player has responsibility for
integrating concepts to
realize personal goals
• Ownership vs Bystander:
Integrating the innovation
into local ecosystem goals
and experiences
• Anticipation vs
Assignment: Setting up
the innovation in terms
of relevant and
meaningful goals
• Just-in-Time vs Just-in-
Case: Positioning the
innovation as part of
larger trajectory
• Curriculum vs Software:
Supporting game play
experience with other
curricular resources
• Services vs Products:
Using the game in support
of realizing desired goals
Fidelity (Consumed or Produced)
• Personal Integration: How well the innovation aligns with and enables goals of the
learner.
• Facilitator Integration: How well the facilitator realizes their goals through the innovation
• Ecosystem Integration: How the innovation aligns or productively disrupts the local
ecosystem.

43. Forcing a choice…
“The ah-ha moment for me was when in the game the
teacher was blaming the kids for the chaos, and how ‘they
just don’t care’. Which is exactly what I hear at my site. All
the teachers, and even the principal, say that there’s really
nothing we can do because these students are so
challenging. And in the game I found myself agreeing with
that teacher, it’s the kids fault. But then the game stopped
me and my game mentor popped in to explain that there
are a lot of things I can do, and within my control. I was so
used to ‘it’s the kids, it’s the kids, it’s the kids’, but now,
after experiencing this (game), it makes me want to go
back and try something new with my kids. I’m starting to
wonder if it really could be all the kids as a collective, or if
we as teachers need to do something different.”

44. Best Practices
• Incorporate DBIR to iterate and uncover the optimal ecology for
the innovation.
• Reframe the innovation as a service, not a product. Focus on
customer development and not product development.
• Instructor training: Not about ‘Tech 101’ but for exploring
teachable moments, brainstorming approaches, personalizing,
and engaging in the larger outcomes.
• Instructor buy-in is essential, and not hard to come by. Support
fluency with the innovation. Treat them as partners who are co-
responsible for experience realization.
• Optimize to new contexts through rich dialog with stakeholders,
esp instructors, with key goal being fidelity of the higher level
service and outcomes.
• Empower learners with agency to determine the meaning and
value of your brand, so they can take it to new places you haven’t
determined.

45. Questions or Guest Accounts?
Contact: anna.arici@asu.edu or visit www.quest2teach.org