At the college level, learning is serious business, and students are expected to demonstrate a high level of academic rigor, critical thinking skills, and mastery of course content in order to succeed in their studies and prepare for their future careers. But does serious learning have to be dull? Participants in these FLCs, which met in AY 2024-25, playfully examined the research on ludic pedagogy, that is, how to teach in ways that make learning fun, tapping into learners’ intrinsic motivation, and making concepts more memorable. They tried out evidence-based approaches for injecting some levity into their classroom through games, storytelling, and roleplaying. They each tried one or more approaches in their own classes and reported back to the group on the results.
Members (Group A):
Anna Berry Royack (IS)
Kathy Glyshaw (PSYC)
Tejas Gokhale (CSEE)
Janet Gross (ENGL)
Sarah Leupen, Facilitator (BIOL)
Dann Malihom, Facilitator (SAPH)
Donald Snyder (MCS)
Members (Group B):
Karen Chen, Facilitator (IS)
Kerri Evans (SOWK)
Maya Larson (CSEE)
Suzann Medicus (ECON)
Zhifeng Yang (CSEE)
Samples of Work:
Slides from the End of Year Celebration from Group A
Slides from the End of Year Celebration from Group B