Now What? (Education and Technology in a Post COVID World)

My whole life I’ve been warned about making assumptions. Always give people the benefit of the doubt, I was told. And “you know how the old saying goes…Never assume because it makes an a#$ out of you and me” (Source Unknown).

But it turns out assumptions aren’t always a bad thing. Dede’s (2011) article actually presents what he terms as “five fundamental assumptions” (emphasis added). And what are these fundamental assumptions connected to, you may ask? Something I wouldn’t have believed would hold any interest for me until this semester after taking a headlong plunge into the world of educational technology. His assumptions are about educational games.

Admittedly, I’ve always been a bit of a Penny in the world of Leonard and Sheldons when it comes to gaming. I lack the coordination skills to have ever excelled at the video games of the ‘90’s (did Mario and Sonic really stand a chance at succeeding with me at the controller?) I once dated a gamer and was horrified to discover that games like D&D have little to do with acting out adventure and fantasy and more to do with my old nemesis Math. Euchre makes no sense to me whatsoever, and I’m absolutely convinced its inventors have played a truly cunning trick on anyone who ever attempts to play.

All that to say: it never occurred to me that games could be used in the world of education…or that there would be research about it. I always assumed any games played in the classroom were the byproduct of exhausted teachers needing something to fill the time. I speak only half in jest, but I truly didn’t realize the importance that games can play in education until reading Dede’s (2011) article.

Dede (2011) outlines five assumptions that researchers should make when crafting a study involving educational games: “usable knowledge; collective research; what works, when, for whom; more than a straightforward comparison of the innovation to standard practice; and a focus on innovations that can be implemented at scale” (p. 233).

The author goes on to break each one down for clarity. He explains that usable knowledge should include “insights gleaned from research that can be applied to inform practice and policy” (p. 233). Why not look for commonly-occurring problems and work together to find solutions?

Dede’s (2011) second assumption (collective research) involves collaboration. He even goes so far as to claim that the insights gathered should be shared in a community of researchers, rather than in the infamous silos so often found in educational research circles…what he dubs a “distributed research strategy” (p. 234). This includes studies that are designed to address multiple facets related to the concept of education and games.

Dede’s (2011) third assumption is a mandate for researchers to study aspects of games that have universal application. In other words, can all types of students in all types of situations benefit from the games being studied? His fourth assumption involves what he calls “studies are summative evaluations masquerading as research” (p. 235). In other words, researchers should look for new and innovative aspects for studies, rather than glorified lit reviews examining phenomenon.

Dede’s (2011) fifth assumption is a call for researchers to initiate studies that can actually be implemented in educational settings without complete upheaval. In other words, new information needs to be scaffolded into the day-to-day work that educators do bit-by-bit. This type of research also needs to yield results that can be implemented in a broad range of educational settings.

All in all, Dede’s (2011) gave me a great deal to think about. While some of his musings might appear to be pipe dreams in the face of education-world’s slow-moving reality, he presents valid points about relevant research…and gave me pause about some of my pre-conceived notions about gaming.

I came. I saw. I assumed.

I was wrong.

I guess the old saying about assumptions is accurate.

Til next time…

Dede, C. (2011). Developing a research agenda for educational games and simulations. Computer games and instruction, pp. 233-250. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.