e-Learning and Games in Healthcare
After six years in banking, I have recently returned to the healthcare industry. Thankfully, e-learning is prevalent in healthcare and very receptive to the use of games. Games are a fantastic way to challenge learners and keep them engaged and interacting with the content at hand.
Like many in e-learning, I am responsible for both design and development along with playing the role of graphic artist too. This is what I refer to as my “one-man workshop.” I think some in our field who are also a one-man, or woman, workshop may shy away from the use of games in e-learning because of the level of resources and time required to produce a game. Yes, we do see some great games out there that required large teams of designers, developers, graphic artists, etc., but that does not mean we can not create e-learning games too. For me it is more of a matter of scale and taking advantage of the resources that are available.
I have been able to produce what I call mini-games, which I incorporate into courses and occasionally use as small stand alone games. In order to be able to produce games, I keep them small and not too complex. This reduces both design and development time. I also rely on some great resources that help make the seemingly impossible Flash development possible. Here they are:
- ActionScript for Fun and Games by Gary Rosenzweig - The last edition is from the days of Flash MX, but it is still a great resource when it comes to developing games that can be tweaked into e-learning games. Gary also has more updated resources online at www.garyrosenzweig.com.
- Flashkit game tutorials - They not only have a good collection of game tutorials, but also provide the source files which help immensely in dissecting and learning the ActionScript.
Back to healthcare, here are a few articles on use of games and e-learning in healthcare I would like to share:
- The Rise of Gaming in Healthcare
- Serious Games Futuring Medical Training in France
- Healthcare Industry Embraces Online Training
Here are also few examples of courses in healthcare/health sciences, including a few games (in bold), that I dug out of the Free e-Learning page:
- Blood Typing- NobelPrize.org
- Cardio-Pulmonary Resucitation (CPR) - e-Mersion
- Deep Brain Stimulation - Edheads.org
- Escape From Diab - NIH
- Interactive Health Tutorials - MedicinePlus
- How Your Brain Understands What Your Ear Hears - NIH
- Learn.Genetics ™ - Genetic Science Learning Center
- The Human Genome
- Nanoswarm: Invasion From Inner Space - NIH
- Playnormous Health Games (K-12)
- SnacktownSmackdown - Kaiser Permanente (K-12)
It is very exciting to be part of an industry that sees such value of games in education and training. FYI: There is also a conference next month (May 25-27) on the role of games in healthcare - Games for Health Conference. I won’t be able to attend, but it looks great.
Interested in Creating an Alternative Reality Games (ARG) for learning?
The elearning Guild’s Learning Solutions e-magazine recently published an article by Brandon Carson, Dolly Joseph, and Enzo Silva tilted “ARGs Leverage Intelligence: Improving Performance through Collaborative Play.”
It is a worthwhile read. It includes some great examples of ARGs and a case study of an ARG implemented by Sun Learning Services (Sun Microsystems). Plus, there is practical advice regarding designing ARGs for learning, who should be on an ARG design team and their roles, and design risks.
FYI: You will need to log-in to the e-Learning Guild to access the e-magazine. If you are not a member, you can join as an Associate Member for free.
Here are few more resources on ARGs and learning:
Alternate Reality at the Smithsonian
Innovative Learning (including examples and design principles)
ARGology.org - ARGs in Education & Training (contains resources for getting started and examples)
Series of video interviews regarding games and learning from Frontline (PBS)
