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ECON 201: A University Economics Course as an Online Computer Game
9/5/2006
- Hire a gaming consultant, especially for early conceptualization and story development.
- Estimate the time and effort you think it will take, then double it – better yet, triple it.
- Provide staff with professional development opportunities, specifically in gaming.
- Immerse the faculty in the development team, and reward them for their efforts.
- Sign contracts with everyone involved in the development (faculty, staff, students, consultants) stipulating who owns the rights to the game – including the concept, the artwork, and all learning objects – and how any potential income from licensing will be shared.
- Spend considerable time in the preproduction aspects to avoid having to reprogram and redesign art work. The urge to produce early will be strong, but time spent on preproduction storyboarding and flowcharting ultimately will save time for completing the project.
- Set up a wiki to assign duties and deadlines, and to track progress.
- Maintain the game metaphor at all times.
- Make decisions regarding technology on the basis of learning objectives, storyline requirements, and production schedule.
- Beta test individual units as they are completed.
- Secure external funding if possible.
- Market the course early and everywhere.
- Take the risk. Neil Simon once said: “If no one ever took risks, Michelangelo would have painted the Sistine Chapel floor.” Who’s interested in painting the floor?
The course will first be offered in October 2006 in an eight-week format. After its first run, our next steps will be to assess student learning and then use the formal assessment and student feedback to revise the course. We will continue talking with publishers about licensing and distributing the game, and a second course, ECON 202 (macr'economics), may follow – after the team takes a long and well-deserved vacation.
Robert M. Brown, Ph.D., is Dean of the Division of Continual Learning at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where his responsibilities include online learning. Before joining the university in 2002, he was an English professor and associate dean of arts and sciences at Oklahoma State University. Prior to joining the faculty, Brown was a Communications Analyst with the RAND Corporation, a think tank in Santa Monica, CA.
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