Using educational design research methods to examine the affordances of online games for teacher learning

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to examine the affordances and opportunities from using online games in teacher professional development. Following an educational design research approach, we developed an environment to provide opportunities for in-service teachers to engage in-game-based activities. Our work presented in this manuscript was of exploratory nature. The basic questions that guided our inquiry were as follows: (1) What affordances do online game environments provide for teacher professional development? (2) What opportunities and challenges arise from the implementation of games for teacher learning? Data were collected from online design sessions, semi-structured interviews with all participants, online and face-to-face observations, focus group discussions, and artifact review. Findings showed that online games provide great opportunities for learner engagement and teacher preparation. However, the challenges such as the lack of infrastructure, skills, time, and the structure of curricula and assessment are serious barriers that hinder wider adoption of games for learning and teacher preparation.