For problem based learning (PBL) the required level of content knowledge should be made clear at the start or the players’ current level assessed and the game adjusted accordingly. If the problems are too difficult players will get frustrated. On the other hand, if the problems are not challenging enough they will neither engage players nor stimulate critical thinking. Therefor, problems should be just slightly above players’ current skill level so they need to extend their knowledge base and skills to solve.
Once the skill-level is defined it is important to choose whether to build a well- or ill-structured problem. Well-structured problems make sense when the problem’s purpose is to guide toward an apparent procedure, rule and concept. If the goal is to promote higher-order activity for example cross-discipline thinking, somewhat ill-structured problems are the preferable option. Just like problems in the real world they might have multiple solutions, several ways to get to the right solution and sometimes no real solution at all. (1)
Another way to foster higher-order thinking would be to require collaboration between players. Not in a way, where each work out one part and then just stitch them together in the end but rather in a way that calls for discussing different parts of the problem and decision making throughout the process. To go even further research suggests, that if players need to resolve controversy between them in order to solve a problem, it will urge them to defend their solution approach and negotiate the problem’s inherent learning issues. This will in turn create a deeper understanding of the surrounding concepts and embed the knowledge for the long run. (1) Incorporating social interaction, if done right can also serve as a great motivator as the majority of society enjoys playing gaming for the camaraderie and community that emerge through it. So players will get more engaged with the game and more motivated to keep playing the game. (2)
To engage players a problem should be relatable. For example it could be in touch with their past experiences, daily lives or future plans. Ultimately the goal of any problem would be to promote lifelong and self-directed learning for example by learning new approaches for acquiring knowledge and problem solving through collaborating on a problem with others. (1) This could be achieved by embedding the problems in a gamified environment, as it brings back the fun into learning, as learning is a basic drive for humans which often gets disrupted by our school-system. Often bad grades, boring preparation of study-content and more lead to negative connotations and at times even to fear of studying. In no way is this supposed to mean that learning becomes easy through gamification or that it replaces school. However, gamification has the power to connect learning with pleasure and give the necessary motivation to work on problem until the conveyed concept, procedure or rule is understood. (3)
Sources:
- Weiss, Renée E.; Designing Problems to Promote Higher-Order Thinking, in: Problem-Based Learning in the Information Age; (eds.) Knowlton, Dave S.; Sharp, David C.; Wiley Periodicals, 2003
- Zichermann, Gabe; Cunningham, Christopher; Gamification by Design: Implementing Game Mechanics in Web and Mobile Apps, O’Reilly Media, 2011
- Gee, James Paul; Good Video Games + Good Learning, Peter Lang Publishing, 2008
