INFO 287-11
Seminar in Information Science
Topic: Gamifying Information
Semester 2018 Syllabus
Dr. D. Weissmann
E-mail
Office location: Online
Office Hours: By request
| Syllabus Links Textbooks CLOs Competencies Prerequisites |
Resources Canvas Login and Tutorials iSchool eBookstore |
Canvas Information: Courses will be available beginning January 24th, 6 am PT unless you are taking an intensive or a one-unit or two-unit class that starts on a different day. In that case, the class will open on the first day that the class meets.
You will be enrolled into the Canvas site automatically.
Course Description
This purpose of this course is to provide students with guided practice in creating simple games that teach/reinforce information skills for information institutions (i.e. libraries, archives, and museums) and create meaningful assessments for games as learning tools.
Course Requirements
Assignments
Defining games and brainstorming for game ideas - (CLO 1, CLO 4 & CC K, CC M) - 12% of final grade
Finding resources to support the value/implementation of specific information skills and to support the value of games as learning tools - (CLO 2, CLO 3 & CC K, CC N) - 10% of final grade
Playing and assessing games - (CLO 2, CLO 3 & CC K, CC M, CC N) - 20% of final grade
Creating games and reflecting on process - (CLO 1, CLO 4 & CC K, CC M) - 30% of final grade
Creating a game proposal - (CLO 1, CLO 2, CLO 3, CLO 4 & CC K, CC M, CC N) - 5% of final grade
Peer reviewing - (CLO 3, CLO 4 & CC M, CC N) - 23% of final grade
Course Calendar
| Week | Topic | Activities (points) |
| 1 | Introductions | Define a Game (20pts), Peer Review (20pts), Pick an IS Topic and Host Institution (10pts) |
| 2 | Creativity | Brainstorming Games (50pts) Peer Review (30pts) and Reflection (10pts) |
| 3 | Scavenger Hunt Games | Explore and Assess a Scavenger Hunt Game (50pts) |
| 4 | Scavenger Hunt Games | Make a Scavenger Hunt Game (60 pts) Peer Review (30pts) and Reflection (10pts) |
| 5 | Embedding Content | Focus on the Bibliography for your IS Topic (30pts) |
| 6 | Badges-Reward Games | Explore and Assess a Badges-Reward Game (50pts) |
| 7 | Badges-Reward Games | Make an Online Badges-Reward Game (60 pts) Peer Review (30pts) and Reflection (10pts) |
| 8 | Games as Learning Tools | Focus on the Bibliography value of Games as Learning Tools (30pts) |
| 9 | Social Games | Explore and Assess a Social Game (50pts) |
| 10 | Social Games | Make an Offline Social Game (60 pts) Peer Review (30pts) and Reflection (10pts) |
| 11 | Assessing Games | Focus on Game Assessments (30pts) |
| 12 | Publicity for Players | Brainstorming Publicity (50pts) Peer Review (30pts) and Reflection (10pts) |
| 13 | Path Games | Explore and Assess a Path Game (50pts) |
| 14 | Path Games | Make a Path Game (60 pts) Peer Review (30pts) and Reflection (10pts) |
| 15 | Game Packaging | Put it all together - Game Package for Host Institution (40pts) Peer Review (30 pts) and Reflection (10pts) |
*Activities subject to change with fair notice to reflect skills range and interest of students
Grading
- The grading value is for effort and engagement, for process and not perfection.
- As this class depends upon peer reviews of student work, late work may not be accepted.
- Peer reviewer comments will not determine reviewed student's grade.
Other Relevant Information:
If you are thinking about your weekly schedule, the work of this class occurs with the timely completion of weekly tasks. There is no end of term research paper or final exam; rather the last week of the course might have the lightest workload.
Students who have taken this course in the past have let me know that, while it takes a lot of time to stay current each week, it is very rewarding with many of the concepts of the course immediately applicable at work.
Course Workload Expectations
Success in this course is based on the expectation that students will spend, for each unit of credit, a minimum of forty-five hours over the length of the course (normally 3 hours per unit per week with 1 of the hours used for lecture) for instruction or preparation/studying or course related activities including but not limited to internships, labs, clinical practica. Other course structures will have equivalent workload expectations as described in the syllabus.
Instructional time may include but is not limited to:
Working on posted modules or lessons prepared by the instructor; discussion forum interactions with the instructor and/or other students; making presentations and getting feedback from the instructor; attending office hours or other synchronous sessions with the instructor.
Student time outside of class:
In any seven-day period, a student is expected to be academically engaged through submitting an academic assignment; taking an exam or an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction; building websites, blogs, databases, social media presentations; attending a study group;contributing to an academic online discussion; writing papers; reading articles; conducting research; engaging in small group work.
Course Prerequisites
INFO 287 has no prequisite requirements.
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Identify specific information-skills as content to embed in, and information institutions and their clientele to benefit from, gamified projects.
- Describe the value of games as learning tools and how information games can support the missions of information institutions.
- Evaluate games based on criteria that assess game qualities, technical presentation, and learning outcomes.
- Create simple projects to gamify IS content that will benefit an information institution.
Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes)
INFO 287 supports the following core competencies:
- K Design instructional programs based on learning principles and theories.
- M Demonstrate oral and written communication skills necessary for professional work including collaboration and presentations.
- N Evaluate programs and services using measurable criteria.
Textbooks
No Textbooks For This Course.
Grading Scale
The standard SJSU School of Information Grading Scale is utilized for all iSchool courses:
| 97 to 100 | A |
| 94 to 96 | A minus |
| 91 to 93 | B plus |
| 88 to 90 | B |
| 85 to 87 | B minus |
| 82 to 84 | C plus |
| 79 to 81 | C |
| 76 to 78 | C minus |
| 73 to 75 | D plus |
| 70 to 72 | D |
| 67 to 69 | D minus |
| Below 67 | F |
In order to provide consistent guidelines for assessment for graduate level work in the School, these terms are applied to letter grades:
- C represents Adequate work; a grade of "C" counts for credit for the course;
- B represents Good work; a grade of "B" clearly meets the standards for graduate level work or undergraduate (for BS-ISDA);
For core courses in the MLIS program (not MARA, Informatics, BS-ISDA) — INFO 200, INFO 202, INFO 204 — the iSchool requires that students earn a B in the course. If the grade is less than B (B- or lower) after the first attempt you will be placed on administrative probation. You must repeat the class if you wish to stay in the program. If - on the second attempt - you do not pass the class with a grade of B or better (not B- but B) you will be disqualified. - A represents Exceptional work; a grade of "A" will be assigned for outstanding work only.
Graduate Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA). Undergraduates must maintain a 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).
University Policies
Per University Policy S16-9, university-wide policy information relevant to all courses, such as academic integrity, accommodations, etc. will be available on Office of Graduate and Undergraduate Programs' Syllabus Information web page at: https://www.sjsu.edu/curriculum/courses/syllabus-info.php. Make sure to visit this page, review and be familiar with these university policies and resources.
In order to request an accommodation in a class please contact the Accessible Education Center and register via the MyAEC portal.
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