Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 6: The MIER College of Education hosted an international research colloquium organized by the Research and Development Cell.
The resource person for the colloquium was Dr Byron Bunt, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Education, School of Commerce and Social Studies in Education, North-West University, South Africa. The theme of the colloquium was “Nurturing Self-Directed Learning through an Open Game-Based Renewable Assessment Approach.”
The session was chaired by Dr Adit Gupta, Director and Principal MIER College. Dr Mool Raj, HoD PG Department; Dr Rohnika Sharma, HoD UG Department; Dr Nishta Rana, Head Research and Development Cell; Dr Monika Bajaj, Deputy HoD UG Department, along with the faculty and students of the PG Department, attended the colloquium.
Dr Bunt opened his deliberations by explaining that game-based learning is a teaching method that uses the power of games to outline and support learning outcomes and promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Game-based learning can be achieved through digital and non-digital games that provide meaningful learning experiences for students, he said and shared his research project, intervention, findings, and recommendations.
Dr. Bunt’s research focused on nurturing self-directed learning through an open game-based, renewable assessment approach. His data comprised of fourth-year B Ed students majoring in history. He used mixed-methods research, which included both qualitative and quantitative data.
In the intervention, Dr Bunt asked the students to create either a card based game or a board based game on a specific history topic. When the project was finished, a peer-assessment approach was used by allowing one group to play the game of the other groups. The findings highlighted that students were more engaged and considered it a fun way of learning. It helped them to share ideas, collaborate, self-monitor, and reflect on their progress by understanding their strengths and weaknesses. Dr Bunt elaborated on the implications of the study and recommendations and this was followed by an interactive Q&A session.
Dr Adit Gupta, in his presidential remarks, said gamification incorporates game elements such as point systems, leaderboards, badges, etc into traditional learning activities to increase students’ engagement and motivation. He also emphasized that research projects with students and other faculty members can be undertaken in this area. The colloquium ended with the formal vote of thanks presented by Dr Nishta Rana, Head R&D Cell.
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