Presentation by Pieter van der Hijden (pvdh@sofos.nl) of Sofos Consultancy (www.sofos.nl) at the 38th annual conference of the International Simulation and Gaming Association (ISAGA, www.isaga.info); Nijmegen, The Netherlands, 2007. The presentation uses Moodle as VLE example.

1. Pieter van der Hijden (Sofos Consultancy)
38th Annual ISAGA Conference, 9-13 July 2007
Nijmegen, The Netherlands
ISAGA 2007www.sofos.nl
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4.  Your presenter
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5.  The theme
 Virtual Learning Environment becomes central
backbone in educational institutes
 Implications for serious computer-based games
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6.  Presentation
 VLE as a world apart
 VLE as game management system
 VLE as game extension
 VLE as game engine (now)
 VLE as game engine (future)
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VLE is the end of a the educational process chain

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11. WHAT IS A GAME?

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VLE Gaming/Simul
ations
Educational /
Gaming
Teacher centred
Goal is learning
(and testing)
Student centred
Goal is exploring,
competing, fun
Organisational Hierarchical
Cohort based
Extension of
classroom
Network
Flexible in time
Informal learning
Technical Backbone for the
whole institute
Developing
slowly
Each game
isolated, various
platforms
Changing rapidly

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14.  Administer and enrol students
 Organise subgroups
 Deliver learning resources and activities
(see next slide)
 Collect results
 Organise gradebook
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16.  Start-up
 Introduction
 Briefing
 Micro cycles
 Steps-of-play
 Mini-critique
 Shut-down
 Debriefing
 Evaluation & follow-up
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17. Picture
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21.  VLE’s have intrinsic
gaming functions
 Branched story games
 Flash games (via
SCORM)
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 New functions of VLE’s
 Choreography of learning (Learning Design,
IMS-LD)
 Sequential activities
 Parallel activities
 Conditional activities
 New challenges
 Service oriented architecture

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VLE as… Educationa
l
Gaming Organisational Technical
A world apart Gaming is
strange
element
Limited use Gaming is
disturbing
Gaming is
disturbing
Game
management
system
Gaming gets
an
educational
context
Gaming
management is
improved
Gaming is
incorporated
Games have to
follow standards
Game extension Interesting
new
interface
Open,
unstructured, not
always
appropriate
Depandency of
supplier
Complex,
changing all the
time
Game engine
(now)
Ready to use Sometimes
appropriate, not
very high profile
Takes some
lecturers time to
develop
Ready to use
Game engine
(future)
Interesting
new world
Shifting borders
between
leraning /gaming
acticities
Heavy investment
in training for
lecturers
Rebuilding
current systems

26.  Using Role-Play Simulations for teaching and Learning - motivation
and pedagogy; powerpoint presentation at SAGANET-seminar; Roni
Linser (www.fablusi.com), September 27th, 2006, Delft, The
Netherlands.
 Patterns in game-design; Staffan Björk, Jussi Holopainen; Charles
River Media, 2005.
 Putting a Second Life “Metaverse” skin on learning management
systems; Jeremy Kemp, Daniel Livingstone (www.sloodle.com).
 Learning Design; a handbook on modelling and delivering networked
education and training; Rob Koper, ColinTattersall (eds.); Springer,
2005.
 On the Development of Asynchronous Workflow-based Group
Simulations; Pieter van der Hijden (www.sofos.nl); Paper presented at
the ISAGA05 Conference in Atlanta, USA; June 27th - July 4th 2005.
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27. Pieter van der Hijden (pvdh@sofos.nl)
Sofos Consultancy (www.sofos.nl)
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