Training Teachers to Design Game-Based Learning Activities: Evidence from a Pilot Project

AbstractGame-based learning (GBL) provides direct experience, reflection, and self-assessment opportunities. To support their knowledge and expertise on GBL, a group of Italian teachers volunteered in a four-month, free-access online training on GBL characteristics and GBL design to take games in school during the pandemic. Before the training, teachers had very high and generalized trust in relation to the potential of GBL, despite limited exposure. After the training, teachers developed more insightful opinions and expectations, strengthening their positive feeling of GBL. The study also analyzed teachers’ methodological choices and skills in implementing GBL activities in blended and digital learning environments. Teachers used games for different goals to promote student engagement and academic continuity in times of crisis, but also as a flexible and effective environment to promote active learning strategies in both face to face and distance education.Keywords: Game-based learningteacher trainingvideogames in educationonline and blended learningteacher self-efficacydistance learning AcknowledgementsThe authors would like to thank Donatella Solda and Damien Lanfrey from FEM Foundation for contributing to the project ideation, providing the resources for hosting, and implementing the course. The authors would also like to thank Massimiliano Andreoletti for the contribution to the project design and implementation, Anna Ragosta and Giordano Vignoli for the independent evaluation of the teacher projects. The authors thank all the teachers who participated in the project and shared their thoughts and practices.Author contributionsMC and AT contributed to conceptualization, methodology, formal analysis, investigation, data curation, writing—original draft preparation, review, and editing. AC contributed to the writing—review and editing. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Notes1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game (last accessed 3/7/2023)2 https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/en_us/interland. Last accessed 3/7/2023.