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A special thanks to Molly Blake for contributing to this month’s From the Archive blog post. Molly is a recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison iSchool.

Games and gamification have a variety of applications in higher education, including as a component of blended learning experiences. Through fun and interactive games, educators can introduce new concepts, engage students with different learning styles, review course materials, or spark lively class discussion. In this month’s From the Archive blog post, we highlight educational games created by ATE projects and centers—a board game on career pathways, a computer game on mathematics, and three Jeopardy-style quiz games. 

Maritime Life Board Game

The Southeast Maritime and Transportation (SMART) Center offers a variety of materials designed to introduce middle school and high school students to maritime career pathways. Below is one such resource, a game that was created by an educator who partook in the annual SMART Maritime and Transportation Institute. 

Kelsey Warren, a participant of the 2016 institute, designed the Maritime Life Board Game. In this board game—similar to the popular board game Life—each student starts by selecting either a college card or a career card and learns about a variety of maritime careers and educational programs throughout the game. The Maritime Life Board Game includes all materials needed to play the game (including a game board, game pieces, and detailed instructions), as well as an accompanying pre-assessment and post-assessment. 

For more archived resources by the SMART Center, visit the ATE Central resource portal.

Algebots for PC

In this interactive computer game, players choose from three difficulty levels and test their knowledge of algebraic principles. Game topics include Variables on Opposite Sides, Radical Equations, Absolute Value Equations, Quadratic Equations, Inequalities, Absolute Value Inequalities, Basic Equations, Equations With Like Terms, Exponential Equations, Literal Equations, Systems By Substitution, and Fractions and Decimals. 

Before play begins, a short tutorial is provided. During play, users drag and drop Algebots, which are variables, terms, or constants that can be used to solve any step in the equation. After completing a level, the game randomly prompts users to play short bonus levels wherein they are instructed to select terms from an equation, solve for x, define a term, and more. 

To learn more about A Simulation-Based Curriculum to Accelerate Math Remediation and Improve Degree Completion for STEM Majors project, visit the ATE Central resource portal.

Questor Quiz Games

Provided by the Maricopa Advanced Technology Education Center (MATEC), these three quiz games are designed to help students review different topics: Basic Troubleshooting, Photolithography, and the Oxidation Process. Each of these three Jeopardy-style games can be viewed as .mp4 recordings or downloaded as .swf files.

For more archived resources from MATEC, visit the ATE Central resource portal.