Early Morning Workshops

8:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Gamifying Business Communication Courses
Lauren Malone, Iowa State University

Innovation and Gamification: A Workshop on Designing Game Courses

This workshop will provide a collaborative, interactive space where instructors interested in gamifying the classrooms can take the first steps in doing so. Instructors will work to create game narratives, mechanics, assignment structures, and materials specific to class contexts. Laptop highly recommended, but not required. 

There will be a brief presentation on a gamified business communication course that was run in two previous semesters. Participants will be able to hear the setup of both courses, as well as some benefits and drawbacks to think about as they design their own courses. The workshop activity will take up most of the time, and will focus on developing the following:
  • A game narrative
  • Game mechanics
  • An assignment structure
  • Game materials
This workshop seeks to be a space for collaborative learning and creation in terms of gamification and business communication instruction. By the end of this session, participants will have and/or be able to write a game narrative, be able to identify and strategically choose game mechanics to fit their course needs, and have a sample of game materials to start from. It is also hoped that this session will create an informal community of instructors enthusiastic about gamification, so that collaboration can continue after the conference is finished.