Posted By Michelle Hines, University Relations
ECON 201 teaches microeconomics by tracking an alien species that crash-lands on earth.
The UNCG Division of Continual Learning is developing a video game for college credit that takes online instruction into new frontiers. Called ECON 201, the game teaches the principles of microeconomics by following an alien species that must learn how to survive after crash-landing on a futuristic, post-apocalyptic earth.
“Regardless of how skilled the instructor, it can
be a challenge to teach complex concepts in a traditional classroom using standard lecture techniques,” said Dr. Robert Brown, dean of the Division of Continual Learning. “That’s certainly true of economics, which is a highly theoretical subject. Online gaming techniques can bring that theory to life.”
ECON 201 is scheduled to launch in the fall of 2006 as part of UNCG’s growing portfolio of online courses and degree programs. Through the challenges the game presents, students learn to deal with economic principles that range from scarcity to sustainable growth.
ECON 201 also integrates a variety of interdisciplinary subjects that go well beyond economics – such as biology, history and anthropology. For example, students must make ethical decisions as they play the game. They face disease outbreak. They review historical examples of how the earth faced similar problems before.
Course content is delivered through a series of problem-solving tasks that are part of the overarching game narrative. To evaluate progress, students must prove they firmly grasp the information covered as they move from level to level within the game – answering questions and making decisions that indicate they can apply what they’ve learned in a variety of situations.
“Ultimately we teach that economics is a way of thinking,” said Dr. Jeff Sarbaum, award-winning economics instructor and academic advisor for the development of the course. “We know that today’s students live in a multimedia world, so ECON 201 is also designed to provide the visual excitement and intrigue to keep them engaged. I’ve used gaming modules in my face-to-face classes, and I’ve found that those are the days that students seem to enjoy the most and also learn the most.”
Students play the game on their own schedule – learning when and where they choose. All they need is a PC and an internet connection. An online chat tool promotes collaboration and makes it simple for gamers to interact with each other and their instructor.
To develop ECON 201, a team of university web designers, instructional experts and editors collaborated closely with Sarbaum and with Dr. Stuart Allen, head of the Department of Economics, Bryan School of Business and Economics.
This summer ECON 201 will undergo Beta testing prior to becoming a part of the university’s formal course offerings. For more information and a sneak preview, visit http://icampus.uncg.edu/ and click on ECON 201.
