Higher Ed has Serious Fun
What’s happening?
Formal education institutions are too often geared around the same old methods for learning - using teaching methodologies that haven’t changed much since the Industrial Revolution (and even further back...). Relying on lectures and note-taking leaves students painfully bored, most doing just enough to get by.
However, there are inspiring pioneers who break the pattern and venture into the world of experiential learning.
We envisage a world where professors become facilitators and improvisers, storytelling takes the center stage, and games, simulations, escape rooms, and real-life projects become the norm.
Why this trend matters
Experiential learning creates more engagement, spaces that nurture and encourage co-creation, and intrinsically motivate and empower students.
By injecting Serious Fun into the higher education game, professors are making the classroom accessible and inclusive which makes students life-long learners who learn and retain knowledge more effectively.
In Action: Higher Ed has Serious Fun
Key Themes for Edutainment 3.0
Globalization, accessibility, and inclusivity
Higher education becomes more accessible. Instead of traditional note-taking lectures, classes will feature games, simulations, escape rooms, technology, and real-life projects that are diverse and inclusive for all types of learners.
Structure and outcomes, rooted in reality
Focusing deeply here differentiates from platforms like MasterClass. Instead of passive on-screen lectures, create hands-on experiences that foster thought-provoking ways to solve real-world problems.
Courses and content will be designed with clear learning outcomes that can be amplified by using the principles of Edutainment 3.0.
Academics becoming entertainers
Academics will be encouraged to have Serious Fun in the classroom. The best will become DJs of the classroom by transforming into facilitators, improvisers, and storytellers.
In Action: Ones to Watch
Guidelines for Greatness
- Student-centered design is just that - the student and participants are at the center of the experience regardless of the methods or teaching approach
- Fun and engaging doesn’t mean easy or plain
- Be clear about the goals and learning outcomes of every active learning experience by explicitly communicating them
- Utilize Simulations and Video Games: There is huge potential here - particularly because of the power of story in both mediums. The screenwriting teacher Robert McKee wrote in his bestselling book Story, "Story isn’t a flight from reality but a vehicle that carries us on our search for reality." When students are part of the story, they’re far more likely to remember lessons.
- Incorporating improv into the classroom. It encourages students to step out of their comfort zone, laugh, ponder, and makes them actually want to learn.
- Dull subjects transformed. Finance, economics, and even math can be dry subjects to teach. Creating accessible and engaging content to educate people on these various subjects that cuts through the noise is huge for learners and teachers alike.
- Creating accessible and inclusive Edutainment experiences can be troublesome for learners if clear goals and objectives aren’t established at the beginning.
- When done right, making students part of the story can help them retain information and identify more deeply with a topic. The challenge is that personalization is a big undertaking, and definitely not an exact science. Be aware of how much you may be taking on.
- Pandemic-style learning is making students crave face-to-face interaction. Reinventing your content and keeping it fresh will be difficult if your students are tired of virtual learning.
Spark Your Creativity
Ideas to jumpstart your imagination and help you include Edutainment 3.0 in your endeavors.
- What if you took a single class or or component of your material and designed it as completely student-centered? How would it differ from now?
- If you could bring a simulation into one of your sessions, what would it be?
- Who are the heroes of your topic or practice? How could you bring them to life more vividly?
