PURPOSE
Gamify learning by engaging students with lecture content through a physical activity. |
DESCRIPTION
Instructors segment lecture content into “items” that can be found by using clues or prompts to progress through the activity. The items themselves may also contain activities to complete. |
UNDERLYING EDUCATIONAL THEORIES
Hand-Head-Heart theory, embodied cognition, team-based learning, playful learning |
PEDAGOGICAL BENEFITS
- Engaging students in a scavenger hunt can serve to gamify their learning experience, which supports stronger learning outcomes.
- Participation in a physical activity can engage students at the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor levels.
- Breaking up lecture content into scavenger hunt items allows for students to learn through discovery and to take charge of their learning by controlling the pace of their progression through the activity.
- Scavenger hunt activities are easily adaptable to class size and duration and can be designed for individual or team experiences.
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STRATEGIES FOR IMPLEMENTATION
- In devising a lesson plan, divide key points into separate “items” that can serve as standalone pieces. Consider making each piece connect to the next (instead of presenting a disjoint set).
- Connect each item to an activity or checkpoint. Consider the learning outcomes you want to achieve and the purpose the scavenger hunt should serve. Are you testing students’ content knowledge through specific questions? Are you engaging them in open-ended discussion or reflection? Are you physically engaging them with the material through activities?
- Consider whether the scavenger hunt will be individual or team-based. If team-based, groups of 3-4 are recommended for equal participation among students.
- Consider how to build incentive for participation in the scavenger hunt. Is there a “prize” or other outcome achieved upon completion? Consider content versus participation-based grading.
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REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING
Lu, Y., Chao, J. T., & Parker, K. R. (2015). Hunt: Scavenger hunt with augmented reality. Interdisciplinary Journal of Information, Knowledge, and Management, 10(3), 21-35.
Swenty, M., D’Alessandro, K. C., & Dymond, B. (2016, June). A Scavenger hunt to connect the as-built world to structural engineering theory. In 123rd ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition. American Society for Engineering Education.
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