Serious play: Interactive learning, assessment and fun

David Packer, Grace Conti-Bekkers, John Fielder and Jeanne Dawson
Curtin University of Technology

Keywords: learning; play; assessment

Does assessment mean learning can't be fun?

We all remember that glorious feeling when, as children, we discovered that no one was hanging on to the seat of the bicycle to steady us; we had learned how to ride a bicycle! Play, it is argued, has a role and a purpose in education. Reiber (2001) suggests that play 'creates a context and climate for a love of learning and creative expression in a particular domain'. When that play has serious intent, planned engaging activity can deliberately establish conditions for learning to occur. Given the appropriate conditions, that learning can also be demonstrated by students in formal assessment.

Curtin Student Learning Support Centre (SLSC) has a wide repertoire of in-class interactive exercises. The exercises used all have the following characteristics. They have a serious intent and are demonstrably relevant to the principle being learnt. They are culturally sensitive and respectful of students as individuals. They stimulate the interest and active involvement of all members of groups. They are challenging but achievable, often involving problem solving or brainstorming. They are economical - the outcomes justify the investment of time and effort. They are dynamic and, wherever possible, have an element of drama or surprise. Debriefing always involves reflection and self-reflection, as students consider how to incorporate what they have learned from the exercise in their own academic practice.

This presentation describes the decision-making, the processes, and the environment for serious play at the SLSC. The relevance this discussion has with student assessment is that this kind of play has learning as an "expressed outcome" (Reiber and Matsko 2001, p. 17). The approach SLSC takes in utilising the serious side of fun has implications for the design of student assessment, and more importantly, the extent to which that design can affect learning outcomes.