http://epistemicgames.org/eg/about-monument-games/

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Hi mhickey, 

I have been following Epistemic Games for a few months, and I have found that the posts inform my present work as an undergraduate teaching assistant for the technical writing course offered at this university. The course is part of our university’s Professional Writing Program in the English Department, and the mission echoes that of Nephrotex; we hope to prepare these students – the majority of whom study engineering or another STEM concentration – for the transition from a confined, structured classroom and university setting to an open, often improvisational professional realm. We aim to provide students with the transferable skills that are both attractive and necessary in professional settings.

The students in the section in which I am a teaching assistant would greatly benefit from the Nephrotex internship. From my observations this semester, they have immense difficulties connecting to the work that they are expected to produce. Too often, we instill and communicate meta-commentary to them; we repeat over and over what the papers they are writing mean “in the long run.” Although Arizona State University Associate Professor Patricia Webb Boyd has claimed that teachers must provide explicit meta-commentary to their students so that they understand the learning objectives and goals of the assignments, I align myself more with the belief that our job is to help them discover the meta-commentary on their own. I have always been told to “show, not tell” in my writing; I think that this advice is relevant here, too.

Nephrotex, I believe, succeeds in showing, and not telling, the highly practical applicability of the work that they are doing. The epistemic game detaches itself from but also draws a subtle connection to a “humanities” feel. I think that this is essential. The students in my section are caught up in the “Englishness” of the course – it is officially logged in the university’s system as an English course. Even if they can write about topics related to their STEM fields, the authorities (and dominating voice) in the classroom are ultimately not part of STEM and are in fact English professors. In Nephrotex, they are immersed in a scientific-oriented environment but they must routinely engage with “humanities-based” skills, such as developing proposals and writing recommendation reports. This seemingly subtle distribution and dynamic makes a huge difference in the mindset of the students. Moreover, communication and critical thinking skills are implicitly introduced and expanded (when they have to clearly explain and justify their decisions), albeit enveloped by practical and relevant projects. By the end of the internship, students will have completed tasks that they could conceivably do in an engineering company in the future, but they will also have honed their innovative and communicative skills – all without being told it specifically. As future engineers, they must learn to build the bridge between their current studies and their prospective pursuits. As teachers and teaching assistants, we simply lay out the blueprint for the foundation.

I am confident that developments like Nephrotex and Land Science effectively fulfill the powerful mission that they put forth. I wish you luck with all future projects and enhancements, and I look forward to the updates, insightful posts, and studies. Thank you for your time.

–Ilene T.

The Nephrotex video above is one of the many ways we try to get the word out about our projects. If you enjoyed this video you may be interested in the Land Science Video located on our media page.

Our games are designed primarily for research purposes and experimentation with learning in the digital age. They are not yet ready for commercial use. However we are excited to hear that new developments in our games might be useful in the future for game developers and for mainstream use. 

This could a good game models for developers, honestly.

If you are looking for more information about using Epistemic Games with younger students, you may be interesting in looking at this lecture David Williamson Shaffer http://gcpsx.coeps.drexel.edu/videos/dgvs_ep3public/ gave regarding different age groups and the games, and how teachers assess learning during Epistemic Games. You can also view this post about STEM in elementary schools http://epistemicgames.org/eg/steminelementaryschools/. 

However, if you are interested discussing the opportunity of using Land Science in your classroom please contact Anjali Sridharan anjali.sridharan@gmail.com. 

I see the perspective now, and I will definitely watch the presentation to learn more.

All the best in your projects!