Designing a multi-campus game development course with hybrid synchronous and asynchronous learning environments using video conference systems

Using Video Conference Systems (VCS) when teaching courses with practical hands-on content in two campuses in parallel is a challenge for both teachers and students. Both parties have to learn how to teach and learn using VCS and this requires alternative pedagogical approaches from teachers and new learner strategies from students.
Previous experiences from 2017 and 2018 at the multi-campus VCS course “Theory and Practice of Game Design and Development” (TaPoGaDaD) has shown that there is a potential for re-thinking the pedagogical design of courses based on theory, methods and practical hands-on game production.
An essential intention of the Problem Based Learning (PBL) approach at Aalborg University is that students become motivated and active learners based on their work with solving real-life problems. We have thus been experimenting with new ways of designing multi-campus learning environments, which could support all the different aspect of learning, but focusing on the different learning environments which could support the course.
In this study, we are describing our inspiration from the teachers’ and students’ experiences to design the learning environments suitable for the different stages and activities in the process of a practical game-development course using VCS and PBL.
We will describe the concept and learning goals of the course as well as how we have used the problem-based learning concept and gamification as inspiration for developing the different learning environments and activities used in the course.
Using a multi-method case study approach, we have explored how the new designed course have supported students’ engagement, participation and learning by various in-class surveys and feedback, an end-of-course student survey and a narrative account of the course teachers’ experiences enacting the new course design.
The results of the continued development of the course offers a framework/guideline for staging a multi-campus practical game development course where students are actively participating and contributing.