Pedagogical Elements: Learn faster and better
Pedagogical (also called didactic) techniques and elements surround an experience, ensuring that a participant's time is spent productively.
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Pedagogical elements in real-life range from speedometers and caller ID to mentors, supervisors, or guides.
Pedagogy. Street signs represent real-world pedagogy.
In sims, pedagogical elements can include in-game tips/directions, graphs, highlights, forced moments of reflection, bread crumbs, coach/facilitator, background material, and after action reviews (AARs).
They provide a balance to the Simulation Elements (which are there to model reality) and the Game Elements (which are there to make the experience engaging). See Venn diagram for examples of each.
The Role of Pedagogy in Sims
In educational experiences, pedagogical elements help the learners:
- know what to do;
- how to use the interface;
- avoid developing superstitious behavior, such as believing they are influencing something by a particular action when they are really not;
- see relationships faster;
- work through frustration-resolution pairs;
- try different approaches; and
- apply lessons to the real world.
Pedagogical elements have to balance the challenge of neither giving too much or too little help. Pedagogical elements take the place of the wise instructor (and could literally be a virtual mentor/ supervisor/ guide), watching, commenting, pointing out key relationships, and knowing when not to say anything.
Author's note: At the highest level, pedagogical elements also refer to what information is simulated.
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2 comment(s):
Hey Clark, I was struck by the use of the word didactic as part of your pedagogical elements. For those of us who are pedagogists, there is a need to also strive for the non-didactive in pedagogy. As I looked at your framework and thought about non-didactive, I realize that there is overlap between engagement and non-didactive approaches to simulations.
So in considering virtual world design, for example, can the designer create non-didactive areas, objects, or activities in the sim that are designed to simultaneously both engage and teach?
First, what one chooses to model is a form of pedagogy. What actions are presented to a user, for example, instructs non-didactly. But more specifically, there are pedagogical elements that softly help out. A light over one door and not another leads a player through a certain path. Even a foreshadowing can instruct, but not didactly.
Level design itself presents more and more complicated challenges.
So I think the answer is definitely yes.
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