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Data Detectives Game Simulation
Data Detectives Game Simulation
Note: Kay McLennan's Data Detectives Game was a finalist
(3rd place) in the U. S. Army's 2013 Federal Virtual Challenge
(formerly the Federal Virtual Worlds Challenge)
in the"Critical Thinking/Adaptability" category.
Game Objective
The Data Detectives Game is focused on the critical thinking skills needed to reason about a particular environment. Using a museum-like movement path floor plan in a virtual world, students first encounter an ice breaker reception area, a critical thinking skills benchmarking station, and different interactive tutorial stations. The skills taught in the tutorial stations include how to evaluate data, graphs, comparisons, generalizations, and cause and effect. Next, students/players apply the critical thinking skills gleaned to a case study game set in a fictional city (New London).
Case Study Game Format
The object of the case study is to evaluate whether the fictional New London location would make a good city to launch a new product. Players are given what is known about the demographics and doing business in New London and are charged with verifying the accuracy of the information and evaluating what is discovered against a set of optimal parameters.
Use of Clue Analysis -- To Promote Critical Thinking
The use of a multi-player “Clue Analysis Center” provides a means for “mapping” the clues found, with the additional features of a shared whiteboard, calculator, and findings scoreboard. As each clue is found, the relevant clue information block is rezzed in the player's clue analysis cubicle.
Optional Instructor Monitoring Station
Also, the instructor station enables the rezzing of all of the clues (to augment the play of individuals/teams) and other monitoring. Finally, after the game is complete, players exit the game space into a hall that includes a wrap-up discussion area, a post-game critical thinking skills assessment center, and extra student enrichment materials.
Real Time Meet-Up Activities
Where Willingham (2007) suggests since "[c]ritical thinking strategies are abstractions..." then "[a] plausible approach to teaching them is to make them explicit...," the Data Detectives Game utilizes a Clue Analysis Center (with four different stations) to help student-players keep track of each clue found as well as to help student-players analyze the clues.
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