Identifying Learning Objectives and Student Needs - The Multiplayer Classroom: Designing Coursework as a Game - page 192

games, these are tools to create items or weapons to fight mobs — and the

rule set that governs play.
n Degree. What criteria will measure the student

s success? In games, it
can be the level achieved or the phat l00t needed for the player

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s contin-

ued success.

If your audience involves participants, or interested parties, in the educational
system of the United States, then your goals are these:

n Goal 1: Ready to Learn
n Goal 2: School Completion
n Goal 3: Student Achievement and Citizenship
n Goal 4: Teacher Education and Professional Development
n Goal 5: Mathematics and Science
n Goal 6: Adult Literacy and Lifelong Learning
n Goal 7: Safe, Disciplined, and Alcohol- and Drug-free Schools
n Goal 8: Parental Participation

We ' re on firm ground here, aren ' t we? Nothing new or earth-shaking so far.

Student needs are as vast as their numbers. But again, they rarely walk into a
classroom as entirely unknown quantities. Special needs students are identified
as part of school policy. They should arrive armed with official papers outlining
learning or behavioral issues that have been identified, as well as instructions on
how to create the best learning environment for them.

Some students may need to pass a course because it is required by the school.
Others may need it as preparation for a university, or a degree, or simply
because they want to gain knowledge on a specific subject for a career or a
hobby, or just out of curiosity. It ' s important to know why they are in that

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classroom. It s one of the first questions I ask.

The next question is designed to gauge their game literacy. Some students will
know every game term I

ve used in the body of this topic, and many more.
Others will have played casually. And some will never have played at all. The

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