What to Do When Getting in Small Groups and Playing with LEGO™ is the Worst Idea: Preserving Gameful Learning in a Pandemic

Background: One library in the Intermountain West has had success integrating gameful learning and interactive elements into library instruction. However, as instruction shifted online due to the pandemic, we were faced with the challenge of maintaining engaging, meaningful learning in an online environment. We had developed and adapted lessons to use gameful learning principles to teach plagiarism, citation, the research process, and database searching. In Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the library did all instruction virtually, which made previous games, some of which included physical pieces, very difficult to modify.

Description: The online environment necessitated some changes. Some games, such as a plagiarism activity involving LEGO, were, unfortunately, transitioned to lecture format. A game involving putting citations together like puzzles was moved into a quiz in LibWizard; however, students found the tool’s rigidity frustrating. Team games were easier to facilitate as individual games. A team-based database searching game was successfully converted to an individual format, then play-tested with a small group of library colleagues, who provided feedback to enhance the game. A group activity based on a board game about the research process was converted into a Choose Your Own Adventure story with a reflection prompt at the end of the lesson.

Conclusion: Some of the format changes for the online environment improved the games overall: for example, providing links is far easier over Zoom, and can ensure students are looking at the correct resource. However, further testing and development is warranted for some games, especially those around citation and plagiarism. Student feedback for these games remains overwhelmingly positive, as it was in-person. Students appreciate the interactivity of the games. Online modules developed, such as the Choose Your Own Adventure module, may be easier to incorporate in instruction as they can be completed individually on the students’ own timeframes. The development of these games will be an enhancement to the library’s gameful learning curricula, rather than a replacement to the in-person games.