Turning Game Ideas Into Learning Goals

Defining Learning Content

Writing learning objectives is something I’ve learned takes practice, and it definitely stretched me more than I expected. Still, I see now how important they are when it comes to designing an educational game. They really set the stage for what players are supposed to learn and how they’ll show that they actually understand it. Going through the steps of choosing a subject, narrowing it down to a problem, thinking about my audience, deciding what kind of information to focus on, and then writing an objective helped me see how much thought goes in before I even get to the “fun” part of game design.

Reflection on the Process

The hardest part for me was deciding on the problem. I had to think about what I already knew, what would actually be interesting for students, and what could realistically fit into a short game. Once I landed on robotics, the pieces started to come together. Thinking about the students as both learners and players made me realize how important it is to design with their needs in mind. Choosing the type of information also made me slow down and focus. I feel like writing these objectives in the Mager format helped me pull everything together in a clear way.

Draft Learning Objective (Mager Format)

• Audience (A): High school students in my robotics class

• Behavior (B): Identify the function of the three major components of a robot (chassis, drive train, and front wheel assembly)

• Condition (C): After playing a short educational game focused on robotics design

• Degree (D): With at least 80% accuracy in labeling or selecting the correct function

Final Objective Statement:
After playing the robotics design game, my students will be able to identify the function of the chassis, drive train, and front wheel assembly with at least 80% accuracy.

Self-Check

• Expanded problem with verb? Yes, the problem of understanding robot components is clear enough that “identify” works well.

• Bloom’s Taxonomy alignment? Yes, “identify” fits under remembering/understanding, which makes sense for labeling parts.

• ABCD parts included? Yes, Audience, Behavior, Condition, and Degree are all there.

• Nonfunctional verb? No, I avoided vague words and chose “identify,” which gives the objective action.

• At least one objective? Yes, I now have one solid learning objective to work with.

Closing Thoughts

Looking back, the most challenging step was narrowing down the problem to something specific enough. Once I did, everything else flowed more smoothly. I also caught myself leaning toward vague verbs at first, so Bloom’s Taxonomy really helped keep me on track. This practice gave me a better sense of how objectives shape the learning side of a game, and I feel more confident moving forward with this process.