Time Factor in the Curriculum Integration of Game-Based Learning

Abstract

From primary and secondary educational levels to higher education and lifelong learning, the use of games for educational purposes has become a focus of increasing interest for instructional designers, teachers, and researchers. To ensure the achievement of learning objectives and competency in the use of games for educational purposes, the use of Game-Based Learning (GBL) in the curriculum should be considered in terms of its learner-centred characteristics, game dynamics, and interactional requirements. A dimension that involves all these characteristics is the time factor. Time is considered in this chapter from three different points of view: learner’s psychological time; temporal gameplay; and the “interaction tempo” required for successfully including games in the curriculum. This chapter describes four typologies of the time factor: time-on-task; temporal perspectives of learners; temporal gameplay; and interaction tempo. Finally, the chapter proposes practical ideas for game designers and teachers when using GBL in face-to-face and online contexts.