Learning computer ethics and social responsibility with tabletop role-playing games
| Published date | 04 March 2014 |
| Pages | 60-75 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-09-2013-0038 |
| Date | 04 March 2014 |
| Author | Katerina Zdravkova |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance |
Learning computer ethics and
social responsibility with tabletop
role-playing games
Katerina Zdravkova
Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering,
University Sts. Cyril and Methodius, Skopje, Macedonia
Abstract
Purpose – Tabletop online role-playing games enable active learning appropriate for different ages
and learner capabilities. They have also been implemented in computer and engineering ethics
courses. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents the experience of implementing
role-playing in several courses embedded in Web 2.0 environment, with an intention to confront
complex and sometimes mutually conflicting concepts, and integrate them into a whole.
Findings – Typicalexamples introducingtwo basic scenariosrepresenting individualand collaborative
learningscripts are presentedtogether withthe detailed analysishow the games were performed,the effort
to participate in,and to maintain them. Particular attentionis paid to student feedback.
Originality/value – The paper concludes with the basic findings of the effects of role-playing in
current learning computer ethics and social responsibilities courses, and recommendations for future
implementation of similar asynchronous learning online activities in order to increase their academic
value and prepare students for their forthcoming professional integration.
Keywords Web 2.0, Online communities, Social responsibility, Computerethics, Ethics education,
Virtual collaboration
Paper type Case study
1. Introduction
According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (Oxford, 2003, p. 1109), role-play
is a “learning activity in which you behave in the way somebody else would behave in
a particular situation”. Almost 40 years ago, this activity was implemented to facilitate
the learning of English as a foreign language (Shapiro and Leopold, 2012, p. 128).
In the same paper, authors deduce that “new direction in role-playing pedagogy”
improves the acquisition of vocabulary and grammar structures enabling students to
innovatively analyse and synthesise content through creative and critical thinking
(Shapiro and Leopold, 2012, p. 120).
An interesting research attempting “to harness the potential of role-playing games”
was recently done (Rosa and Lerman, 2011, p. 70). It consisted of a six week game
intended to clarify the concept of definite integrals. Before the game started, students
had to read a small adventure synopsis revealing the mathematical problem and pick
their own online identity. After a short preparation period, they participated in weekly
virtual meetings based on chat and calls, during which each student was explaining
the selected concepts. Apart from being definitely enjoyable, the use of virtual learner
identities was very effective, so authors conclude that online learning based on
role-playing games brought “important new aspects to our understanding of
mathematical knowledge as a social construction”.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/1477-996X.htm
Received 16 September 2013
Revised 2 December 2013
Accepted 10 December 2013
Journal of Information,
Communication and Ethics in Society
Vol. 12 No. 1, 2014
pp. 60-75
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
1477-996X
DOI 10.1108/JICES-09-2013-0038
JICES
12,1
60
A more ambitiousand twice longer research wasprepared by three young educational
developers from SheffieldHallam University in the UK. They implemented role-playing
for the creationof a prototype for a digital game (Diamondet al., 2011, p. 26). Their target
groups were seniorundergraduate students studyingcomputer visualisation on one side,
and five fictitiousclients (in fact, five academicstaff members from various subjectareas)
on the other. Within 12 weeks, both teams supported by course tutors as learning
facilitators, and educational developers as a liaison group, simulated the creation of the
prototype, exchanging ideas and knowledge during semi-structured interviews. The
analysis proved that students and academic staff appreciated the model a lot, showing
that the simulation model was a real success “providing students with an authentic
learning opportunityfor developing professional competence”.
Both examples (Rosa and Lerman, 2011, pp. 87-88; Diamond et al., 2011, p. 34)
suggest that the implementation of asynchronous learning online activities based on
virtual identities developed new perspectives in teaching different courses in various
learning milieus.
1.1 Role-playing and children with special needs
Several moving experiments with role-playing were performed with children with
special needs. In 2001, middle school pupils with learning disabilities were trained to
ask for help during cooperative learning group activities (Wolford and Heward, 2001,
pp. 166-169). Recruitment training consisted of five objectives: the rationale for
recruiting help; the exact moment and place; the most appropriate way to engage peers;
modelling and role-playing; and finally, prompt to recruit. Role-playing scenarios were
used to train disabled students to discriminate when to recruit help. Thank to
well-timed and right assistance by their peers, their academic productivity significantly
increased reaching between 80 and 96 per cent completion of all assignments.
Role-playing increased by repeated reading of two stories, demonstrated that
14 young children with hearing impairments learned to read and talk using a printed
text, and their narrative productions and story grammar usage drastically improved
(Pakulski and Kaderavek, 2003, pp. 130-136). The experiment consisted of three days
reading of two stories, which was followed by a day of role-playing a sketch, and finally a
day of retelling the stories. After the experiment, children with hearing impairment
managed to retell the story more sophisticatedly and with more complex phrases. The
effect of role-playing was significant, particularly on narration and on grammar scores.
Speech-language patologists examined the influence of the early intervention
practices on speech, language and behaviour of young boys with fragile X
chromosomes (Mirret et al., 2003, pp. 324-327). They observed four treatment priorities
reported by speech-language pathologists: speech; nonverbal communication;
language and grammar; and pragmatic skills. While language goals “were focussed
on listening, auditory comprehension and narrative/conversation skills” of young boys
with fragile X chromosomes, role-playing was successfully implemented to train them
“what to say in frequently encountered situations”.
All the experiments presented in this section were pure face-to-face simulations. In
order to be transferred into asynchronous online mode, it is necessary to adapt the
face-to-face settings and adapt them for online environment. Bos and Shami (2006,
p. 518) proposed a transfer model based on small-group discussions and flexible
voting. According to their belief, they created a “simple and extensible game mo del”,
Learning
computer ethics
61
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