Game Design Tactics for Teaching Technical Communication in Online Courses

Rudy McDaniel University of Central Florida ; Peter Telep University of Central Florida

Abstract

This article describes an interdisciplinary, partially online honors course entitled Video Game Theory and Design. The article reviews the literature surrounding video games and technical communication and then outlines the learning objectives for the course. The authors describe individual and team-produced assignments and suggest game design techniques for motivating students. We explain how we assess different projects, including oral game pitches and the complex technical Game Design Documents that are students’ final deliverables. Finally, we discuss how game design techniques provide new perspectives on writing and generate new possibilities for technical communication assignments. We close by proposing three tactics that are useful for teaching technical communication students in hybrid and fully online courses: (a) nonlinear association for creative thinking; (b) team-based assignments for writing and editing using game-based tools; and (c) iterative prototyping and playtesting for multimodal production. Each tactic is contextualized using examples drawn from the field.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2021-01-01
DOI
10.1177/0047281620977163
Open Access
Closed
Topics

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (0)

No articles in this index cite this work.

Cites in this index (14)

  1. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Computers and Composition
  5. Technical Communication Quarterly
Show all 14 →
  1. Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  5. Computers and Composition
  6. Computers and Composition
  7. Computers and Composition
  8. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  9. College Composition and Communication
Also cites 15 works outside this index ↓
  1. 10.7551/mitpress/5334.001.0001
  2. 10.1109/TPC.2004.828203
  3. 10.4324/9781315573243
  4. 10.1145/950566.950595
  5. 10.1057/9780230601765_1
  6. 10.1111/bjet.12235
  7. Hovde M. R. (2015). Effective user experience in online technical communication courses: Employing multiple m…
  8. LaRoche C., Traynor B. (2013, July). Technical communication on life support: Content strategy and UX are the…
  9. Levine L., Pesante L., Dunkle S. (1991). Technical writing for software engineers. Curriculum module SEI-CM-2…
  10. 10.1037/h0048850
  11. 10.1080/08923647.2015.1084837
  12. Pirker J., Kultima A., Gütl C. (2016, March). The value of game prototyping projects for students and industr…
  13. 10.1177/1080569908325862
  14. 10.1080/2331186X.2018.1437671
  15. 10.2304/elea.2008.5.2.157
CrossRef global citation count: 2 View in citation network →