Leach & Sugarman. 2006. Play to win! Using games in library instruction to enhance student learning


The purpose of this article was to explore whether using games in library instruction helps students to become more motivated to participate and retain more information.

This article proved that using games in library instruction can be helpful through exploring what Millennials expect having grown up with technology: good customer service, fast results, being able to interact, and working in groups. The article then looked into the ways in which video games can meet these needs. While the author of this article didn’t conduct any research of their own they did compare the research that has been done by academics and the results that they found. It was stated that it has been agreed that the traditional lecture does not meet the needs of tech-savvy students but information still has to be taught to the class. Through incorporating games in the lesson students become more engaged because these are active learning rather than passive listening. In being more active in the learning process students are able to comprehend and remember more of what was taught. Games are also more competitive which increases participation. The article then discussed the ways that games can be used to reinforce the material. It stated that the games should be designed in order to meet learning outcomes. Everyone has a different learning style and it is impossible for a teacher to address all of these in one lesson but through using a game this becomes more achievable as a variety of learning methods are used. In addition to these benefits the article also discusses the fact that games help students receive immediate feedback as the instructor can see the number of students that attempt to answer a question and the answers to the questions posed in the game are revealed immediately. Incorporating games also leads to less structure as there is a period of time while spontaneity can occur without interrupting the rest of the lesson. One game that was suggested was a Jeopardy-Style game in which some of the rules, such as answering in a question format, are different than those in the actual game show. This format was created through a web page that is projected on a screen with hyperlinks leading to the questions. The first student to raise their hand would be the one that would answer the question. This could be played individually or in teams and the points could be recorded on a blackboard by another teacher or a student volunteer. The questions should relate directly to what was covered in the lesson. It was recommended by the article that games remain simple as it should be easy to explain and play for the purpose of time.

This is different than other material I’ve read because other articles focused on video games and this one focused on games designed for the classroom. It was similar to other articles in that it spoke of the ways that students are able to learn more when they are having fun.

The keywords this article contained are: educational games, library instruction, academic libraries, student learning, Jeopardy!and instructional materials.

Useful websites that were listed are:

Garris et al., 2002. R. Garris, R. Ahlers, J.E. Driskell

Games, motivation and learning: A research and practice model

Simulation and Gaming, 33 (4) (2002), pp. 441-467

Randel et al., 1992. J.M. Randel, B.A. Morris, C.D. Wetzel, B.V. Whitehill

The effectiveness of games for educational purposes: A review of recent research

Simulation and Gaming, 23 (3) (1992), pp. 261-276


The questions this article raises for me are:

How does actively participating in the classroom help students to comprehend and retain more information?

Why is it important that the generation in schools today have never known a world without technology?

Do students learn more from games designed for the classroom or from games that they play for entertainment?

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