[game_edu] Re; Susan's questions regarding curriculum framework

[McGill, Monica]

Ian, 

I would definitely say the programs in the US are diverse. It may be one of
those things that curriculum planners are checking to see what is out there
so they can distinguish themselves from others, or to gain ideas on how they
might be able to maximize their limited resources. But I also found that the
schools in the UK have more programs that are multidisciplinary, whereas the
programs in the US (or at least those that actually put ³Game² somewhere in
their program title) tend to be single discipline focused and have grown out
of computer science departments.

At one (UK) institution that I interviewed, the leads were former game
industry employees, who wanted to create a holistic program (art, sound,
programming, etc.). The framework is broken down into small pieces‹an al a
carte menu, but they needed direction on creating a meal that had
complementary items. In fact, they looked at Skillset¹s criteria, but used
that as a model of Œwhat not to do¹, because Skillset¹s guidelines
categorize design and software development as two separate entities. (In
fact, my experience using the framework for our own program was that it was
more helpful to validate our course objectives and topics after they were
created than it was in creating them.)

I definitely would not throw out the 2008 curriculum. I would recommend
adding a section that approaches curriculum development more holistically.
Possibly a section, say, with subsections based on differing student
outcomes. That may help planners create programs that track better with
industry needs (if that is their ultimate goal) and serve as a guide to help
them maximize their resources.

As far as accreditation, very interesting point. It seems to me that, again,
the biggest benefactors of strong game degree programs is industry. I have
heard and read many comments about how industry is not to keen on the
quality of students emerging from the programs (at least as of yet). If this
is all true, then it would seem to me that a strong case could be made to
industry for funding for this type of initiative. (Other ideas swirl in my
head as well, including the idea of an IGDA central repository of schools
and how they map themselves against the framework. This could be very
helpful to prospective students and relatively inexpensive to host and
manage.)

Monica 

From: game_edu-bounces at igda.org [mailto:game_edu-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf
Of Ian Schreiber
Sent: Wednesday, September 22, 2010 7:06 PM
To: IGDA Game Education Listserv
Subject: Re: [game_edu] Re; Susan's questions regarding curriculum framework
 

Thanks for the info, Monica! I don't know about the others, but I find it
really interesting how programs develop their respective curricula. Doubly
interesting that the majority of US schools and a minority of UK schools
look at what other schools are doing -- not sure if that means those of us
in the States are unoriginal, or if it means that we're more unified... a
fine line, perhaps :-)


>The degree to which the IGDA framework was used varied across the

>institutions. One comment made included ³The IGDA framework was examined,

>but, frankly, was far from what we needed.² Instead, the participant

>referred to established degree programs at other universities to guide their

>content.


This leaves an open question: what WAS needed, and why was the Curriculum
Framework so far away? What was missing? (Also, was your research
referencing the 2003 or 2008 version? Big difference between the two!)


>Just thought you might be interested. I think that a revision at this

>juncture might better guide institutions in their curriculum planning

>process. Also, it might be interesting to consider an accreditation process

>for institutions that meet certain standards.


But what goes in the revision? I guess what I'm trying to say is, I think
we'd all agree that the Framework is a living document and that more can
always be done, but where do you see a revision giving the biggest bang for
the buck?

As for accreditation, the subject has come up here before. The answer has
always been: we have no funding and no human resources to form an
accrediting body, so while we'd love to have the Accreditation Fairy swoop
down and do the job for us, there's not a critical mass of people to make it
happen "for real".

- Ian
 
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