Please join us at the Games Institute or virtually via Teams for a panel discussion on games and education with Drs. Jason Hawreliak (Brock University, Waterloo English Language and Literature Alum), Kristina R. Llewellyn (Social Development Studies), Jennifer R. Whitson (Sociology and Legal Studies and Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business) and Steve Wilcox (University of Wilfred Laurier, Waterloo English Language and Literature Alum).
How can games and virtual reality be used to improve how we teach Canadian history and other complex topics?
How is teaching game design different than teaching game studies? How are they the same?
Are educators effectively preparing students to find roles in the highly competitive games industry?
Are students who receive training to work in games finding jobs? Or are they leaving the games industry soon after they begin?
These four experts will address these questions and more during this moderated panel discussion about the state of games and education.
***Please note that in line with the new University policy masks will be required at this and all GI events***
Panelists
Dr. Jason Hawreliak is an Associate Professor of Game Studies, Director of the Centre for Digital Humanities, and Graduate Program Director of the MA in Game Studies Program at Brock University. His research examines meaning formation in video games and knowledge dissemination in Game Studies. He is the author of the book, Multimodal Semiotics and Rhetoric in Videogames (Routledge, 2019).
Dr. Kristina R. Llewellyn is a Professor of Social Development Studies at Renison University College, University of Waterloo. She is a member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists. Her teaching and research address history, education, and equity. Dr. Llewellyn is the Director of the project Digital Oral Histories for Reconciliation: The Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children History Education Initiative (www.dohr.ca) and Executive Member of the project Thinking Historically for Canada’s Future (www.thinking-historically.ca). Dr. Llewellyn is a regular commentator for local and national media on education issues.
Dr. Jennifer R. Whitson is an Associate Professor in Sociology & Legal Studies and at the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business. She studies the “squishy” side of software development and has been conducting ethnographic fieldwork with game developers since 2012. You can find her work at: IndieInterfaces.com, first3yearsproject.com, and jenniferwhitson.com.
Dr. Steve Wilcox is an assistant professor of game design & development, a community-based researcher, and an instructional designer. His research focuses on pro-social applications of games and play, with projects on reducing bullying in schools, equitable access to health services, and addressing family violence in Canada.