Collaborative Course Design: Course Goal Convergence with a Disciplinary Twist

Do you teach video game culture or a similar class? In this session, we will discuss the steps we took to develop a set of course goals so that each faculty member could teach a similar course based on their disciplinary professional practices and prospective. You will gain some insight into how the sharing of course materials made each of our courses better and we will work with you to create a document that you can use to help enhance your course(s). Finally, we will discuss what steps we have taken to keep the process going and begin formation of a Community of Inquiry. PaSSS, Pathways to Success Summer Start brought us together. We were four faculty members and an instructional designer, all interested in game development, tasked to prepare a summer start course GAME 160N/CMLIT 191 N: Introduction to Video Game Culture. In this course, students focus on the history, meaning, and value of video games in the US, Europe, and East Asia. Students answer the questions: Why are video games important? How do they shape our lives and the ways we interact with one another?
How was this group going to bring the course to life when we came from different perspectives, disciplines and campuses within the Penn State system? After some initial discussion, the collaboration process started, then the magic began to happen!