Walking the Pens: A Case Study of Secondary Agriculture Teachers’ Experiences Using a Serious Digital Game in an Introductory Animal Science Course

Abstract

In a world where knowledge is a click away, today’s students need information delivered in ways that meet their expectations as digital natives. Serious digital games are one way to meet the demand. This particularistic case study sought to understand agriculture teachers’ experiences using a serious digital game in an introductory animal science course. Three themes emerged from the data collected: 1) the real-world context provided by the game; 2) the game’s potential to promote students’ agricultural awareness; and 3) teachers’ positioning of the game as a secondary teaching approach. Based on these findings, it can be recommended that professional development opportunities be created for teachers to learn how to use serious digital games more effectively in other situations. Inservice workshops focused on using digital games as a primary approach to teaching secondary agricultural education curricula, especially when simulations are necessary for teaching content. Because agricultural literacy was an unintended outcome, future research should focus intentionally on the impact serious digital games have on agricultural literacy.

Keywords

• serious digital game
• agriculture teachers
• animal science
• secondary classroom