Video games are not only for play anymore. Have you thought about incorporating games into your existing coursework — perhaps as an elective or maybe within some modules of an existing course? Maybe you have considered developing a multiplayer immersion game with situated learning and sociocultural development for your institution? Whatever the situation, this session will provide you with an overview of the development of a gaming strategy for a virtual school including the research, prototypes, and business strategy in implementing a complex solution.

Videogames and distance learning are integral parts of education in the 21st century. They are the continued vision of the future since they can provide meaningful, social, and experiential learning experiences for students in a technically forward world. Both distance learning and videogames are changing the way students learn, connect, and develop social mores.

The Academic ADL Co-Lab and Florida Virtual School (FLVS) entered into a collaborative agreement over a year ago to design and develop next-generation e-learning projects. The Co-Lab and FLVS have been working extensively on developing and implementing games into their online course offerings. The session provides an overview of the gaming strategy developed to date. In this session, you will learn about:

• Research on the effective uses of games, including major design components and case studies

• The Joint Concept Car Proposal — four gaming proposals and options for incorporating games into existing and new online courses in the short term and long term

• Business strategy — next steps when implementing a gaming strategy virtually, including roles, funding, and timeline; plus future vision, five to ten years out