An Ecotourism Scenario Game For Education Enhancement In Tourism Study

With the rapid development of information and communication technology and e-learning, the conventional lecturing and knowledge transfer also have to incorporate innovative ways of teaching and technological advancements. Game-based learning is not new and is widely applied to various academic disciplines. Tourism studies often integrate field visit and classroom lecturing but a virtual and scenario-based experience in some real-life cases benefit both instructors and learners to stimulate discussions about circumstances of tourism planning and management. Two key features design the educational platform of the Ecotourism Scenario Game: 1. selection of location. It simulates an indigenous community in the Amazon rainforest in Peru. It is significant, especially for students who are living in crowned urban cities, where are rare to provide the opportunities experiencing the nature in person. The contrast between the milieu of students and the selected context in the game enhances the immersion of the students in the game. This feature also controls the design of characters as well as decides what kind of interactions would happens within the community. 2. simplified plot. The plot is basically derived by the simplification of the development situation in the real world. It is not necessary for the designer to be overly detailed but inclusive to all main dilemmas in the real situations. Further detailed considerations of the development can be ignited during the discussion with the students. Combining conceptual/theoretical knowledge, real world information and hypothetical storyline, this game allows students to make in-group decisions in different scenarios in the development process. Instructors may facilitate discussion between groups and deliver knowledge of ecotourism such as tourism impact assessment, destination planning and visitor management at certain stages of the game. Some common dilemmas between different parties are designed along the storyline and the students are encouraged to critically think and justify their decisions in attempt to balancing the multi-stakeholders’ interests and achieving sustainable tourism development. As different groups may have different paces and decisions during the game, the students are not required to achieve the same ending. The various results allow the students to draw further deeper critical thinking. This game significantly integrates conventional lecturing, class interactions and e-learning application to tourism classes. The platform also allows students to experience the scenarios outside classroom, either individually or group-based, which would enhance the learning effectiveness. A focus group study on the effectiveness of knowledge transfer is undertaken by sampling 30 bachelor students from various disciplines in university. Preliminarily, active performance has been observed during the in-class discussions and positive responses on the integrated teaching method have been obtained from the questionnaires regarding the students’ knowledge, attitude and usability before and after the game experience.

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