No…Learning Is Not Like Madden
I've previously written about sports analytics and parallels to learning analytics in higher ed. So I was obviously excited to see this FiveThirtyEight article -- a behind-the-scenes writeup of the data behind player ratings in the Madden NFL video game. With the 'gamification' thread that's picked up steam in higher ed over the last few years, it makes sense to keep an eye out for connections like this. While there are definitely learnings between the gaming space and the learning space, there are also vast gaps that should not be glossed over. Let me point out a few ways that learning is not like the Madden NFL game. 1. It's REALLY HARD (if not impossible) to simulate a learner .Let's unpack this statement by first talking about how Madden simulates players.…