Educational Gaming Commons - Press Start

Call for Proposals

The deadline to submit is now close of business 5-8-09.

Project Focus

This call for proposals will focus on two distinct projects:

Project 1 - The development of supporting educational materials for a commercial, off –the-shelf (COTS) game that is used in a Penn State class.

Project 2 - The development of a small game to be used as supporting instructional materials for a Penn State class.

You must apply for each project separately. They are distinct projects. An individual can apply for each project.

Project 1

What is a Commercial, Off-the-Shelf Game?

Any game that was developed for commercial sale, is readily available, and can be used for educational purposes. Examples include World of Warcraft, Civilization and The Sims.

What Are Supporting Educational Materials?

These are any materials that utilize the game to promote educational activities. Worksheets, discussion forums designed to answer targeted questions, pre-game structuring activities, and post-game reflection activities are all examples of these.

Project 2

What is a “Small” Game?

This is extremely difficult to quantify. It must be a game that can be conceptualized and developed in one semester by the EGC staff. It must be a game that requires little or no maintenance after it’s developed. Many casual games fit this criteria, while no online RPGs do. The proposal reviewers will examine each proposal on a case-by-case basis, and may contact you for additional clarification on specific aspects of the proposed game.

Faculty whose proposals are accepted will receive support from EGC staff on the design, development, and implementation of the project. Faculty will be responsible for the maintenance of the materials developed for Project 1. EGC will be responsible for the maintenance of Project 2 to ensure the game continues to operate for a period of two years beyond the completion date. Any additional features desired by the faculty member must be negotiated with the EGC and will not be considered to be part of the project.

Proposal Requirements

• Instructors from any Penn State location or program are invited to apply. Please note that any request for payment in the form of a personal stipend or salary for students cannot be accepted.

• Instructors must complete the online application form

• At least one instructor participating in the project must be listed as an instructor of record in a Penn State course.

• Instructors must be available for meetings and consultations with the project team throughout the project cycle.

• Outcomes of the project will be shared on the EGC Community website.

• All items and games developed will exist under a Creative Commons License and be available on the EGC Community site.

• Once the proposal is reviewed, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be prepared stating project details to be agreed upon by the faculty member and the EGC. Both the faculty member(s) and the EGC must agree to the terms of the MoU.

• The lead faculty member maintain a journal/blog of progress maintained throughout the project lifecycle that will be shared with the EGC; ideally the world. This must include

  • Shared samples of student and/or instructor work.

  • Summary of assessment of use of developed materials.

  • An article on the use of the materials that can be publically shared.

  • Submitting a request to present your findings at the annual TLT Symposium – see http://symposium.tlt.psu.edu/ .

Project Timeline

The application period for this award is ongoing, and will continue until all available slots are filled. Please check the EGC website for availability before submitting a proposal.

Application Period - Spring 2009

Notification - 3 weeks after submission

Project Duration Development, 1 semester

Questions? Please contact gaming@psu.edu .

Apply Now

EGC 2009 Gaming Engagement Initiative: Application Form