Customer Reviews

Engaging Learning: Designing e-Learning Simulation Games (Pfeiffer Essential Resources for Training and HR Professionals)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have yet to finish this book; however, for the portions I have already read, I am not impressed. To begin, his expanded usage of the English language is unnecessary for the simplicity of his context. He also frequently uses run on sentences that can be as long as 64 words! Also, "his" concepts are more or less variances others theory's. Not that he doesn't give credit where it is due, but where are his original thoughts? The first half of the book is lofty, very wordy and lacking clear definitions. Perhaps this may be a test to see if I can Engage in learning.

As an FYI, I had to read this as it was an assigned reading for one of my Web Development college courses.

I had high hopes for this book what with Dr. Allen's apparent endorsement and Jay Cross writing a positive review of it. I found the book dry and boring. I started each chapter with the hope that it would reveal something useful that could be readily applied, but each chapter ended flat. I found a great deal of wisdom in Dr Allen's books. I was hoping that this book might give me somewhat of a different perspective that would expand upon (and even disagree with) the instructional design perspective in Dr Allen's books. Instead it caused me to want to go back and re-read Dr Allen's books to see if my present experience level would cause me to find new meaning. (Micheal Allen's Guide to E-Learning and Creating Successful e-learning)

I give this book 2 stars because Clark Quinn does include some examples. I think that this book would have been far more worthwhile if it was written around these examples. I would have liked to see him explain an idea and then really delve into how he applied that idea in the examples he shows in the book. Instead the examples seem somewhat removed from what the author is primarily saying in each chapter.

This is quite possibly the worst "textbook" I have ever had to use. For a product called "engaging learning", it failed to engage me at all. I agree with other reviewers that the language structure is unnecessarily formal; it's like he is constructing an elaborate bedtime story with grand physical gestures rather than trying to teach something academic. I was not impressed with the linguistic runaround and smoke-and-mirrors outline format.

Professors should take note: don't require this text as supplemental class material. It's a waste of your students' time and money.

a very basic overview fo the situation; does not include major players like BTS, SMG, Real Learning that are the worlds number 1 in simulation these days from invoicing and development of simulations.

I've known and worked with Clark Quinn for several years. He's written a very good book. Like the e-learning it advocates, Engaging Learning is fun, accessible and, well, engaging. Working from a solid theoretical framework, Clark explains why learning should be "hard fun" and then shows how to create that kind of e-learning. He includes several detailed case studies. As someone who develops e-learning for a living, I appreciated his pragmatic approach and acknowledgement that e-learning can be developed at different levels of engagement, depending on budget, schedule, quality of source material, etc.

What really shines through, though, is Clark's passion for incorporating simulations and gaming techniques into e-learning. If you read this book and some of that rubs off, you will develop better e-learning.

I will be brief. That's the way you feel when you're engaged in an eLearning Simulation Game. You get swept up in it. You're turned on. You block out life's static in order to reach your goal. Clark's book is like that. BUY THIS BOOK!