Vital
Signs - Image credit: Classroom, Inc.
Vital Signs, developed
by FableVision Studios for Classroom, Inc., was
selected as a finalist in the 2018
Serious Games Showcase and Challenge in the Business
Category.
Classroom, Inc.’s newest Serious Game, Vital Signs, focuses on
healthcare and is the third in Classroom, Inc.’s award-winning Read to Lead
suite of literacy learning programs. (Please find also Simulated
Workplace Experiences, Grounded In Reading Standards, Connect School To Career).
The Read to Lead series is a great way for students to build
literacy competency in a dynamic and engaging context – but Classroom, Inc.
knows that there’s no reason why students can’t also work on higher-level
critical reasoning and decision-making skills at the same time. This
interdisciplinary philosophy is exemplified in Classroom, Inc.’s blended
learning model, which combines scaffolded literacy skills with collaborative
project-based activities to create unique learning experiences that transcend
the traditional English lesson.
FableVision perspective is that “Vital Signs gameplay takes
place at the intersection of a variety of educational topics, from literacy
skills to leadership – and somehow manages to remain fun and engaging at the
same time.”
“Students have big shoes to fill when they step into the world of Vital
Signs. Playing as the medical director of a bustling community clinic in a fictional
city, students must work with clinic staff and patients to make decisions and
solve the thorny problems that present themselves each episode. From the exam
room to the counseling office, behind each clinic door there waits a challenge
that will strengthen students’ learning. Researching and summarizing the
symptoms of a patient’s anxiety requires reading comprehension and writing
skills, while choosing the right treatment course pushes students to flex their
decision-making muscles.” (Source: FableVision Blog)
Vital
Signs Staff - Image credit: Classroom, Inc.
There are 12 episodes in total in Vital Signs. Each 20–30 minute
game episode focuses on one workplace challenge: a problem or issue that
students must address by gathering information, analyzing the situation, and
making a decision. Each work-related issue can only be solved by collecting and
analyzing information, considering multiple points of view, and applying
critical thinking and problem solving skills.
Gameplay
In the game, students take on the role of the medical director of a
community-based family clinic. The community is called Port Douglas, and it is
a common strand throughout all Read to Lead learning game experiences,
including After the Storm and Community in Crisis.
As the medical director, students have ample opportunities to engage
with text, as they read their way through conversations with colleagues and
patients, review medical texts, resources, and other documents that they
encounter as a part of their work day, and compose and edit emails and reports.
All of these encounters with text both immerse students in the game’s story and
help the players make vital decisions in their professional role.
In Vital Signs, these problems will include patient care
decisions as well as operational questions about the running of the clinic. As
the medical director of the Be Well Family Clinic, a student’s primary problem
might involve determining the proper diagnosis for a patient by doing an intake
interview, consulting with other professionals in the clinic, analyzing the
patient’s medical history, or making a decision as to diagnosis and/or
treatment.
Vital
Signs Episode 4 - Image credit: Classroom, Inc.
Vital
Signs Episode 4 - Image credit: Classroom, Inc.
Similarly to the other two games in the Read to Lead learning
series (“Community in Crisis” and “After the Storm”), Classroom, Inc., with its
new game Vital Signs, does a great job in immersing players in a
personalized workplace experience grounded in reading standards.