Government In Action puts players in the virtual role of a US Congressman.
“There’s a competitive version of the game for up to 18 players,” said Stephen Laster, chief digital officer of McGraw-Hill Education. “The professor can open a text box and ask students why they took specific moves as they try to get re-elected as a Congressman. Professors can group students together as a team or create sub-teams in a class and play in their own worlds. There’s real value to having multiple worlds in the classroom.”
The McGraw-Hill Practice suite of games expands McGraw-Hill Education’s leadership in innovative, personalized learning. Earlier this year, the company launched the LearnSmart Advantage suite of adaptive learning products, which includes SmartBook, the world’s first-ever adaptive e-book. The company also recently made its adaptive learning platform, McGraw-Hill LearnSmart, available for the K-12 market.
“At McGraw-Hill Education, we’ve built our digital solutions with the understanding that digital, personalized learning in its many forms – adaptive technology, games and data-driven instruction – is simply the most effective way to learn,” said Laster. “With McGraw-Hill Practice and Government in Action, we’re incorporating the leading principles of cognitive science and technology in our product development. By tapping into the way today’s students learn most successfully – including real-life simulations and the competitive elements of gaming – we are helping to improve student performance.”
Government in Action allows students to explore the real-world challenges and day-to-day experiences of a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Students compete and collaborate with classmates to obtain political capital by developing and passing legislation and strategizing political moves, such as seeking co-sponsorship of a bill from a member of the competing party or launching a national media campaign. Players have limited resources to spend, so cooperation with other students is crucial to finding success in the game.
