Using the Game: Minecraft to Teach Communication Competence
Overview
This activity helps students learn about communication competence and improve their computer-mediated communication competence skills. Students understand the importance of collaboration, team-building skills, and negotiation. The digital game, Minecraft, is used to help students craft better messages.
Communication Studies
Abstract
This activity helps students learn about communication competence and improve their computer-mediated communication competence skills. Students understand the importance of collaboration, team-building skills, and negotiation. The digital game, Minecraft, is used to help students craft better messages.
Courses: Any Lower or Upper Division Communication Courses; Small Group; Interpersonal, Leadership, and Introductory Communication Studies Courses; Public Speaking
Keywords: Competence, Interpersonal, Minecraft, Team-Building
Using the Game: Minecraft to Teach Communication Competence
Introduction and Rationale
Today’s students are defined as the new internet generation (Dzubian, Moskal, & Hartman, 2005). These young individuals have grown up with constant media exposure. Because of widespread media scandals and several misleading websites, they have been taught to be critical and wary of classical theoretical approaches. In addition, current college students have grown up with cell phones and personal computers as their standard technological tools. Often, these students will take their notes on their smartphones or tablets. Furthermore, they will often obtain their information from online sources rather than purchasing a traditional textbook. These media and technological influences also affect how they learn and retain information.
Findings suggest that college students prefer texting over face-to-face conversations. Dzubian, Moskal, and Hartman (2005) found that current college students perform poorly in blended classrooms compared to other types of students. The reason is that they dislike and do not participate in the face-to-face component of the class. They would prefer only to communicate electronically. While college students possess superior computer skills, they frequently are still adolescents and are not hesitant about posting immature ideas and opinions.
While online communication may pose drawbacks to college student communication, face-to-face interactions do not seem promising either. College students often need to consider how their remarks might be misinterpreted or misconstrued by others. They are less apt at reading nonverbal cues compared to other generations. In addition, they need to improve audience analysis and ethical communication. Research on current college students has shown that they have a hard time talking to others in an interpersonal context (Hartman & McCambridge, 2011). Employers have noted that they could be more effective at engaging in basic interpersonal skills because they have been surrounded by technology. For example, current college students are proficient at emailing and texting via electronic media. However, they need help to converse at a business lunch or express their ideas at a business meeting. Ultimately, when it comes to instructional communication, instructors are stuck choosing the lesser of two evils.
Minecraft is a digital game that is also used in the classroom. Minecraft is a game about the placement of mining cubes. The cubes are made from various materials (e.g., tree trunks, water, ores, stone, and dirt). Players collect these cubes to create a formation. The game can be played individually or with others. The game's objective is to build a shelter for the evening before the monsters come out to prey on victims. After they complete the shelter, they repeat the process of adding to the shelter to make it more complex for monsters to attack and add valuable resources to survive. Minecraft allows students to be creative and sharpen their problem-solving skills. In addition, this is a social game that allows for practical communication skills. Students depend on other players to create their structures, and the chat feature teaches them better computer-mediated communication skills.
Description of Activity
Prior to the activity, ask students to complete the Self-Perceived Communication Competence Scale (McCroskey & McCroskey, 1988) and CMC Competence Scale (Spitzberg, 2005, v5) (Appendices 1 & 2). Next, ask the students to form dyads. All students will need a laptop, smartphone, or tablet with Internet access. Next, ask the students to go to https://education.minecraft.net/ and download a free trial of the game. Next, divide the class in half. Ask one-half of the students not to use the chat feature and the other half to use the chat feature. Next, students are instructed to build a shelter with their partners. Allow 20 minutes for them to build their structures.
Another option would be to use one of the lesson plans on the website focused on communication and/or leadership. Students will work together to meet the objectives of that particular lesson. These additional lesson plans can be located under the resources tab.
Allow students to talk about their experiences completing their Minecraft task with their partner. The instructor should also incorporate some concepts regarding communication competence and computer-mediated communication competence. Ask students to discuss these differences in detail and some of the challenges with these concepts related to this particular activity. If time allows, students can create a new computer mediated communication competence measure specific to Minecraft.
Debriefing Paragraph
After the activity, discuss their observations about their communication behaviors and perceptions of communication competence. In order to help students enhance their interpersonal communication skills with digital gaming, such as Minecraft, educators must create engaging and participative situations (Beckstrom, Manual, & Nightingale, 2008). Tucker (2006) found that students prefer team-based learning or cooperative strategies rather than direct learning from the instructor. Students want to be more involved in the learning process (Hanna, 2003). Thus, educators should place students in dyads or small groups so that students can interact with each other while in a digital gaming context.
Hartman and McCambridge (2011) suggested that educators should stress how communication is an interactive process. Improving this process would include showing how each person has a unique communication style and how different individuals prefer to encode/decode messages. Instructors can help students recognize and identify their communication style and their level of communication competence. At the same time, instructors can help students realize that not everyone has different communication preferences. Students can use Minecraft to determine their communication styles and compare their results with others in the class.
Appraisal/Evaluation of the Activity
Students will appreciate the importance of communication in an online setting. Students will also learn how Minecraft can teach them about communication competence. Students love this activity because they are often interacting digitally. It is crucial for them to realize their communication behaviors and to understand if they are effective computer-mediated communicators. This activity creates an awareness of how messages are being understood and processed. This activity also helps students learn to work with others and develop small-group skills for dealing with conflict and misunderstandings. Using digital gaming, such as Minecraft, is an effective means of helping students communicate in a very technologically savvy society.
References and Suggested Readings
Barr, M. (2017). Video games can develop graduate skills in higher education students: A randomised trial. Computers & Education, 113, 86-97.
Beckstrom, M., Manuel, J., & Nightingale, J. (2008). The wired utility meets the wired generation. Electric light and power. Retrieved from http://www.elp.com/index/display/articledisplay/342495/articles/electric-light-power/volume-86/issue-5/news-analysis/the-wiredutility-meets-the-wired-generation.html
Dziuban, C., Moskal, P., & Hartman, J. (2005). Higher education, blended learning, and the generations: Knowledge is power: No more. Elements of quality online education: Engaging communities. Needham, MA: Sloan Center for Online Education.
Hanna, D. E. (2003, July/August). Building a leadership vision: Eleven strategic challenges for higher education. Educause Review, 25-34.
Hartman, J. L., & McCambridge, J. (2011). Optimizing Millennials’ Communication Styles. Business Communication Quarterly, 74(1), 22-44. doi:10.1177/1080569910395564
McCroskey, J. C., & McCroskey, L. L. (1988). Self-report as an approach to measuring communication competence. Communication Research Reports, 5(2), 108-113.
Spitzberg, B. H. (2006). Preliminary development of a model and measure of computer-mediated communication (CMC) competence. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11(2), 629-666.
Tucker, P. (2006). Teaching the millennial generation. Futurist, 40,
Appendix 1
Self-Perceived Communication Competence Scale (SPCC)
Directions: Below are twelve situations in which you might need to communicate. People's abilities to communicate effectively vary a lot, and sometimes the same person is more competent to communicate in one situation than in another. Please indicate how competent you believe you are to communicate in each of the situations described below. Indicate in the space provided at the left of each item your estimate of your competence.
Presume 0 = completely incompetent and 100 = competent.
_____1. Present a talk to a group of strangers.
_____2. Talk with an acquaintance.
_____3. Talk in a large meeting of friends.
_____4. Talk in a small group of strangers.
_____5. Talk with a friend.
_____6. Talk in a large meeting of acquaintances.
_____7. Talk with a stranger.
_____8. Present a talk to a group of friends.
_____9. Talk in a small group of acquaintances.
_____10. Talk in a large meeting of strangers.
_____11. Talk in a small group of friends.
_____12. Present a talk to a group of acquaintances.
Scoring: To compute the subscores, add the percentages for the items indicated and divide the total by the number indicated below.
Public 1 + 8 + 12; divide by 3.
Meeting 3 + 6 + 10; divide by 3.
Group 4 + 9 + 11; divide by 3.
Dyad 2 + 5 + 7; divide by 3.
Stranger 1 + 4 + 7 + 10; divide by 4.
Acquaintance 2 + 6 + 9 + 12; divide by 4.
Friend 3 + 5 + 8 + 11; divide by 4.
To compute the total SPCC score, add the subscores for Stranger, Acquaintance, and Friend. Then, divide that total by 3.
Public | > 86 High SPCC | < 51 Low SPCC |
Meeting | > 85 High SPCC | < 51 Low SPCC |
Group | > 90 High SPCC | < 61 Low SPCC |
Dyad | > 93 High SPCC | < 68 Low SPCC |
Stranger | > 79 High SPCC | < 31 Low SPCC |
Acquaintance | > 92 High SPCC | < 62 Low SPCC |
Friend | > 99 High SPCC | < 76 Low SPCC |
Total | > 87 High SPCC | < 59 Low SPCC |
Higher SPCC scores indicate higher self-perceived communication competence with basic communication contexts (public, meeting, group, dyad) and receivers (strangers, acquaintance, friend).
Appendix 2
CMC COMPETENCE SCALE (Spitzberg,2005, V.5)
Instructions: We are interested in how people use various computer-mediated communication (CMC) technologies for conversing with others. For the purpose of this
questionnaire, please consider CMC to include all forms of e-mail and computerbased
networks (e.g., instant messaging, world-wide-web, chat rooms, personal data
assistant, electronic bulletin boards, terminal-based video-telephony, etc.) for sending
and receiving written messages with other people. For this survey, indicate the
degree to which each statement regarding your use of various CMC media is true or
untrue of you, using the following scale:
1 = NOT AT ALL TRUE OF ME
2 = MOSTLY NOT TRUE OF ME
3 = NEITHER TRUE NOR UNTRUE OF ME; UNDECIDED
4 = MOSTLY TRUE OF ME
5 = VERY TRUE OF ME
MOTIVATION
01. I enjoy communicating using computer media.
02. I am nervous about using the computer to communicate with others. [R]
03. I am very motivated to use computers to communicate with others.
04. I look forward to sitting down at my computer to write to others.
05. Communicating through a computer makes me anxious. [R]
KNOWLEDGE
06. I am very knowledgeable about how to communicate through computers.
07. I am never at a loss for something to say in CMC.
08. I am very familiar with how to communicate through email and the internet.
09. I always seem to know how to say things the way I mean them using CMC.
10. When communicating with someone through a computer, I know how to
adapt my messages to the medium.
EFFICACY
11. I don’t feel very competent in learning and using communication media
technology.
12. I feel completely capable of using almost all currently available CMCs.
13. I am confident I will learn how to use any new CMCs that are due to come
out.
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 11 (2006) 629–666 ª 2006 International Communication Association 663
14. I’m nervous when I have to learn how to use a new communication
technology.
15. I find changes in technologies very frustrating.
16. I quickly figure out how to use new CMC technologies.
17. I know I can learn to use new CMC technologies when they come out.
18. If a CMC isn’t user friendly, I’m likely not to use it.
SKILLS
COORDINATION
19. I know when and how to close down a topic of conversation in CMC dialogues.
20. I manage the give and take of CMC interactions skillfully.
21. I am skilled at timing when I send my responses to people who email me.
22. I am skilled at prioritizing (triaging) my email traffic.
ATTENTIVENESS
23. I ask questions of the other person in my CMC.
24. I show concern for and interest in the person I’m conversing with in CMC.
25. I can show compassion and empathy through the way I write emails.
26. I take time to make sure my emails to others are uniquely adapted to the
particular receiver I’m sending it to.
EXPRESSIVENESS
27. I am very articulate and vivid in my CMC messages.
28. I use a lot of the expressive symbols [e.g., for ‘‘smile’’] in my CMC messages.
29. I try to use a lot of humor in my CMC messages.
30. I am expressive in my CMC conversations.
COMPOSURE
31. I display a lot of certainty in the way I write my CMC messages.
32. I use an assertive style in my CMC writing.
33. I have no trouble expressing my opinions forcefully on CMC.
34. I make sure my objectives are emphasized in my CMC messages.
35. My CMC messages are written in a confident style.
36. I am skillful at revealing comp
39. how lively the interaction needs to be.
40. how much access the person I need to communicate with has to the
medium.
41. how much information is involved in the message I need to communicate.
42. how much access I have to the channel or medium.
43. how long I need people to hang on to or remember the message.
44. how many different uses and forms are needed (e.g., hardcopy, image
processing, voicemail, computer language, etc.)
45. how personal or intimate the information in the message is.
46. how quickly the receiver needs to react to the message.
47. the extent to which I need to get some ‘‘back and forth,’’ ‘‘give and take,’’
and interchange of ideas.
48. the extent to which I need some creative brainstorming.
APPROPRIATENESS
49. I avoid saying things through that might offend someone.
50. I pay as much attention to the WAY I say things as WHAT I say.
51. I never say things that offend the other person.
52. I am careful to make my comments and behaviors appropriate to the situation.
EFFECTIVENESS
53. I generally get what I want out of interactions.
54. I consistently achieve my goals in interactions.
55. My interactions are effective in accomplishing what I set out to accomplish.
56. I am effective in my conversations with others.
CLARITY
57. I get my ideas across clearly in conversations with others.
58. My comments are consistently accurate and clear.
59. My messages are rarely misunderstood.
60. I feel understood when I interact with others.
SATISFACTION
61. I am generally satisfied with my communication encounters.
62. I enjoy my interactions with others.
63. I feel good about my conversations.
64. I am generally pleased with my interactions.
ATTRACTIVENESS
65. If I can engage someone in conversation, I can usually get them to like me.
66. I come across in conversation as someone people would like to get to know.
67. I make friends easily.
68. People generally enjoy my company when interacting with me.
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 11 (2006) 629–666 ª 2006 International Communication Association 665
EFFICIENCY/PRODUCTIVITY
69. I get a tremendous amount accomplished through CMC.
70. My CMC interactions are more productive than my face-to-face interactions.
71. I am more efficient using CMC than other forms of communication.
72. CMC technologies are tremendous time-savers for my work.
GENERAL USAGE/EXPERIENCE
73. I rely heavily upon my CMCs for getting me through each day.
74. I use computer-mediated means of communication almost constantly.
75. I can rarely go a week without any CMC interactions.
76. I am a heavy user of computer-mediated communication.
77. If I can use a computer for communicating, I tend to.