Developing the "reacting to the past" teaching methodology at Lingnan and in Asia

This project evaluates the potential of the “Reacting to the Past” (RTTP) method of game-based learning which is not well-known in Asia, and attempts to contribute to student achievement in the History Department and potentially in the broader university community. The RTTP methodology employs active role-playing, in which students assume the identities of historical figures and argue persuasively from these assumed perspectives. The Principal Project Supervisor (PPS) has trialed RTTP in her previous project, with very encouraging results: student participation and student critical and analytical capabilities were enhanced. These outcomes relate directly to History programme Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs).

The current project expands upon the PPS’s previous project and will unfold in several steps. First, History instructors and other interested Lingnan faculty will be trained in the RTTP methodology. The PPS and Co-supervisors will then pilot RTTP in selected History courses, collect data on student achievement in History ILOs. The project will culminate in a regional RTTP conference which will explore how game-based methods may contribute to history curricula and more broadly to undergraduate education at universities in Asia. At present, the project is progressing well. After fully implementing in history course(s), the useful elements have been applied to the Lingnan’s new flagship Global Liberal Arts Programme. The PPS expects to incorporate the project findings into a module and to teach this module in a broad-based teaching conference for Asia in 2020.