| Title | Chapter 7: Renewable game-based open educational resources as a tool for 21st-century History teachers |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.4102/aosis.2025.BK458.07 |
| Landing page | https://books.aosis.co.za/index.php/ob/catalog/book/458 |
| License | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ |
| Copyright | Elize Küng, Magda Kloppers & Rhelda Krügel. Licensee: AOSIS (Pty) Ltd. The moral rights of the editors and authors have been asserted. |
| Publisher | AOSIS |
| Published on | 2025-12-11 |
| Long abstract | This chapter examines the use of renewable, game-based open educational resources (OERs) as a tool for developing 21st-century skills in History education. The study involved 80 fourth-year Bachelor of Education (BEd) History students who engaged with OERs through game-based learning (GBL). A mixed-method design was employed, utilising the self-directed learning (SDL) instrument for quantitative data and open-ended questionnaires for qualitative data. The findings suggest that GBL can foster SDL, increase motivation and engagement, and promote collaboration and communication skills among students. This study highlights the potential of OERs to support student-centred, SDL in 21st-century educational settings. |
| Print length | 27 pages |
| Language | English (Original) |
| Media | 7 illustrations |
| 6 tables | |
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Byron J Bunt is an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at NWU, South Africa. He specialises in history education and is a member of the Research Unit Self-Directed Learning (SDL). With over a decade of experience in teacher education, his research primarily focuses on cognitive education and game-based learning (GBL). He advocates for enhancing students’ creative and critical thinking skills through gamification. He has made significant contributions to history education and GBL through scholarly book chapters and articles published in prestigious academic journals. He pioneered a teaching and learning initiative using his self-developed trading card game, ‘Dogs of War’, to foster SDL skills in his history classes. Additionally, he is involved in projects that integrate open educational resources (OERs) and games to develop educational board and card games. Another notable project involved using the mobile gaming app ‘Habitica’ in an intervention where students role-played in the history classroom to cultivate habits of mind.
Gideon P van Tonder, an associate professor at NWU, South Africa, is renowned for his work in the self-directed professional development of teachers. He is a member of the Research Unit SDL in the Faculty of Education at NWU. He has made significant academic contributions, including numerous papers published in international education journals that focus on education management, critical thinking, metacognition and teacher professional development. Since 2015, he has authored various book chapters for publishers such as Van Schaik Publishers and AOSIS. His initiatives at NWU include projects aimed at enhancing research capabilities among staff and developing SDL skills in pre-service teachers through innovative teaching strategies. Additionally, he is deeply invested in community projects that seek to integrate entrepreneurship education across all subjects and school phases in South Africa by 2030. His excellence in teaching was recognised in 2019 when he received both the North-West University Teaching Excellence Award and the Distinguished Teaching Excellence Award across NWU’s faculties.