Allow the Side Quest
Oftentimes, when some piece of information comes up that students are so enthralled with they can’t let it go, they ask, “hey, can we…” In that moment, they enter some kind of latent educational designer mode where collaboratively they riff off of each other until they’ve designed a project that supplements the lesson or unit. Typically, I just sit back and let the process unfold. Eventually, they turn back to me and ask, “so, can we…”
In gaming, side quests are completely optional activities that the gamer might choose to opt in to taking or not. There is some identified objective, a clearly defined process for achieving it, and nearly always a promised reward. In education-speak, one might think of those elements as learning outcomes, a project rubric, and the final grade. Essentially, through gaming, students have experienced side quests as an enjoyable tertiary distraction that has a bearing on the overall game objective but might not be essential. As a teacher, I always allow side quests.
Most recently, a group of students in a mixed-level image design class (including general education, graphic design, and photography students) asked if instead of delivering a final portfolio, they could make a magazine. Nonchalantly, I gave them a sideways glance and said, “tell me more.” A few students made loosely framed pitches while others nodded their heads. “I’ll tell you what,” I said, “If you all really like this idea, I’ll give you 20 minutes to design a pitch, come up with objectives, assignments and responsibilities, and a name for the magazine.” Then I left the room without another word. Twenty minutes later, the students presented their pitch complete with sample page designs, an assignment brief for each student, and a name, JAMBALIEGRA–an anagram of the first letters of their first names. Shown is their “final exam” where they assembled copies of their publication.
Research has shown that when students take charge of their own learning and have a hand in crafting the learning objectives, their overall learning experience yields greater memory retention over time. The side quests are more than just some tangential experience, but one they hold onto and carry with them throughout the rest of their journey. Sometimes, those side quests are fleeting moments in a curriculum—such as a group of archival research students (shown) who, when studying rare books, wanted to learn how books are made. The project derailed the curriculum for the week, but the immersive quality of the learning was priceless.
On the other hand, some side quests have a bit of staying power. In a different archival research class, students asked, “hey, can we research historic recipes and make a pot-luck lunch for the midterm?” Four years later, the historic recipe pot-luck midterm (shown) is a standard assignment. For it, students complete a case study on recipes from the AM Digital database. Then, they interview family members, research their genealogy, and unpack their cultural heritage before selecting a dish and recipe.
Side quests do not come without a bit of risk on the part of the instructor. Sometimes, they rob a bit too much time from the curriculum. Almost always there are a couple of students who find them irritating and want to stick to the planned agenda. Sometimes those students come around and sometimes they don’t, but if nothing else they remember it. And that’s the whole point of it after all—to make learning stick. So take the risk, and allow the side quest. And when students ask, “hey, can we…” give them a sideways glance and say, “tell me more.”
