Overview
Make learning fun. Equip players with essential vocabulary and help them grow their analytical skills through interactive gameplay.
Designed as a fun and engaging educational experience, Lumen is a card game that challenges players to pair photography vocabulary with photos, teaching players to have a keener eye for photography and introducing them to vocabulary useful in photographic discussion and critique, while also encouraging critical thinking, debate, and analysis.
Quick Links
What's in the box?
About Lumen
Conceived by Carol Record as part of her MFA thesis on game-based learning at Jacksonville State University, Lumen emerged from her personal challenges in the realm of education. Drawing on her passion for games, education, and photography, Carol designed a game that effectively engages students, breaking the ice and facilitating camaraderie while also serving as a versatile tool for delivering course content.
Designed as a fun and engaging educational experience, Lumen introduces players to terminology useful in photographic critique and discussion, while also encouraging critical thinking, debate, and analysis.
Lumen has been play-tested by over 100 players in and outside the classroom, and teachers, students, and the general public all love it. It was play-tested in several introductory design and photography classrooms. Instructors reported an increase in student engagement, and students indicated that the game helped them feel more comfortable with others and taught them new things. Woohoo!
The Evolution of Lumen
Game-Based Learning Research
Interested in game-based learning? Check out Carol’s research paper on game-based learning and Lumen, which was published online in Jacksonville State University’s Digital Commons.
Game-Based Learning: Building Competence in Visual Literacy Through Simulation.
Abstract
Game-based learning is an ideal experiential learning framework for introducing the critique process to reduce student anxiety and create competence in visual literacy and self-assessment. Critique, the assessment, and analysis of one’s work is an essential step in any creative process. It is an integral part of art school. However, it can also be a source of high anxiety for new students. This paper discusses the importance of critique, the challenges associated with teaching critique, and the benefits of utilizing game-based learning. Examples of game-based learning solutions are explored, including the development of, and response to, Lumen, a card game designed to prepare students for photographic discussion and critique.
