Collegis Education Partners with Game Development Company to Create Interactive Competency-Based Learning Experience

Collegis Education uses the power of gaming to help students master the skills they need to be successful in today’s workforce

 CHICAGO, Ill. (March 25, 2014)–In today’s changing education landscape, colleges and universities across the country must look for new ways to attract and retain students. To help meet the growing demands of nontraditional learners, Collegis Education, a technology-based education services company, partnered with GarageGames to build an online competency-based learning experience that uses the power of gaming to help students master the skills they need to be successful in today’s workforce. GarageGames, which is located in Las Vegas, Nev., is a traditional, entertainment game developer that supports more than 200 universities and schools across the country.

“The rise of massive open online courses (MOOCS) and competency-based education models are giving students more opportunities to learn than ever before,” said Colleen O’Keefe, chief operating officer, Collegis Education. “We know no other sector has experienced the same explosive growth in 2013 as the computer and video game industry, so we wanted to create a learning experience that uses the power of gaming to engage, motivate and retain students. Our competency-based online courses give students the opportunity to practice their skills in real-life situations before they enter the workforce. Students also have the flexibility to complete their work when they want and at their own speed; two key elements we know today’s students are looking for in a college experience.”

The competency-based online courses are setup with a series of interactive games that allow students to practice their skills, have fun and get instant feedback. From there, students can learn more about a specific competency from a library of digital content, including videos, multi-media presentations from experts in the field, eTextbooks, interactive learning elements and more, or they can move right to the assessment and demonstrate their knowledge. Students earn badges for successful completion, and they can track their progress on a live leaderboard.

“We loved being a part of a project that combines the power of gaming and learning and helps Collegis Education reach more students,” said Eric Preisz, chief executive officer, GarageGames. “We know there is a strong correlation between games, engagement and retention. We’re excited to be a part of this new learning experience and look forward to working with Collegis in helping develop more courses in the future.”

The new, innovative learning experience is currently being used by Rasmussen University. Rasmussen offers three competency courses developed by Collegis Education, including Computer and Microsoft Office Productivity, Customer Loyalty and Retention and Career Development.

Collegis Education is dedicated to developing competency-based online courses specific to an institution’s needs. Along with helping engage students and increase participation levels, the company’s digital content solutions have helped institutions reduce course material fees up to 40 percent.