University of the Philippines Los Baños
Philippines
University of the Philippines Open University
Philippines
Katipuneros RPG: Bisperas ng Himagsikan (Katipuneros RPG: The Eve of the Revolution) is an immersive and gamified theatre that engages the “audiences” in the initiation rites of a secret revolutionary movement in the Philippines during 1896. Developed as an experiential learning approach to History, the play is anchored on constructivist, play-based, and multisensory learning principles. It integrates different elements of development theatre, immersive play, and gamified learning. Such an approach is an innovation in the applications of theatre in education, and so there is a need to assess Katipuneros RPG as a tool for learning History.
This research seeks to evaluate Katipuneros RPG as a tool for learning History by investigating the experiences of the players in the actual performance and their reflections afterwards. The respondents in the research were divided into two categories: students taking the course DEVC 40 (Fundamentals of Educational Communication) and the teachers who taught and are currently teaching it. Interviews and focus group discussions were held with the participants. Students’ reflection papers were also analysed.
Indicative results of the research showed that the interactive and immersive nature of Katipuneros RPG helped the participants to relive history and appreciate the heroes of the past. They found it to be a more effective way of learning about history compared to the traditional classroom approach. However, the effect was more affective rather than cognitive. As an educational communication medium, the immersive play would benefit from activities that help to increase the participants’ immersion in the scenes and the characters, as well as activities that would help them to process their learning.
The Katipuneros RPG is an innovative learning tool that integrates the elements of development theatre, immersive play and gamified learning, as well as the principles of constructivism, and play-based and multisensory learning. Since immersive experiences and gamification are widely applied in, for example, organizational training, marketing, and industries, this particular study which focused on a live role-playing game on a historical event is beneficial for gaining insight into its effect on learners, and how such experiences prompt learning. Specifically, the study makes an important contribution to the literature on pedagogical approaches for teaching and learning History through immersive environments.