where's the bling of the thing?: ethics, gaming and pbl-i

This paper describes an evaluation of PBL-Interactive (PBL-I) as authoring tool for an ethical decision-making game, in the Dip ICT course, ET600 Ethics and professionalism, at Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT). While the prototype was developed and the usability testing conducted with student volunteers returned positive results, the limitations of the authoring tool to create a multi-linear ethics game outweighed its affordances. In particular, the authoring mode interface lacked ease of use and functionality for advanced features such as video and audio, desirable options to motivate computing students with advanced gaming experience, in online and face-to-face learning environments. Scenario-based problem solving can be used in serious games to explore ethical decision making. However, authoring tools for tertiary educators should be easy to use, including for multi-linear scenarios. Groups should be able to work through the ethical game scenario in multiple ways, with the potential for students to create new content for future participants. Otherwise, deep thinking is displaced by astute guessing of a \'right answer\' from a list. Ethical decision-making may be constrained, more simplistic, and deterministic. Cross cultural issues may be used stereotypically, without developing insight or empathy. Opportunities for international students to make a contribution as subject matter experts may not eventuate.