This is an ambitious deep-dive into the mechanisms that drive the evolution and maintenance of biodiversity through geological time.
Activity time: 3 hrs (This could be split among several classes. Also to keep in classtime below 3 hrs, a ‘how-to-play’ videos must be assigned as homework. Double the time if playing the game twice).
Game: Bios: Megafauna
Associated materials: paper-‘What really is Evolution?’, paper- “On the causes of mass extinctions”, paper- ‘Historical Biogeography: Evolution in Time and Space’, Homework/Discussion Outline
Activity:
- Assign and discuss primary literature that matches the learning objectives (see above for suggestions).
- Play Bios: Megafauna by the publisher’s rules.
- Consider playing it again. This will increase comprehension and demonstrates how cosmic and biosphere events dramatically change the game outcomes.
- After finishing, use homework questions as an outline to lead a discussion. We also recommend assigning them as homework. Using them as a framework for discussion allows a freer, more organic exploration of the learning objectives and their ties to the gameplay. The homework promotes deeper self-reflection on all the questions. Really- that is it.
