A One-Credit Course Model

For an Undergraduate Esports Certificate

Marc C. DeArmond
Brett E. Shelton

Boise State University

College of Innovation and Design
College of Education
Marc DeArmond
Adjunct Professor of Esports at Boise State University

Doctoral Candidate in Educational Technology

Middle School

- Math, Game Design, Digital Citizenship

Union President

Gaming Club Advisor

Science Olympiad - Game Design Coach

Level 2 Magic the Gathering Judge

26 Years of experience running LARPs

Gamer, blogger, game designer.

Esports is
organized, competitive,
professional, gaming
(Formosa et al., 2022).
Program Justification as a sport and legitimate activity.

Development Limited research on esports programs.

Challenges
Lack of common esports terminology.

No extensive textbook, history book, or curriculum

for esports at the collegiate level.

● Good Luck Have Fun (Li, 2017)

● College Esports: What You Need to Know
(Shelton & Haskell, 2018)
Textbook &
Curriculum

Developed in Pressbooks

Designed to be deployed in Canvas or

other LMS systems.

Online curriculum.

Discussion and artifact creation based.

Under continual development.

Initial Plan - 10-12 one-credit courses

Introduction to Esports Competitive Esports Culture

Esports in Education Esports Technology

Esports Coaching
Survey of Top Esports
Esports Event Practicum
Detailed Game Analysis
Esports Event Management
Content Creation Esports Business and Marketing
Esports Analytics
Reasons for One-Credit Course Design

● Short, 7-10 week, half semester classes.

● Online Courses.

● Flexibility in content as the area develops.

● Each course serves as a micro-credential.

● Offering for professional development.

Timeline of BSU Esports
Introduction to Esports (3) Esports Content and Analysis Esports Operation and Esports Capstone (3)
(3) Management (3)

Introduction to Esports Content Creation Esports in Education Esports Event Practicum

Survey of Top Esports Detailed Game Analysis Esports Coaching Esports Technology

Competitive Esports Culture Esports Data and Analytics Esports Organizational Esports Business and Marketing
Management

Three-credit course breakdown.

Future Research for the Program

Qualitative Study Mixed Methods Study

1. What are students’ motivations for taking
a college level esports courses?
2. What are students’ expectations of college
esports courses?
1. How to collegiate esports leaders
(coaches, directors, etc.) define success
of their program?
2. What metrics lead to success as defined
by collegiate esports leaders?
Marc DeArmond
marcdearmond@boisestate.edu

Brett Shelton brettshelton@boisestate.edu

Boise State University