Notes

Once a response has been evaluated for XP credit, one may not return to it to attempt to get a higher XP count. Please proceed to work on a different item if more XPs are needed.
 * __Note #1 - Improving XP scores?__ **

__ **Note #2 - Power Up Use** __ The more you __ require __ (certain paths or modules), the more the voluntary nature of your game is damaged. Blatantly requiring some things looks like programmed instruction and has a tendency to trivialize those items that are not required. An alternative to requiring things is to have a few items selected for Power Ups. Power Ups still are optional, but the wise student will opt to pursue them. Even so, the Power Ups need to be restricted to a small subset of what you are requiring the student to do overall. This limited Power Up consideration is to preserve as much voluntary choice as possible, even while you want to be somewhat directive. Also, on the subject of Power Ups, a Power Up is usually tied to accomplishing some sort of combination of things, meeting a deadline, or performing a unique service than is not expected for all game players. So, one would not award a Power Up for doing a single thing (article, video, activity) at just any time during the game. The use of Power Ups very much falls in the realm of "rules" as a game trait.

__ **Note #3 - Level Boards** __ For the competition angle to work, students will need a way to tell where they stand within the group (level ranking). You will need to be careful of FERPA in terms of not disclosing an individual student's grade/score. For level ranking, the level should represent a quantity of work, rather than single or small item steps. Specifically, a student should be able to move through a level in a session or two, but not multiple levels in a single session (or the levels do not mean much).

__ **Note #4 - Leader Boards** __ Having a leader board for the top performers is an extra incentive. You will need to be careful of FERPA in terms of not disclosing an individual student's grade/score. Concerning the leader board, top students often are praised for their work, but you can't disclose the top 3 in a class of 4 or 5. And, the use of real names for such a board is more likely to cause a problem than using a game name - whether you are online or not. (The game name will help to reinforce the nature of game-based learning, as well, in terms of people not taking it all too seriously -– as in the whole fear of failure issue.) If your class is so stratified that you suspect the leader board never will change, then it is not effective.

It is easy for an adventurer to get further behind than one realizes very quickly. The course is designed so that one can make up missed opportunities for earned XP counts with Crafts, Journals, and Surveillance by doing extra Pilgrimages (and, to a lesser degree, Quests). When too many Pilgrimages (and Quests) are allowed to accumulate for make-up work, two things happen: Accordingly, to avoid a difficult situation for both the adventurer and the Game Master, Pilgrimage XP counts are limited to 50 XP from pilgrimages attempted per week. More will be accepted, when possible, but it might be best to contact the Game Master if one has thoughts of doing high pilgrimage attempted XP counts.
 * __ Note #5 - Weekly Pilgrimage XP Counts __**
 * the Adventurer's work quality declines
 * it becomes very difficult for the Game Master (Teacher) to adequately review all pilgrimages and quests to assess XP counts.