Free Esports Curriculum Contains Full Lesson Plans

Free Esports Curriculum Contains Full Lesson Plans

An esports league has launched a free high school curriculum to help teachers use gaming to boost student learning. "Gaming Concepts" from the High School Esports League (HSEL), was written as turnkey curriculum "that almost anyone with even rudimentary computer skills could teach," according to authors Kristy Custer and Michael Russell. The project was supported by Microsoft.

The content covers learning standards in areas such as careers in gaming, maintaining healthy practices, self-management and interpersonal communications, as well as an overview of esports gaming and complete lesson plans.

The authors have both been involved in HSEL's after-school esports program and worked with Wichita State University to create the semester-long elective course. According to HSEL, in a pilot program that used the curriculum, students who took the course experienced an average improvement in their grade point averages of 1.4 points and attendance that reached 95 percent.

"Students with chronic absenteeism who do not feel a connection to the school especially benefit from esports," said Custer in a statement. "Eighty-two percent of students on our team had never participated in an extra-curricular activity prior to offering esports."

"We've known for a long time that bringing students' passion for games into a supportive, educational environment can be transformative for kids who otherwise might be disengaged or left behind," added Mason Mullenioux, co-founder and CEO of HSEL

"Esports has tremendous potential, both to inspire students to learn 21st-century skills and also to include many students who have previously been marginalized with respect to competitive activities," noted Donald Brinkman, a Microsoft senior program manager in charge of Bing esports and video game experiences. The guide, he said, was "designed to teach pro-social and pro-academic behaviors that are positively correlated to better academic performance-all through the lens of esports. We are thrilled to support it."

In April 2019 Microsoft introduced an hour-long online course for educators to help them learn more about esports and how it can be used to teach college and career readiness.

The new curriculum, "Gaming Concepts," is openly available as a downloadable PDF file on the HSEL website.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • laptop displaying a glowing digital brain and data charts sits on a metal shelf in a well-lit server room with organized network cables and active servers

    Cisco Unveils AI-First Approach to IT Operations

    At its recent Cisco Live 2025 event, Cisco introduced AgenticOps, a transformative approach to IT operations that integrates advanced AI capabilities to enhance efficiency and collaboration across network, security, and application domains.

  • AI-powered individual working calmly on one side and a burnt-out person slumped over a laptop on the other

    AI's Productivity Gains Come at a Cost

    A recent academic study found that as companies adopt AI tools, they're not just streamlining workflows — they're piling on new demands. Researchers determined that "AI technostress" is driving burnout and disrupting personal lives, even as organizations hail productivity gains.

  • open digital book with a glowing holographic AI assistant emerging from its pages

    Partnership Brings AI Teaching Assistant to SchoolsPLP Course Library

    SchoolsPLP, a provider of PreK-12 digital curriculum and learning solutions, has partnered with Agilix Labs to integrate the latter's BusyBee AI teaching assistant into its K-12 course library.

  • glowing futuristic laptop with a holographic screen displaying digital text

    New Turnitin Product Offers AI-Powered Writing Tools with Instructor Guardrails

    Academic integrity solution provider Turnitin has launched Turnitin Clarity, a paid add-on for Turnitin Feedback Studio that provides a composition workspace for students with educator-guided AI assistance, AI-generated writing feedback, visibility into integrity insights, and more.