Games are designed to entertain and challenge players. Mah jongg fits the bill because it requires critical thinking, situational awareness, and social acuity. In addition to these skills, a player needs to know strategies and how to apply them to play the game well.
Each trek in the Mahj Life Merit Program is self-paced and practical, designed to help you learn, apply, and ultimately prove your knowledge. All exams and assignments are open-book—intentionally structured to support real-world learning, especially for adults returning to study. The focus is not memorization but building confidence, understanding, and applying what you’ve learned. Earning the microbadge means you’ve demonstrated true proficiency, not just passed a test.
Here are the trek objectives:
- Recognize essential skills
- Identify powerful strategies
- Explain the balance between luck and skill in gameplay
- Demonstrate your ability to teach skills and strategies to students
The formats may include multiple-choice (e.g., terminology using wiki glossary, gameplay tactics using the NMJL 2024 card; passing grade 80%), and an extended-response essay question (e.g., luck versus skill in mah jongg; two to three paragraphs; grade per an analytic rubric passing score 40+). Exams source Mahj Life content created by Michele Frizzell, who has over 50 years of experience playing several versions of mah jongg and other mind-sport games. You can study in advance by reading wiki articles and watching videos on the Skills and Strategies Matrix (Article 210).
The trek will conclude with a final exam that will consist of a one-page syllabus and a lesson plan for a virtual lesson (syllabus rubric passing score 40+) so that you can conduct a 1-hour virtual mock lesson with one or more students who will need to complete a lesson evaluation (passing score 4+).
There will be monthly Q&A sessions that you can attend as needed until you take your assessments.
Prerequisites
Participants must be enrolled in the Merit Program for Instructors.
Curriculum
- 3 Sections
- 6 Lessons
- Lifetime
- Leg 1 AMJ Quest Strategy Trek PreparationLeg 1 of this trek will help you prepare for the exams.2
- Leg 2 AMJ Quest Strategy Trek Final Part I ExamLeg 2 of this trek walks you through two exams and an essay that will give insight into information you've retained, demonstrate your proficiency, and ensure that you can communicate the concepts in lessons. The passing score for each exam is 80%.3
- Leg 3 AMJ Quest Strategy Trek Final Part II Strategy LessonLeg 3 of this trek guides you through the final exam where you conduct a 1-hour one-on-one virtual strategy lesson.1
