Using Game Design as a Means to Make Computer Science Accessible to Adolescents

2013 ◽  
pp. 279-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roxana Hadad
Keyword(s):  
Computer Science ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Upward Bound ◽  
Virtual Learning Environment ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Summer Program ◽  
Underrepresented Populations ◽  
Design Concepts ◽  
Interest And Knowledge ◽  
Answering Questions

In this case, the author discusses using game design and community-building as methods for increasing interest and knowledge of computer science for students from underrepresented populations. Students in a six-week Upward Bound Math and Science (UBMS) summer program learned game design alongside programming basics, while they spoke to programming industry experts. For four weeks, students focused on the design concepts in different games they had played and with which they were familiar. They recreated these games by programming them using MIT’s Scratch software. In the remaining two weeks, students created their own game using the concepts and skills they had learned. Some students chose to program their games to use the Xbox 360® KinectTM controller as a way for the player to interact with their game using their whole body. Programmers spoke to the students weekly, both online and in person, answering questions about the field and the work that they do. Students shared their work with one another and the instructors in a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

scholarly journals A 3D Multiuser Virtual Learning Environment for Online Training of Agriculture Surveyors

10.28945/4455 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 481-507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yusep Rosmansyah ◽  
Mohamad Achiruzaman ◽  
Ariq Bani Hardi
Keyword(s):  
Game Design ◽  
Online Training ◽  
Virtual Learning Environment ◽  
Educational Game ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Knowledge Gain ◽  
Food Crops ◽  
Design Framework ◽  
Productivity Data

Aim/Purpose: This research proposed a 3D multiuser virtual learning environment (3DMUVLE) educational game design framework by combining ATMSG, ADDIE, E-Simulation, and 3D Open Simulator Technology Architecture. This paper focused on a case study of online training for food crops productivity data surveys. Background: The conventional online training still lacks engagement, immersion, and curiosity aspects, which decreases learners’ learning seriousness because the instructors and participants do not meet directly. Integration of 3DMUVLE and gamification in online training has a good potential to tackle the issue. Methodology: This research applied the Design Research Method (DRM) to propose a 3DMUVLE educational game design framework. The proposed framework was applied in training that involved 30 participants (first group), and the result was compared with that of 30 other participants (second group) who studied using the conventional method, which was an e-book and web-based learning. Authors compared the perceived usefulness and heightened enjoyment in using the proposed 3DMUVLE using linear regression analysis on HMSAM model. Contribution: Through statistical tests on the case study data, this research indicated that the 3DMUVLE resulted in better knowledge gain. Findings: Some important findings in this paper include (1) the development steps of a 3DMUVLE educational game design framework for online training of food crops productivity data survey; (2) statistical analysis result that the proposed 3DMUVLE lead to better knowledge gain, enjoyment, curiosity, immersion, and usefulness aspects; (3) the statistical analytic also showed that enjoyment and perceived of usefulness factors represented the strongest variables that influenced behavioral intention to use. Recommendations for Practitioners: The 3DMUVLE is suggested to produce better knowledge gain, yet it still has to be proven further through similar statistical analysis in real field survey scenarios. Recommendation for Researchers: The proposed 3DMUVLE can be adapted to other domains. Pleasing features in the game can be improved, such as quality of instruction in the simulation, in the hope that these will increase engagement and knowledge gain. Voice communication among users and instructors to improve interactivity may also be introduced. Impact on Society: 3DMUVLE potentially offers better knowledge gain that can be applied in various fields of online training. Future Research: An immediate future research includes a development targeted for smartphone platform, in Virtual Reality (VR) or non-VR mode. VR improves immersion aspect further but is more complicated to perform. Smartphone is relatively cheaper than a computer and more accessible by more people. Training using a smartphone-based 3DMUVLE can be carried out in wider scenarios.

Unifying Instructional and Game Design

2011 ◽  
pp. 192-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
David I. Schwartz ◽  
Jessica D. Bayliss
Keyword(s):  
Education Research ◽  
Instructional Design ◽  
Educational Research ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Active Case ◽  
Design Concepts ◽  
Road Map ◽  
Art Research ◽  
And Training

Games have impacted education, research, and industry in multiple ways, altering notions of interaction. Traditionally, instructional design and educational research have dominated academic studies of pedagogy, teaching, and training. There are many parallels between the fields of game design and education, as both draw inspiration from the study of engagement, interaction, and motivation. State-of-the-art research and trends show great potential to cross-pollinate and uplift each area. This chapter synthesizes instructional and game design concepts based on current research, comparing and contrasting key elements. Towards the goal of providing a road map for readers, the chapter demonstrates three active case studies that illustrate how both fields greatly influence each other, leading to positive outcomes. These cases demonstrate that many concepts in both fields have direct parallels. The chapter concludes with a discussion of potential future directions and trends.

scholarly journals Using Formal Game Design Methods to Embed Learning Outcomes into Game Mechanics and Avoid Emergent Behaviour

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 63-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Grey ◽  
David Grey ◽  
Neil Gordon ◽  
Jon Purdy
Keyword(s):  
Computer Science ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Science Students ◽  
Game Based Learning ◽  
Game Mechanics ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The Impact

This paper offers an approach to designing game-based learning experiences inspired by the Mechanics-Dynamics-Aesthetics (MDA) model (Hunicke et al., 2004) and the elemental tetrad model (Schell, 2008) for game design. A case for game based learning as an active and social learning experience is presented including arguments from both teachers and game designers concerning the value of games as learning tools. The MDA model is introduced with a classic game- based example and a non-game based observation of human behaviour demonstrating a negative effect of extrinsic motivators (Pink, 2011) and the need to closely align or embed learning outcomes into game mechanics in order to deliver an effective learning experience. The MDA model will then be applied to create a game based learning experience with the goal of teaching some of the aspects of using source code control to groups of Computer Science students. First, clear aims in terms of learning outcomes for the game are set out. Following the learning outcomes, the iterative design process is explained with careful consideration and reflection on the impact of specific design decisions on the potential learning experience. The reasons those decisions have been made and where there may be conflict between mechanics contributing to learning and mechanics for reasons of gameplay are also discussed. The paper will conclude with an evaluation of results from a trial of computer science students and staff, and the perceived effectiveness of the game at delivering specific learning outcomes, and the approach for game design will be assessed.

scholarly journals Designing a Programming Game to Improve Children’s Procedural Abstraction Skills in Scratch

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (7) ◽  
pp. 1372-1411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon P. Rose ◽  
M. P. Jacob Habgood ◽  
Tim Jay
Keyword(s):  
Computer Science ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Educational Games ◽  
Compulsory Education ◽  
Educational Game ◽  
Code Smells ◽  
Programming Tools ◽  
Block Based ◽  
Procedural Abstraction

The recent shift in compulsory education from ICT-focused computing curricula to informatics, digital literacy and computer science, has resulted in children being taught computing using block-based programming tools such as Scratch, with teaching that is often limited by school resources and teacher expertise. Even without these limitations, Scratch users often produce code with ‘code smells’ such as duplicate blocks and long scripts which impact how they understand and debug projects. These code smells can be removed using procedural abstraction, an important concept in computer science rarely taught to this age group. This article describes the design of a novel educational block-based programming game, Pirate Plunder, which concentrates on how procedural abstraction is introduced and reinforced. The article then reports an extended evaluation to measure the game’s efficacy with children aged 10 and 11, finding that children who played the game were then able to use procedural abstraction in Scratch. The article then uses game analytics to explore why the game was effective and gives three recommendations for educational game design based on this research: using learning trajectories and restrictive success conditions to introduce complex content, increasing learner investment through customisable avatars and suggestions for improving the evaluations of educational games.

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