The Path between Pedagogy and Technology

Games-Based Learning Advancements for Multi-Sensory Human Computer Interfaces ◽

10.4018/978-1-60566-360-9.ch012 ◽

2009 ◽

pp. 191-213 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Colin Price

Keyword(s):

Collaborative Learning ◽

Serious Games ◽

Computer Game ◽

Two Dimensions ◽

Serious Game ◽

Learning Theories ◽

Learning Approaches ◽

Temporal Dimension ◽

Digital World ◽

Use Of Technology

The power of computer game technology is currently being harnessed to produce “serious games”. These “games” are targeted at the education and training marketplace, and employ various key game-engine components such as the graphics and physics engines to produce realistic “digital-world” simulations of the real “physical world”. Many approaches are driven by the technology and often lack a consideration of a firm pedagogical underpinning. The authors believe that an analysis and deployment of both the technological and pedagogical dimensions should occur together, with the pedagogical dimension providing the lead. This chapter explores the relationship between these two dimensions, and explores how “pedagogy may inform the use of technology”, how various learning theories may be mapped onto the use of the affordances of computer game engines. Autonomous and collaborative learning approaches are discussed. The design of a serious game is broken down into spatial and temporal elements. The spatial dimension is related to the theories of knowledge structures, especially “concept maps”. The temporal dimension is related to “experiential learning”, especially the approach of Kolb. The multi-player aspect of serious games is related to theories of “collaborative learning” which is broken down into a discussion of “discourse” versus “dialogue”. Several general guiding principles are explored, such as the use of “metaphor” (including metaphors of space, embodiment, systems thinking, the internet and emergence). The topological design of a serious game is also highlighted. The discussion of pedagogy is related to various serious games we have recently produced and researched, and is presented in the hope of informing the “serious game community”.

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Immersion, Narrative, and Replayability as the Motivational and Attractiveness Factors in Serious Games

Handbook of Research on Serious Games as Educational, Business and Research Tools ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-0149-9.ch051 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 991-1008 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Pollyana Notargiacomo Mustaro ◽

Raphael Leal Mendonça

Keyword(s):

Instructional Design ◽

Teaching Strategies ◽

Serious Games ◽

Serious Game ◽

Learning Theories ◽

Game Development ◽

Electronic Games

Serious games, electronic games whose purpose is work educational elements, often do not reach this goal because by being included the content and teaching strategies, the fun’s dimension and motivation to interact are reduced. In this sense, this chapter presents a proposal for the use of immersion, narrative, and replayability as devices to make serious games more attractive to the student in general. These three elements are explored theoretically and then analyzed and aligned with proposals for instructional design and learning theories. As a result, a development proposal for Serious Game Development Document (SGDD) and a rubric for evaluation of use are presented. With this, it is expected to contribute and assist not only with development, but also with in the analysis of serious games.

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Using Serious Games for Antismoking Health Campaigns: Experimental Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.18528 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jihyun Kim ◽

Hayeon Song ◽

Kelly Merrill Jr ◽

Younbo Jung ◽

Remi Junghuem Kwon

Keyword(s):

Serious Games ◽

Computer Game ◽

The United States ◽

Serious Game ◽

Fear Appeals ◽

Intention To Quit ◽

Fear Appeal ◽

Health Campaign ◽

Quit Smoking ◽

Significant Difference

BACKGROUND Serious games for health have been gaining in popularity among scholars and practitioners. However, there remain a few questions to be addressed. OBJECTIVE This study tests the effects of a serious game and fear appeals on smoking-related outcomes. More specifically, this research aims to understand how serious games function as a more effective vehicle for a health campaign than a traditional medium, such as a print-based pamphlet. Further, while serious games utilize a variety of persuasive strategies in the game’s content, it is not clear whether fear appeals, which are widely used persuasive-message strategies for health, can be an effective strategy in serious games. Thus, we are testing the effect of fear appeals in a serious game. METHODS We created a computer game and a print brochure to educate participants about the risks of smoking. More specifically, a flash-based single-player game was developed in which players were asked to avoid cigarettes in the gameplay context. We also developed an online brochure based on existing smoking-related brochures at a university health center; antismoking messages on the computer game and in the brochure were comparable. Then, an experiment using a 2 (media type: game vs. print) x 2 (fearful image: fear vs. no-fear) between-subjects design was conducted. The study recruitment was announced to undergraduate students enrolled in a large, public Midwestern university in the United States. After a screening test, a total of 72 smokers, who reported smoking in the past 30 days, participated in the experiment. RESULTS Overall, gameplay, when compared to print-based pamphlets, had greater impacts on attitudes toward smoking and the intention to quit smoking. Further, the game’s persuasive effects were especially pronounced when messages contained fear appeals. When fearful images were presented, participants in the game condition reported significantly more negative attitudes toward social smoking than those in the print condition [F(1,67)=7.28; P=.009; ηp2=0.10]. However, in the no-fear condition, there was no significant difference between the conditions [F(1,67)=0.25; P=.620]. Similarly, the intention to quit smoking [F(1,67)=4.64; P=.035; ηp2=0.07] and susceptibility [F(1,67)=6.92; P=.011; ηp2=0.09] were also significantly different between the conditions, but only when fear appeals were used. CONCLUSIONS This study extends fear appeal research by investigating the effects of different media types. It offers empirical evidence that a serious game can be an effective vehicle for fear appeals.

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Learning Interdisciplinarity and Systems Approaches in Agroecology: Experience with the Serious Game SEGAE

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12114351 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (11) ◽

pp. 4351

Author(s):

Julia Jouan ◽

Mireille De Graeuwe ◽

Matthieu Carof ◽

Rim Baccar ◽

Nathalie Bareille ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Serious Games ◽

Crop Production ◽

Agricultural Sector ◽

Systems Approach ◽

Computer Game ◽

Serious Game ◽

Mixed Crop ◽

Learn By Doing ◽

Complex Models ◽

Knowledge Survey

Agroecology represents a pertinent option to improve the sustainability of agriculture. To promote its application, agroecological concepts should be taught to students and professionals in the agricultural sector. However, most agricultural courses are not adapted to teach these concepts due to little interactivity or interdisciplinarity, and a lack of a systems approach to farm management. Serious games help to fill these gaps by simulating complex models in which players can learn by doing. We thus developed a serious computer game, called SEGAE (SErious Game for AgroEcology learning), which represents a mixed crop-livestock farm and assesses impacts of farming practices on indicators related to environmental, economic, and social sustainability. Its pedagogical interest was evaluated through two types of surveys given to university students who played the game during a one-week workshop: A knowledge survey on agroecology, and a feedback survey based on flow theory. Results showed that students increased their knowledge of agroecology significantly, particularly those who had had little knowledge of crop production. More than 86% of the students enjoyed the game, appreciating its interaction and feedback. Thus, SEGAE is an interesting tool to help students acquire knowledge of agroecology in a fun way by facilitating interdisciplinary and collaborative learning.

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Is the boundary of fun redefined in a mixed-reality serious game?

10.20944/preprints201901.0187.v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Antoine Taly

Keyword(s):

Origin Of Life ◽

Serious Games ◽

Mixed Reality ◽

Two Dimensions ◽

Serious Game ◽

Pervasive Games ◽

Broad Definition ◽

Alternate Reality Games ◽

The Origin Of Life ◽

Alternate Reality

Considering Games with the broad definition proposed by Juul (Juul, 2010), consequences outside of the magic circle can be negotiated. This definition opens up the possibility to define serious games, games developed with an utilitarian goal in mind, in addition to fun. The entertaining and utilitarian objectives may however be contradictory, leading serious games to be, more often than not, less than optimal in at least one of the two dimensions. Another way to play with the boundaries of games is to consider pervasive games, which include alternate reality games, and crossmedia games (Montola, 2005). We question here the limit between game, play and toy in the context of a mixed reality serious game. ‘Pangu’ is a game designed for bachelor students, with biochemistry as the utilitarian objective, and the origin of life as a game theme. The students are asked to play the game on their smartphone, which in turn ask them to build molecules with a tangible balls-and-sticks model typically used in chemistry classes. Pictures taken from the models allow users to ‘scan’ these models and progress in the game. The use of the game was observed in four opportunities. An unanticipated observation is that, in addition to expected behaviors, some students used briefly the models like a toy rather than in the context of the game. It is therefore tempting to speculate that the pervasive nature of the game is blurring the game/non game boundary and, in the context of this serious game, opens a door for fun.

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An Agent Based approach to design Serious Game

International Journal of Serious Games ◽

10.17083/ijsg.v1i2.17 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Manuel Gentile ◽

Dario La Guardia ◽

Valentina Dal Grande ◽

Simona Ottaviano ◽

Mario Allegra

Keyword(s):

Serious Games ◽

Serious Game ◽

Learning Approaches ◽

Educational Effectiveness ◽

Exploratory Learning ◽

Agent Based ◽

New Learning ◽

The Right ◽

Opening Up

Serious games are designed to train and educate learners, opening up new learning approaches like exploratory learning and situated cognition. Despite growing interest in these games, their design is still an artisan process.On the basis of experiences in designing computer simulation, this paper proposes an agent-based approach to guide the design process of a serious game. The proposed methodology allows the designer to strike the right equilibrium between educational effectiveness and entertainment, realism and complexity.The design of the PNPVillage game is used as a case study. The PNPVillage game aims to introduce and foster an entrepreneurial mindset among young students. It was implemented within the framework of the European project “I can… I cannot… I go!” Rev.2

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Microcredentials

Pacific Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning ◽

10.24135/pjtel.v3i1.87 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 13-14

Author(s):

Keith Heggart ◽

Camille Dickson-Deane

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Time Frame ◽

Learning Technologies ◽

Learning Theories ◽

Technology Enhanced Learning ◽

Learning Design ◽

Learning Approaches ◽

Use Of Technology ◽

Terminal Degree ◽

The Right

Higher education has faced, and will continue to face, significant challenges in the future (Bradley et al., 2009). Some of these challenges are foreseeable, for example, increasingly diverse student cohorts, many of whom are the ‘first in family’ to come to university. In addition, students today are more likely to have other responsibilities such as multiple jobs or caring duties whilst pursuing their studies (Kift et al., 2010). In addition, students’ expectations about how they will learn at university are changing, with learning technologies playing a bigger role than in the past (Dvoretskaya et al., 2018). These expectations include the use of technology to facilitate learning, more choices in learning approaches and subjects that are directly relevant and immediately translate to career pathways. In the face of these challenges, institutions are adopting a range of different and innovative measures, including experimenting with the use of technological affordances (Jeong & Hmelo-Silver, 2016) to allow for course restructuring and modifications. While some have long called for these changes (Preston et al, 2010), it could be argued that COVID has provided further stimulus for universities to investigate and trial these new ideas. One such modification is the development and implementation of microcredentials and short courses that exist both as stand-alone courses but also directly feed into terminal degree offerings (Ehlers, 2018). While the notion of microcredentials is not new (DeMonte, 2017), the entry of tertiary institutions into this space is, and is, in part, a response to the offerings of non-higher education providers. However, developing, implementing and advertising these new courses is not without its own challenges including how these might ‘stack’ meaningfully into larger qualifications (Hall-Ellis, 2016). This presentation describes the innovative development and implementation of eight learning design microcredentials within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Technology Sydney. The challenges faced by faculty and learning designers responsible for the design and delivery of these microcredentials are analysed, including: multiple entry and exit points for students; the intensity of the short time frame of the courses; the requirement to find the right mix of synchronous and asynchronous delivery; the best way to ensure facilitation throughout the student experience and, most importantly, creating a sense of belonging beyond the bounds of a single microcredential. This presentation then examines the creative structure and nature of the eight microcredentials, the blended learning theories that underpinned their design, the articulation pathways that they offered, and the design decisions that informed the development of the microcredentials, including the decision to focus on experience over expertise, situate the course close to industry and practice, manage an internship-like experience, and assess students’ achievements through a competency-based portfolio It also describes the way that technology enhanced learning approaches provided the pedagogical basis for the design of the microcredentials. The paper concludes with a summation of the learning design principles that will inform the development of future microcredentials as pathways using innovative program designs into terminal degree opportunities.

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Using Serious Games for Antismoking Health Campaigns: Experimental Study

JMIR Serious Games ◽

10.2196/18528 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. e18528

Author(s):

Jihyun Kim ◽

Hayeon Song ◽

Kelly Merrill Jr ◽

Younbo Jung ◽

Remi Junghuem Kwon

Keyword(s):

Serious Games ◽

Computer Game ◽

The United States ◽

Serious Game ◽

Fear Appeals ◽

Intention To Quit ◽

Fear Appeal ◽

Health Campaign ◽

Quit Smoking ◽

Significant Difference

Background Serious games for health have been gaining in popularity among scholars and practitioners. However, there remain a few questions to be addressed. Objective This study tests the effects of a serious game and fear appeals on smoking-related outcomes. More specifically, this research aims to understand how serious games function as a more effective vehicle for a health campaign than a traditional medium, such as a print-based pamphlet. Further, while serious games utilize a variety of persuasive strategies in the game’s content, it is not clear whether fear appeals, which are widely used persuasive-message strategies for health, can be an effective strategy in serious games. Thus, we are testing the effect of fear appeals in a serious game. Methods We created a computer game and a print brochure to educate participants about the risks of smoking. More specifically, a flash-based single-player game was developed in which players were asked to avoid cigarettes in the gameplay context. We also developed an online brochure based on existing smoking-related brochures at a university health center; antismoking messages on the computer game and in the brochure were comparable. Then, an experiment using a 2 (media type: game vs. print) x 2 (fearful image: fear vs. no-fear) between-subjects design was conducted. The study recruitment was announced to undergraduate students enrolled in a large, public Midwestern university in the United States. After a screening test, a total of 72 smokers, who reported smoking in the past 30 days, participated in the experiment. Results Overall, gameplay, when compared to print-based pamphlets, had greater impacts on attitudes toward smoking and the intention to quit smoking. Further, the game’s persuasive effects were especially pronounced when messages contained fear appeals. When fearful images were presented, participants in the game condition reported significantly more negative attitudes toward social smoking than those in the print condition [F(1,67)=7.28; P=.009; ηp2=0.10]. However, in the no-fear condition, there was no significant difference between the conditions [F(1,67)=0.25; P=.620]. Similarly, the intention to quit smoking [F(1,67)=4.64; P=.035; ηp2=0.07] and susceptibility [F(1,67)=6.92; P=.011; ηp2=0.09] were also significantly different between the conditions, but only when fear appeals were used. Conclusions This study extends fear appeal research by investigating the effects of different media types. It offers empirical evidence that a serious game can be an effective vehicle for fear appeals.

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The Role of the Researcher in Making Serious Games for Health

Human Rights and Ethics ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-6433-3.ch072 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 1329-1347

Author(s):

Pamela M. Kato

Keyword(s):

Health Outcomes ◽

Health Research ◽

Serious Games ◽

Serious Game ◽

Learning Theories ◽

Scientific Rigor ◽

Research Designs ◽

Games For Health

There has been increasing focus on serious games for health; however, there is very little evidence for the effectiveness of these games and the existing research often lacks scientific rigor. The aim of this chapter is to demystify the process of collaborating with researchers and outline how a researcher can contribute to making more effective games and start the process of evaluating it scientifically. Researchers should be engaged BEFORE serious games for health are developed in order to place serious games for health in the best position to have a measurable impact on health outcomes. The chapter covers issues of working with researchers to agree on problems to address, applying behavioral and learning theories to solve them, and finding optimal research designs to validate the serious game. Issues of safety and ethics in health research are also given considerable attention.

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The Role of the Researcher in Making Serious Games for Health

Advances in Healthcare Information Systems and Administration - Serious Games for Healthcare ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-1903-6.ch010 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 213-231 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Pamela M. Kato

Keyword(s):

Health Outcomes ◽

Health Research ◽

Serious Games ◽

Serious Game ◽

Learning Theories ◽

Scientific Rigor ◽

Research Designs ◽

Games For Health

There has been increasing focus on serious games for health; however, there is very little evidence for the effectiveness of these games and the existing research often lacks scientific rigor. The aim of this chapter is to demystify the process of collaborating with researchers and outline how a researcher can contribute to making more effective games and start the process of evaluating it scientifically. Researchers should be engaged BEFORE serious games for health are developed in order to place serious games for health in the best position to have a measurable impact on health outcomes. The chapter covers issues of working with researchers to agree on problems to address, applying behavioral and learning theories to solve them, and finding optimal research designs to validate the serious game. Issues of safety and ethics in health research are also given considerable attention.

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