A Taxonomy of Educational Games

2010 ◽  
pp. 1-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan O’Brien ◽  
Kimberly A. Lawless ◽  
P. G. Schrader
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Design ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Educational Research ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Theoretical Basis ◽  
Educational Games ◽  
Digital Games ◽  
Educational Objectives ◽  
Different Types

Digital games are a relatively new tool for educators, who often misunderstand their value for education. This is partly since they perceive many very different types of games in the same way. The authors propose a taxonomy of digital games in education based on the features that are relevant to instructional design and educational research. The taxonomy outlines four genres into which games fall, depending on the cognitive functions and skills they engage. The theoretical basis for the taxonomy the authors develop draws from R. M. Gagne’s Five Categories of Learning Outcomes, Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, and D. H. Jonassen’s Typology of Problem Solving. The links between these theories and the educational games taxonomy will allow educators and researchers to understand games in the light of their educational affordances. Instructional design based on these theories can more effectively integrate games into the classroom.

A Taxonomy of Educational Games

2011 ◽  
pp. 1-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan O’Brien
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Design ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Educational Research ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Theoretical Basis ◽  
Educational Games ◽  
Digital Games ◽  
Educational Objectives ◽  
Different Types

Digital games are a relatively new tool for educators, who often misunderstand their value for education. This is partly since they perceive many very different types of games in the same way. The authors propose a taxonomy of digital games in education based on the features that are relevant to instructional design and educational research. The taxonomy outlines four genres into which games fall, depending on the cognitive functions and skills they engage. The theoretical basis for the taxonomy the authors develop draws from R. M. Gagne’s Five Categories of Learning Outcomes, Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, and D. H. Jonassen’s Typology of Problem Solving. The links between these theories and the educational games taxonomy will allow educators and researchers to understand games in the light of their educational affordances. Instructional design based on these theories can more effectively integrate games into the classroom.

Building Artificially Intelligent Learning Games

2011 ◽  
pp. 793-825 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Van Eck
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Cognitive Psychology ◽  
Instructional Design ◽  
Educational Games ◽  
Digital Games ◽  
Educational Goals ◽  
Digital Game ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Game Based Learning ◽  
Learning Games

The idea of digital game-based learning (DGBL) is gaining acceptance among researchers, game designers, educators, parents, and students alike. Building new educational games that meet educational goals without sacrificing what makes games engaging remains largely unrealized, however. If we are to build the next generation of learning games, we must recognize that while digital games might be new, the theory and technologies we need to create DGBL has been evolving in multiple disciplines for the last 30 years. This chapter will describe an approach, based on theories and technologies in education, instructional design, artificial intelligence, and cognitive psychology, that will help us build intelligent learning games (ILGs).

Digital Games

2012 ◽  
pp. 166-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Betül Özkan-Czerkawski
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Instructional Design ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Educational Games ◽  
Digital Games ◽  
Important Case ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Game Based Learning ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Games And Simulations

Digital games and simulations are playing an important role in younger generations’ lives. Their adoption to e-Learning environments, however, is rather slow because educators are reluctant to change the way they teach. This chapter starts with a brief discussion of game and simulation terminology, including serious games, game-based learning, and game genres. It continues with a review of the current status of educational games and simulations being used in higher education institutions. Important case studies are provided to present examples to the higher education faculty. Finally, a discussion of teaching strategies, instructional design processes, and assessment issues for effective digital game incorporation in e-Learning is included.

Building Artificially Intelligent Learning Games

2011 ◽  
pp. 271-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Van Eck
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Cognitive Psychology ◽  
Instructional Design ◽  
Educational Games ◽  
Digital Games ◽  
Educational Goals ◽  
Digital Game ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Game Based Learning ◽  
Learning Games

The idea of digital game-based learning (DGBL) is gaining acceptance among researchers, game designers, educators, parents, and students alike. Building new educational games that meet educational goals without sacrificing what makes games engaging remains largely unrealized, however. If we are to build the next generation of learning games, we must recognize that while digital games might be new, the theory and technologies we need to create DGBL has been evolving in multiple disciplines for the last 30 years. This chapter will describe an approach, based on theories and technologies in education, instructional design, artificial intelligence, and cognitive psychology, that will help us build intelligent learning games (ILGs).

Moving to Solution

2013 ◽  
Vol 60 (6) ◽  
pp. 403-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Werner ◽  
M. Raab
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Embodied Cognition ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Problem Space ◽  
Arm Swing ◽  
String Problem ◽  
Problem Solving Process ◽  
Problem Solving Task ◽  
Bodily Movements

Embodied cognition theories suggest a link between bodily movements and cognitive functions. Given such a link, it is assumed that movement influences the two main stages of problem solving: creating a problem space and creating solutions. This study explores how specific the link between bodily movements and the problem-solving process is. Seventy-two participants were tested with variations of the two-string problem (Experiment 1) and the water-jar problem (Experiment 2), allowing for two possible solutions. In Experiment 1 participants were primed with arm-swing movements (swing group) and step movements on a chair (step group). In Experiment 2 participants sat in front of three jars with glass marbles and had to sort these marbles from the outer jars to the middle one (plus group) or vice versa (minus group). Results showed more swing-like solutions in the swing group and more step-like solutions in the step group, and more addition solutions in the plus group and more subtraction solutions in the minus group. This specificity of the connection between movement and problem-solving task will allow further experiments to investigate how bodily movements influence the stages of problem solving.

scholarly journals Developing Educational Games for Preschool Children to Improve Dietary Choices and Exercise Capacity

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3340
Author(s):  
Veronica Piziak
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Educational Games ◽  
Family Participation ◽  
Culturally Appropriate ◽  
School Year ◽  
Sweetened Beverages ◽  
Dietary Choices ◽  
Hispanic Populations ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Summer Session

This article describes the processes used to develop two different types of games used to improve the consumption of healthful foods and increase exercise in preschool Hispanic populations. They were created to meet criteria for effectiveness: age and culturally appropriate, fun, and foster family participation. The first, a pictorial bilingual food bingo game, emphasized vegetable and water consumption and the limitation of sugar-sweetened beverages. A population was selected to study the effectiveness in changing dietary habits, and we were able to show a significantly improved consumption of vegetables at home after using the game during the school year. Next, we developed bilingual video games used to teach nutrition and enhance exercise. The animal characters and narrative were created to allow immersion. The concept was that the animals needed the children’s help to obtain food, exercise tasks were assigned, and nutritional foods were discussed. Focus groups were reviewed for the effectiveness of the concept, ease of usability, and appropriateness for the target audience. The videos were tested in a summer session, and teachers concluded that after two viewings the children enhanced their exercise, bonded to the animals, and were answering the nutrition questions correctly.

Children’s Experiences on Learning the 21st-Century Skills With Digital Games

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 685-706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juho Kahila ◽  
Teemu Valtonen ◽  
Matti Tedre ◽  
Kati Mäkitalo ◽  
Olli Saarikoski
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
21St Century ◽  
21St Century Skills ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Digital Games ◽  
School Sports ◽  
Adult Participants ◽  
Core Subjects ◽  
Physical Abilities

Previous research on learning-related digital games has focused on studying learning outcomes with mostly adult participants. This study explores what children have experienced they have learned by playing digital games, how these learning experiences relate to 21st-century skills, and in which contexts do the children benefit from playing digital games. The data were collected from children’s essays, which were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results reveal that children’s learning experiences are often related to 21st-century core subjects and skills, but they also reported improved physical abilities and sports competences from digital games. Children felt that the skills they had gained were beneficial in the contexts of school, sports, and friendships. The results contribute to our understanding of digital games and children by providing children’s perspective on digital games and learning.

scholarly journals Creativity as a function of problem-solving expertise: posing new problems through investigations

ZDM ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haim Elgrably ◽  
Roza Leikin
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Dynamic Geometry ◽  
Problem Posing ◽  
Dynamic Geometry Environment ◽  
Mathematics Majors ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
University Mathematics ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Mathematics Test ◽  
Different Types

AbstractThis study was inspired by the following question: how is mathematical creativity connected to different kinds of expertise in mathematics? Basing our work on arguments about the domain-specific nature of expertise and creativity, we looked at how participants from two groups with two different types of expertise performed in problem-posing-through-investigations (PPI) in a dynamic geometry environment (DGE). The first type of expertise—MO—involved being a candidate or a member of the Israeli International Mathematical Olympiad team. The second type—MM—was comprised of mathematics majors who excelled in university mathematics. We conducted individual interviews with eight MO participants who were asked to perform PPI in geometry, without previous experience in performing a task of this kind. Eleven MMs tackled the same PPI task during a mathematics test at the end of a 52-h course that integrated PPI. To characterize connections between creativity and expertise, we analyzed participants’ performance on the PPI tasks according to proof skills (i.e., auxiliary constructions, the complexity of posed tasks, and correctness of their proofs) and creativity components (i.e., fluency, flexibility and originality of the discovered properties). Our findings demonstrate significant differences between PPI by MO participants and by MM participants as reflected in the more creative performance and more successful proving processes demonstrated by MO participants. We argue that problem posing and problem solving are inseparable when MO experts are engaged in PPI.

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