Live Long and Educate

Using the lenses of Vygotskian constructivism, situated cognition, the antecedents of flow, and a pedagogy interwoven with the multiliteracy framework, the authors present a COVID-19 simulation game. The game has multiple levels, challenges, disrupters, and allows for student player groups to work together (i.e., collaborate within and across player groups) to achieve the strategic objectives of the game. The player groups have an overall goal to minimize loss of life, while other parameters need to be optimized, depending on the stakeholder group that the player group is role-playing. While the game can be digitized, it is presented in a manner that allows instructors to implement the game simulation right away in their classrooms. Assessment rubrics, decision matrix templates, and debriefing notes are provided to allow for student learners to reflect on their decisions (based on course concepts) both individually and as a player group.

The Effectiveness of Simulation Games in Improving Interpersonal Communication among the Scouts of SMAN 1 Wanadadi Banjarnegara

A game simulation can help to improve interpersonal communication skills when the game involves interaction in groups. The lack of communication between the scouts of SMAN 1 Wanadadi Banjarnegara results in activities not running as planned. This study aimed to investigate how interpersonal communication among these scouts could be improved through simulation games. The study employed an experimental method with a quantitative approach and pre-experimental design. The research subjects included nine scouts with the lowest level of interpersonal communication skills. The results showed that there was a difference in the scouts’ interpersonal communication before and after the simulation games were implemented. The average score of the scouts’ interpersonal communication was higher after they played the simulation games (106.67 > 94.33), and this difference was statistically significant. This showed that there was a significant increase in the interpersonal communication skills of scouts after they participated in the simulation games. Keywords: interpersonal communication, simulation games

An innovative approach to game-based learning in nursing education: Virtual gaming simulation

Nursing education includes cognitive, affective and psychomotor learning areas that enable students to take on certain roles. Reasons such as limited clinical applications, patients' reluctance to have students practice and the low number of teaching staff negatively affect the development of students. For this reason, technological developments are integrated into the nursing education curriculum and it is tried to provide knowledge and skills to students in a safer and more effective way. Game-based learning is becoming more and more common in the education of nursing students who grow up in the age of technology. Game-based learning provides permanence in knowledge, supports active learning and increases student satisfaction. Recently, one of the applications involving technology in nursing education is virtual game simulation. Virtual game simulation is a 2D (two-dimensional) virtual computer game involving simulated real people, allowing students to actively participate in a clinical scenario. Virtual simulation games are designed with realistic scenarios for students to experience the clinical environment, improve their self-confidence, critical thinking and clinical decision making skills. The aim of this article is to explain virtual game simulation, which is a new approach in game-based learning in nursing education, and research on the subject. ​Extended English summary is in the end of Full Text PDF (TURKISH) file. Özet Hemşirelik eğitimi öğrencilere belirli rolleri üstlenmelerini sağlayacak düzeyde bilişsel, duyuşsal ve psikomotor öğrenim alanlarını içermektedir. Sınırlı klinik uygulamalar, hastaların öğrencilere uygulama yaptırmak istememesi ve öğretim elemanı sayısının az olması gibi nedenler ise öğrencilerin gelişimini olumsuz etkilemektedir. Bu nedenle yaşanan teknolojik gelişmeler hemşirelik eğitim müfredatına entegre edilerek öğrencilere bilgi ve beceri öğretimi daha güvenli ve etkin bir şekilde sağlanmaya çalışılmaktadır. Teknoloji çağında yetişen hemşirelik öğrencilerinin eğitiminde oyun temelli öğrenme giderek yaygınlaşmaktadır. Oyun temelli öğrenme, bilgide kalıcılığı sağlayarak aktif öğrenmeyi desteklemekte ve öğrenci memnuniyetini artırmaktadır. Son zamanlarda hemşirelik eğitiminde teknolojiyi içeren uygulamalardan biri sanal oyun simülasyonudur. Sanal oyun simülasyonu, öğrencilerin klinik bir senaryoya aktif katılımını sağlayan, simüle edilmiş gerçek insanları içeren 2D (iki boyutlu) bir sanal bilgisayar oyunudur. Sanal simülasyon oyunları gerçeğe yakın senaryolar ile öğrencilerin klinik ortamı deneyimlemesi, özgüvenlerinin, eleştirel düşünme ve klinik karar verme becerilerinin geliştirilmesi amacıyla tasarlanmıştır. Bu makalenin amacı, hemşirelik eğitiminde oyun temelli öğrenmede yeni bir yaklaşım olan sanal oyun simülasyonunu ve konu ile ilgili yapılan araştırmaları açıklamaktır.

Evaluating the impact of curriculum learning on the training process for an intelligent agent in a video game

We want to measure the impact of the curriculum learning technique on a reinforcement training setup, several experiments were designed with different training curriculums adapted for the video game chosen as a case study. Then all were executed on a selected game simulation platform, using two reinforcement learning algorithms, and using the mean cumulative reward as a performance measure. Results suggest that curriculum learning has a significant impact on the training process, increasing training times in some cases, and decreasing them up to 40% percent in some other cases.

Exploration and Practical Teaching Improvement of “Game Simulation & Modeling” Course

Due to long-term lack of comprehensive practice platform in simulation courses, students suffer from the challenges of engineering ability and systemic thinking training restrictions, “teaching” and “learning” separation, etc. To solve those problems, our teaching group created a simulation competition platform independently for theoretical and practical teaching of “Game Simulation & Modeling” course. The introduction of competition platform has played a good role in stimulating students’ learning motivation, training systemic simulation knowledge points and engineering ability, promoting theoretical and practical teaching, and enriching teaching materials through students’ feedback and practice accumulation.

Objective Assessment of Physical Activity and Associated Contexts During High School Sport Practices

Background: Organized sports provide children and adolescents with opportunities to achieve recommended amounts of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and schools are a primary setting for sports programs. The main aims of this study were to examine participant physical activity (PA) levels during the most popular high school sports in the United States and to assess the influences of practice contextual factors on PA levels.Methods: Participant PA and its contexts were assessed during practices for the 10 most popular girls' and boys' high school sports in the United States. Data were obtained during 598 practice sessions in 12 schools in North Carolina using a validated direct observation instrument (System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT). A regression model was applied to understand the association between sport context and athletes' PA.Results: Overall, athletes were observed engaging in MVPA 60% of practice time. MVPA varied among sports and levels were highly influenced by practice contexts. Among girls' sports, cross country and soccer practices provided the highest proportion of MVPA and MVPA percent during boys' practice sessions was highest during cross country and track and field. Practice contexts were associated with MVPA accrual with time allocated for gameplay and fitness activities associated with the highest levels of PA.Conclusions: The results contribute to an understanding of which sports and how their practices are conducted facilitate increased PA. Findings indicate athletes accrue substantial amounts of PA during high school practices, but that it varies from sport to sport. As well, the context that characterizes sport practices is a significant determinant in how much PA occurs. Most sports that emphasized game simulation, fitness, and skill development drills had higher levels of MVPA. Given the length and frequency of practices and how the content is delivered, we can accurately predict how much PA athletes are likely to achieve during a given sport season. The findings from this study demonstrate that sport can make a useful, if not sufficient role in helping high school athletes reach recommended PA levels. PA engagement can be optimized by attending to the management of contexts surrounding the sports.

WHAT DO THEY LIKE AND DISLIKE FROM GAME-BASED ENTREPRENEURSHIP LEARNING? A QUALITATIVE STUDY

One of the ways to raise an entrepreneurial spirit through learning processes is the use of game simulation. Learning materials delivered using game simulation are expected to improve knowledge, understandings, and insights related to entrepreneurship. This study aimed to examine individual’s understanding of game-based entrepreneurship learning based on the expressions of like and dislike. Data of this study were collected by means of an open-ended questionnaire through a survey conducted for nine years (2011-2019). As many as 441 students participated in the entrepreneurship game called “Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB)” at a university in Indonesia. The collected data were analyzed qualitatively using NVivo 12plus. The results showed that participants liked the game because it could increase their entrepreneurial passions, skills, insights, and mindsets. However, what participants did not like about the game was related to its’ characteristics, the personal issues that it came out with, and the teamwork in the game. This study contributes to the development of a game-based entrepreneurship learning model by identifying participants' interests and discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the game implementation.