An Adaptive and Interactive Educational Game Platform for English Learning Enhancement using AI and Chatbot Techniques

As our world becomes more globalized, learning new languages will be an essential skill to communicate across countries and cultures and as a means to create better opportunities for oneself [4]. This holds especially true for the English language [5]. Since the rise of smartphones, there have been many apps created to teach new languages such as Babbel and Duolingo that have made learning new languages cheap and approachable by allowing users to practice briefly whenever they have a free moment for. This is where we believe those apps fail. These apps do not capture the interest or attention of the user’s for long enough for them to meaningfully learn. Our approach is to make a video game that immerses our player in a world where they get to practice English verbally with NPCs and engage with them in scenarios they may encounter in the real world [6]. Our approach will include using chatbot AI to engage our users in realistic natural conversation while using speech to text technology such that our user will practice speaking English [7].

Logicamente: uma Plataforma Digital para Estimulação das Funções Executivas

Resumo As funções executivas têm um papel fundamental para o desempenho acadêmico, pois elas são responsáveis pelo controle, monitoramento e regulação das ações, pensamentos e emoções. Desta forma, o estímulo a essas funções pode trazer contribuições importantes para o processo de aprendizagem e uma das estratégias que vem sendo utilizada para essa estimulação é através do uso de variados jogos digitais. Portanto, este artigo tem por objetivo relatar os achados iniciais das interações de diversos usuários com o jogo Torre de Hanói, que compõe a plataforma de jogos intitulada LogicaMente. Para tanto, foram coletadas informações de 3.524 partidas realizadas por 1.324 jogadores de diferentes faixas etárias e de ambos os sexos e dentre os resultados, foi identificado que apenas 32,5% dos jogadores conseguiram finalizar o jogo Torre de Hanói com o número mínimo de movimentações no modo fácil (com 3 discos) e menos ainda, 12,2% no modo difícil (com 4 discos). Como conclusão, foi identificado que houve um predomínio do público adulto de gênero feminino, que os interatores demonstram ter uma dificuldade em concluir o jogo na menor quantidade de movimentos, mas observou-se que a persistência pode ter sido um dos motivadores para que os jogadores obtivessem êxito a partir das suas novas tentativas. Palavras-chave: Funções Executivas. Jogos Digitais. Torre de Hanói. Abstract The executive functions play a key role in academic performance, as they are responsible for controlling, monitoring, and regulating actions, thoughts, and emotions. In this way, stimulating these functions can bring contributions for the learning process and one of the approaches that have been used for this stimulation is through the use of various digital games. Therefore, this article aims at reporting initial findings of the interactions of several users with the game Tower of Hanoi, which is part of the game platform entitled LogicaMente. For this purpose, information were collected over 3,524 matches played by 1,324 players from different age groups and both genders and among the results, it was identified that only 32.5% of the players managed to finalize the Tower of Hanoi game with the minimum number of movements in easy mode (with 3 discs) and even less, 12.2% in difficult mode (with 4 discs). As a conclusion, it was noticed a predominance of adult female players, the interactors had difficulty in completing the game with the minimum amount of movements. However, it was observed that persistence may have been one of the motivators for the players to succeed from their new attempts. Keywords: Executive Functions. Digital games. Tower of Hanoi.

Pendampingan Pembuatan Produk Video Game Dengan Construct 3 pada Siswa Sekolah Tingkat Menengah Atas

Situasi pandemi Covid-19 mengharuskan seluruh siswa sekolah melaksanakan pembelajaran secara daring. Suasana jenuh kerap dirasakan oleh siswa karena keterbatasan interaksi yang dapat mereka lakukan. Sebagai media untuk menghalau rasa jenuh, para siswa suka memainkan permainan video yang ada pada gawai mereka. Permainan video dapat memberikan hiburan sekaligus memiliki dampak yang baik untuk tingkat kreativitas dan logika berpikir seseorang. Perkembangan kreativitas dan logika dapat lebih terasah jika seseorang mampu merancang dan membuat game itu sendiri. Kegiatan pengabdian ini mengajak para siswa untuk dapat berproses dalam membuat video game sendiri. Pembuatan video game ini menggunakan game platform dari Construct 3. Peserta pendampingan berjumlah 5 orang berasal dari 3 SMA di Yogyakarta. Proses pendampingan dilakukan secara intensif selama 2 bulan. Hasil yang didapat dari pendampingan ini berupa 4 buah game yang berhasil dibuat oleh setiap peserta. Game yang dihasilkan juga telah diunggah pada layanan Google Play dan telah terdaftar pada karya cipta sebagai kekayaan intelektual. Hasil evaluasi kegiatan pendampingan ini memperlihatkan bahwa proses pembuatan permainan video dengan Construct 3 memberikan banyak manfaat bagi para siswa dalam hal pengembangan kreativitas dan logika berpikir mereka.

Teknologi Game untuk Pembelajaran bagi Anak dengan ADHD: Tinjauan Literatur

Dewasa ini, penggunaan teknologi game dalam domain pembelajaran bagi anak dengan Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) mulai banyak bermunculan. Banyak penelitian dilakukan untuk membuktikan efektivitas penggunaan teknologi game dalam proses pembelajaran bagi anak dengan ADHD. Makalah ini melaporkan tinjauan literatur sistematis yang ditujukan untuk memetakan penggunaan teknologi game di bidang pembelajaran bagi anak dengan ADHD dan mengidentifikasi peta jalan penelitian di masa depan. Berdasarkan hasil eksplorasi terhadap literatur, yang didapatkan dengan kriteria inklusi yang digunakan, terpilih tiga puluh studi utama. Analisis yang dilakukan terhadap tiga puluh studi utama mengungkapkan pemetaan terhadap tujuan teknologi game, genre teknologi game, platform teknologi game, dan pengujian teknologi game. Hasil dari tinjauan literatur ini menunjukkan bahwa penggunaan teknologi game untuk meningkatkan atensi pada anak dengan ADHD terbukti relevan serta dapat menjadi pilihan yang tepat untuk meningkatkan kemampuan fokus dan membantu proses belajar anak dengan ADHD. Tinjauan literatur ini juga mengidentifikasi tiga peta jalan penelitian di masa depan, yaitu lebih memperhatikan permasalahan gangguan mental penyerta ADHD lainnya sebagai tujuan penelitian di masa depan; lebih memperhatikan variasi latar belakang responden yang terlibat dalam proses desain game pembelajaran; serta penggunaan platform lain sebagai media pembelajaran di masa depan.

A Mobile Game Platform for Improving Social Communication in Children with Autism: A Feasibility Study

Background Many children with autism cannot receive timely in-person diagnosis and therapy, especially in situations where access is limited by geography, socioeconomics, or global health concerns such as the current COVD-19 pandemic. Mobile solutions that work outside of traditional clinical environments can safeguard against gaps in access to quality care. Objective The aim of the study is to examine the engagement level and therapeutic feasibility of a mobile game platform for children with autism. Methods We designed a mobile application, GuessWhat, which, in its current form, delivers game-based therapy to children aged 3 to 12 in home settings through a smartphone. The phone, held by a caregiver on their forehead, displays one of a range of appropriate and therapeutically relevant prompts (e.g., a surprised face) that the child must recognize and mimic sufficiently to allow the caregiver to guess what is being imitated and proceed to the next prompt. Each game runs for 90 seconds to create a robust social exchange between the child and the caregiver. Results We examined the therapeutic feasibility of GuessWhat in 72 children (75% male, average age 8 years 2 months) with autism who were asked to play the game for three 90-second sessions per day, 3 days per week, for a total of 4 weeks. The group showed significant improvements in Social Responsiveness Score-2 (SRS-2) total (3.97, p <0.001) and Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-II (VABS-II) socialization standard (5.27, p = 0.002) scores. Conclusion The results support that the GuessWhat mobile game is a viable approach for efficacious treatment of autism and further support the possibility that the game can be used in natural settings to increase access to treatment when barriers to care exist.

Creating assistive technology in disabled communities, five years on

Five years ago, our paper, "Would You Be Mine: Appropriating Minecraft as an Assistive Technology for Youth with Autism" won Best Paper at ASSETS 2016 (Ringland et al. 2016). In that paper, we reported on our ethnographic engagement with a community for autistic youth called "Autcraft." In Autcraft, we found community members using do-it-yourself (DIY) making activities to transform their Minecraft game into an array of assistive technologies which enhanced their everyday lives. Although centered around the Minecraft game platform, the Autcraft community spans across an array of other social media platforms - such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch. The creative ethos we found flourishing in Autcraft shares a lineage with past scholarship highlighting how disabled individuals have long adopted, adapted, and appropriated systems in order to serve as assistive devices. Five years on, we take some time here to reflect on what has happened since and what we are looking towards for the future.

Økoengineer – A Web-Based Game Platform for Guided Discovery-Based Sustainability Learning in Engineering Curricula

A growing body of academic research and educational institutions are recognizing the need to incorporate sustainability learning into fundamental engineering courses. Furthermore, the recent COVID-19 global pandemic has created a sudden need to augment traditional lecture-based teaching with effective web-based learning platforms. In light of these challenges the engineering education community needs to place a greater focus on designing and testing interactive, information technology-based tools for sustainability learning. To this end, our paper presents the design and implementation of Økoengineer: a web-based game platform that supports guided discovery-based learning of sustainability concepts in engineering curricula. Økoengineer is designed to familiarize engineering students with sustainability concepts and provide them with an understanding of how sustainability can be considered in the engineering design process. Therefore, Økoengineer hosts a collection of open-ended design tasks in multiple engineering disciplines. Students can solve these tasks iteratively and receive guidance through a combination of pre-recorded lectures on sustainability concepts and discussions with domain experts. Økoengineer also aims to increase students’ learning outcomes through the use of gamified elements, including high-score leaderboards, formative feedback & peer discussions, and rewarding achievements through virtual collectible badges. The Økoengineer platform is architected for scalability and allows course instructors to easily add new learning materials and design tasks.

IMPLEMENTASI ALGORITMA FINITE STATE MACHINE SEBAGAI PERUBAHAN PERILAKU OTONOM DAN ADAPTIF PADA NON-PLAYER CHARACTER DALAM GAME PETUALANGAN KSATRIA PANCASILA

Penelitian dilakukan untuk dapat membuat sebuah game 2 dimensi genre petualangan berbasis android yang nantinya jika penelitian ini berhasil bisa menjadi hiburan bagi anak anak. Penelitian ini dilakukan di STMIK Widya Cipta Dharma Samarinda. Metode pengumpulan data yang digunakan yaitu dengan wawancara yang mengajukan pertanyaan-pertanyaan yang berkaitan dengan game. Dengan cara observasi, yaitu mengadakan pengamatan secara langsung ke STMIK Widya Cipta Dharma Samarinda.Salah satu pengembangan metode yang dapat mendukung pembuatan game platform ini adalah Finite State Machine. Metode ini digunakan untuk mengatur perilaku NPC (Non Player Character) agar dapat melakukan perlawanan kepada player. Adapun hasil akhir dari penelitian ini yakni Game “Petualangan Kesatria Pancasila” berbasis android, memiliki tampilan gameplay yang menarik dan menghibur serta anak-anak bisa belajar mengamalkan nilai sila-sila Pancasila.