fundamental concepts and are too afraid to ask (especially in large classes) § Some students fail to engage with their studies § University moving towards ú student-‐centered learning ú technology enhanced learning § How do we utilise technology to help address these issues?
see and I remember. I do and I understand.” Confucius. § “People remember 20% of what they see, 40% of what they see and hear, but about 75% of what they see and hear and do simultaneously” (Lindstrom, 1994)
constructed by learners themselves” (Holzinger 2002) § “Students consider interactivity extremely important” (Holzinger & Ebner 2003) § “Memorable educational experience should be enriching and enjoyable” (Shneiderman 1998) § Learning is an active process § Student motivation is an important factor § “Carefully designed interactive units can help the learning process” (Ebner & Holzinger 2007)
for learning and make the activity enjoyable § Essential characteristics: ú Challenge ú Curiosity ú Reward ú Stimulation § Very close to problem-‐based learning: a specific problem scenario is placed within a play framework
ú Students need to be motivated to play ú Game has to be useful to students ú Available any time anywhere ú Short play time ú Competition * “Successful Implementation of User-‐Centered Game Based Learning in Higher Education: An Example from Civil Engineering”, Ebner & Holzinger, Computers and Education, November 2007
§ Children § Students § Research indicates that one of the barriers for the adoption of game-‐based learning is the narrow demographic of traditional games players § However, games are now becoming a widely accepted medium that are played by a wide demographic of people due to several factors § Computer games are becoming part of our cultural heritage along with medium such as cinema and an art form in its own right
Works anywhere with internet connection ú University classroom/lab ú Student home ú Halls of residence ú Internet café § Students can play at their own pace and in their own environment § Very capable in terms of rich user interface and interactivity
the learning experience for the student” § “AMAZING!” § “I really enjoyed them, they were fun and helped with my understanding” § “Overall it was great and different than other modules a new technique of teaching students and a way of learning independently without feeling shy to ask anyone and being able to do the puzzle and enjoy and learn at the same time in their own time.”
Anne-‐Gaelle Colom*, Phil Trwoga ú SSHL: Catherine Loveday*, Richard Hennebert ú LS: Mark Clements*, Derek Renshaw ú Software Developer § Project submitted to Westminster Exchange in 2010. § Outcome: Not successful § Reasons: ú “the methodology focused on development ‘actions’, rather than rationale of methods” ú “lacked detail on student participation” *Teaching Fellows
provide students with: ú Extra support for fundamental concepts ú Has received excellent feedback from students § In a process of review and enhancement § Will create an example in the field of cognitive science this summer § Our goal is to find funding for this project and develop this framework to make it easy for practitioners to develop their own learning units
Details: ú Anne-‐Gaelle Colom ú School of Electronics and Computer Science ú Ext. 3853 ú Email: [email protected] ú Demo is available on the Google Apps site