Review of educational use of games and simulations (original) (raw)
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Instructional design in game based learning and applications used in educational systems
Tehnički glasnik
The paper examines literature on the subject of instructional design and game based learning with the aim of identifying its positive effects and impact on users. Special attention was given to learning, encouragement and development of skills acquired through the use of game based learning. Game based learning is considered to be a complex system that requires instructional support geared towards stimulating cognitive processes. Several empirical research papers which provide insight into this field of interest have been chosen. The second set of papers provides confirmation accompanied with an analysis of instructional support as a function of the learning support. Also included were recent works which indicated the need for further research and the heterogeneity of the existing research. Other works complemented the unit and are mutually interconnected by a methodological approach providing insight into the issues that should be investigated in the future.
Experiences on the use of a game for improving learning and assessing knowledge
Computer Applications in Engineering Education, 2018
The combination of traditional teaching methods with innovative learning tools generates a positive effect on the learning. MiProJOC is a web-based question and answer game developed to support the delivery of interactive lessons and the assessment of the students' learning, both as in-class and distance education activities. MiProJOC was designed to maintain a repository of questions from different knowledge areas, to define and set different game modes, and to present the statistical results from the use of the tool. MiProJOC has been used to facilitate the learning of the software life cycle processes of the ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207 International Standard within a Software Quality course. This tool has been tested and validated by three different groups of users: students, teachers, and experts from an Information Technology center. The use of MiProJOC to consolidate theoretical concepts is quite profitable, instructive, and beneficial. The tool has achieved an increase in the student interest toward the topics studied. Students are more motivated when innovative techniques are used for the acquisition and consolidation of knowledge.
Integrated Approach for Enhanced Teaching and Learning towards Richer Problem Solving Experience
Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, 2010
The utilisation of a game environment for problem solving as part of the concept of three-fold, theory-simulation-experiment laboratory, enriched with advanced mobile wireless technology components for information access, is the focus of the research reported in this paper. The resource design is being motivated by the goal of incorporating both advanced gaming and communications infrastructure to realise a novel multilevel educational experience. The paper illustrates how expertise in two key technology fields -gaming and telecommunications -is combined and integrated with discipline expertise and sound pedagogy for educational content generation, and by this means, how new pathways in the natural knowledge and experience-gaining process may be created. An important principle in the research has been to exploit play and variety of contemporary ICT support for e-Learning and problem solving facilitation, including digital games, wireless mobile technology and learning management systems such as Moodle or Sakai-Sulis. A second principle is to seek an extended access to these new e -Learning paradigms beyond the physical educational campus, through their incorporation into virtual campuses.
The design and implementation of a simulation game for teaching knowledge management
Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 2005
Knowledge management is a discipline that has rapidly gained attention from both practitioners and academics over the last decade. However, the number of simulation games designed for knowledge management education has been limited. This is largely due to the emerging nature of knowledge management, whose domain the established gaming and simulation community has yet to enter. For this reason, the value and relevance of knowledge management simulation games is highlighted in this article by detailing the design and implementation of a simulation game entitled The Chief Knowledge Officer (CKO). The study was intended to meet two objectives: (a) to provide a template for designing knowledge management simulation games, and (b) to determine the effectiveness of CKO through a pretest-posttest research design. An empirical study which involved 32 final-year Business Studies students reading an elective module entitled Knowledge Management Systems in an institute of higher education in Singapore was conducted. The findings confirmed that CKO was a viable and effective instructional tool for imparting knowledge to the participants. In addition, the scores obtained from CKO had a moderating effect on the participants' attitude towards the subject matter.
Edutainment may be considered a developing contemporary research field particularly as new and open source game development environments are made available to the research community. Nevertheless, most edutainment scenarios are usually limited in terms of interactivity, design and aesthetics, a fact that may be attributed to the task complexity, which requires an integrated approach addressing all related fields. This work introduces a conceptual/operational framework for the development of edutainment scenarios, which is both game-based and rich-media oriented. The proposed framework, which for the main part must be considered an educational effort, combines theoretical background -within the fields of human-computer communication, interaction/educational design and entertainment studies- and practical solutions and techniques regarding software and digital games development, for the creation of custom edutainment scenarios. These abstract and more or less theoretical scenarios due to the seamless embodiment of technical practices may be easily developed as fully fledged products, be them games, applications or any kind of digital media that provide the unified service of education and entertainment. In such a case the end product (a digital system) permits the user to interact with the environment in a game-like manner, which enhances learnability and contributes to knowledge acquirement as the underlying objective.
The Efficacy of Games and Simulations for Learning
Case Studies and Lessons Learned, 2010
This chapter presents a synthesis of the literature (1998-2008) on the efficacy of games and simulations for learning. Based on definitions and sets of essential attributes for games and for simulations, the authors examine the contributions of each to knowledge structuring and the development of problem solving skills. Noting that games and simulations have positive learning outcomes in various situations, the authors present variables to measure the knowledge and skills developed by learners who use games and simulations. This work is intended to contribute to the development of an analytical framework for future studies on the efficacy of games and simulations for learning.
Issues of Learning Games: From Virtual to Real
Our research work deals with the development of new learning environments, and we are particularly interested in studying the different aspects linked to users' collaboration in these environments. We believe that Game-based Learning can significantly enhance learning. That is why we have developed learning environments grounded on graphical representations of a course. These environments allow us to set up experiments with students in our university. The emergence of online multiplayer games led us to apply the metaphor of exploring a virtual 3D world, where each student embarks on a quest in order to collect knowledge related to a learning activity. In the environment, each part of the world represents a place, sometimes a collaborative place, where students are supposed to acquire a particular concept. Learning objects, artefacts or collaborative tools may be present in each location and a correct answer to a specific exercise gives a key to the students, allowing them to access other activities. Although the students appreciate this approach, there is a lack of assessment of know-how-type skills, especially for the teacher. Indeed, certain domains present the particularity of exhibiting both theoretical knowledge and practical knowhow (operations in manufacturing or medicine, for example). For such contexts, the current Learning Games are not efficient concerning this second point: a unique and full digitalisation of these objects alone is not sufficient to guarantee both effective learning and assessment of the techniques. We consider this as a gamification problem. As a matter of fact, in industrial domains, the learning processes are often based on the use of certain objects that are difficult to include in a learning game. Moreover, although some games are collaborative, an effective collaborative activity is more effective in a real context. Our objective is then to facilitate the transfer by integrating a new object present both in the game and in the classroom.
Interactive Learning Environments, 2013
While most current educational simulation games provide learners with gameplay experience to motivate learning, there is often a lack of focus on ensuring that the desired content knowledge is actually learned. Students may focus on completing game activities without learning the targeted content knowledge, thus negating the desired learning outcomes. We argue that to help students achieve improved learning performance, providing targeted content knowledge should be a specific focus in designing educational games; in addition, scaffolding strategies to promote the use of in-game contents should also be provided. Thus, the present study explores the effects and usage of providing three types of scaffolding aids in two versions of educational simulations with in-game contents. The results suggest that providing targeted content with scaffolding aid in educational simulation games helps students to achieve better learning performance.